INSURANCE

ROOF DURABILITY & INSURANCE

durability of roofing materials

Durability is measured in terms of wind, fire, and impact resistance, with impact resistance seemingly the most important here in Minnesota because of our frequency of hail.

IMPACT RATING

The UL 2218 test (often called the "steel ball drop test") simulates hail impact by dropping steel balls of increasing size from 20 feet onto the roofing material. The material is rated from Class 1 (lowest) to Class 4 (highest) according to what size ball it can withstand with no cracking, splitting, or tearing.

Class 1: Can withstand a 1.25-inch steel ball
Class 2: Can withstand a 1.5-inch steel ball
Class 3: Can withstand a 1.75-inch steel ball
Class 4: Can withstand a 2-inch steel ball

Class 4 is considered the gold standard for hail-prone areas — it's the highest rating available and may qualify for insurance discounts, as may some impact rated 3 products.

While cedar shakes can vary materially, the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau claims that some shake products are rated Class 4.

State Farm publishes a list of products and their impact ratings. The document is titled "Premium Credits Listing: Products eligible for discounts in the following states." We make no representations as to the document's accuracy or usefulness. Click to view.

Since none of the board members are insurance underwriters and the market is constantly changing, it would be irresponsible for us to provide any advice or representations with respect to homeowners' insurance. That said, we can share what we have been told by insurance reps and the anecdotes of others.

The issue with homeowners' insurance is highlighted by the graph below from the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Homeowners insurance was profitable in only 3 of the 10 years from 2015 through 2024. In turn, the same report shows that average premiums increased by 50% between 2014 and 2022. Other reports noted the continued rise in premiums thereafter.

So Minnesota homeowners are experiencing higher premium costs, less coverage and higher deductibles. We are also being negatively affected by a reduction in the age of the roof that companies are willing to insure. While cedar has been considered a 25+ year roof, some companies are significantly increasing rates or even refusing to insure a roof aged over ten years. Personally, we hired Kuhl to clean, repair, and seal our heavy shake roof last year, but it made no difference to Nationwide at renewal time.

What this tells us is that the life span of a roof may be more a function of the insurance industry than the actual durability of the material. A fifty year expected life is irrelevant if the insurance industry does not recognize it as such.