IBHS Releases Its Most Expansive Impact-Resistant Shingle Ratings to Date

Fourth edition captures record 24 products, offering the broadest look yet at IR shingle performance

RICHBURG, S.C., Nov. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) today released the 2025 update to its Hail Impact-Resistant Shingle Ratings, reinforcing its commitment to improving asphalt shingle durability and reducing storm damage. Now in its fourth edition, this year researchers evaluated a record 24 impact-resistant shingle products — IBHS's most expansive assessment to date — capturing the performance of approximately 95% of the impact-resistant shingles sold annually.

New in 2025, IBHS includes the numerical score — in addition to the rating — for each product, offering even greater transparency for consumers. This empowers homeowners to make informed decisions and helps roofing contractors select materials that deliver reliable protection for their communities. The ratings show that although most products earned a "Good" rating, none achieved "Excellent."

"Homeowners are willing to pay more for impact‑resistant shingles, trusting they'll stand up to severe weather. But when hail strikes, not every product delivers on that promise," said IBHS Chief Engineer Dr. Anne Cope. "At IBHS, we buy shingles straight from the retail shelves, just like consumers do, and test them against realistic hail impacts to see how they perform. These results give property owners and roofing pros science-backed insights to choose products proven to stand up to hail."

Since 2019, IBHS has rated hail impact-resistant shingles using laboratory-made hailstones — providing a more realistic measure of damage than traditional steel balls. The shingles tested are procured through standard retail outlets and evaluated across the modes of damage observed in hailstorms — dents, tears, and granule loss — to deliver a comprehensive picture of impact resistance.

The 2025 ratings include two key advancements. First, IBHS introduced a new instrument to provide better pre- and post-impact imaging analysis. Second, a strategic partnership with Principia, a leading building materials research firm, enabled IBHS to test shingle products representing about 95% of the impact-resistant asphalt shingle market — the most comprehensive assessment yet of products sold and installed in hail-prone regions.

"We have tested the overwhelming majority of impact-resistant shingles sold to consumers in the last year, and our Hail Impact-Resistant Shingle Ratings make it easy to see how they stack up," said Cope. "The scale — Excellent, Good, Marginal, or Poor — provides a clear picture of relative performance. If a product rates Marginal or Poor, we do not recommend using it in areas that experience hail."

IBHS's research to identify ways to make homes more resilient also led to the creation of Roofing Roadmaps. These online resources, including Roof 101 and Hazard 101, provide practical understanding of roof systems, expectations for roof cover performance, and explain how wind and hail affect roofing materials. Visit ibhs.org/roof to explore the Roofing Roadmaps and dive deeper into how weather impacts roofs.

The full 2025 IBHS Hail Impact-Resistant Shingle Ratings and testing protocol are available to the public at ibhs.org/Impact Ratings.

Dr. Ian Giammanco, Managing Director of Atmospheric Science at IBHS, is available to speak with reporters via high-quality Zoom interviews about the Hail Impact-Resistant Shingle Ratings and IBHS's latest findings.

About the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

The IBHS mission is to conduct objective, scientific research to identify and promote effective actions that strengthen homes, businesses and communities against natural disasters and other causes of loss. Learn more at IBHS.org. 

SOURCE Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety