Class 4 impact-resistant roofing, and the honest version of the pitch.
A Class 4 roof passes UL 2218: a 2 inch steel ball dropped from 20 feet, twice on the same spot, without cracking the mat. Under C.R.S. 10-4-110.8, Colorado insurers have to account for impact-resistant roofs in their rates. It's worth doing for most homeowners in Colorado Springs and Pueblo. It isn't hail-proof.
A Class 4 roof is one that passes UL 2218, the impact test where a two-inch steel ball is dropped from twenty feet onto the same spot twice without cracking the mat. In Colorado, C.R.S. 10-4-110.8 requires homeowner insurers writing in the state to account for impact-resistant roofing in their rates, and most carriers pass that through as a premium credit. The credit is not automatic: you generally need qualifying materials, a closed permit and the manufacturer's certificate submitted to your carrier. Alta installs Class 4 shingle and metal systems and puts that documentation packet together for you.
What Class 4 does, and what it does not.
UL 2218 measures one thing: whether the shingle mat cracks under a defined impact. A Class 4 product resists that cracking, which is the failure mode that shortens a roof's life after a hailstorm. That is a genuine, measurable benefit in a region that sits inside hail alley, and on a roof you intend to keep for twenty years it usually pays for itself through the premium credit alone.
What it does not do is make your roof hail-proof. A Class 4 shingle can still lose granules and can still show dents and marks, and a growing number of Colorado policies now carry a cosmetic damage exclusion that will not pay for that appearance damage on any roof. Anyone telling you a Class 4 roof means you will never make another claim is selling, not advising. We would rather you buy it for the reason it actually works.
What do you actually get when we do this work?
The UL 2218 test, plainly
Two-inch steel ball, twenty-foot drop, twice on the same spot, with no cracking of the mat on the underside. Class 4 is the highest of the four classes. Class 3 uses a smaller ball, and it is not what carriers mean when they offer the credit.
Shingle and metal options
Impact-resistant asphalt lines, stone-coated steel and standing seam metal all reach Class 4. We will quote the standard architectural roof and the Class 4 version side by side so you can see the real difference in cost, not a percentage.
The documentation your carrier wants
Product certificate, the specific line and colour installed, the closed building permit and photographs. Most homeowners who never receive the credit simply never sent the paperwork in. We send it.
Where the payback works
If you are staying in the home, if you are in a hail-exposed corridor, and if your carrier offers a meaningful credit, the maths generally works over the life of the roof. We will run it with your actual premium rather than a brochure figure.
Where it does not
If you are selling within a couple of years, or your carrier's credit is small, the upfront premium may not come back. We will tell you that, even though the Class 4 roof is the larger sale for us.
Cosmetic damage endorsements
Read your declarations page. If your policy carries a cosmetic damage exclusion on the roof surface, the Class 4 conversation changes and you should know that before you choose, not after your next storm.
Installed to spec or the rating is theoretical
A Class 4 shingle fastened wrong, on a starved attic, with cut field shingles for the ridge, is a Class 4 product with a compromised warranty. The rating is on the material, the performance is on the installation.
Start to finish, no surprises.
- Step 01
Check your policy
We look at your declarations page for the existing wind and hail terms and any cosmetic damage endorsement.
- Step 02
Price both
Standard architectural and Class 4, quoted side by side, with the real difference shown.
- Step 03
Ask your carrier
We give you the product details to take to your agent so you get the actual credit figure before you commit.
- Step 04
Install to spec
Correct fastening, correct starter and ridge, correct ventilation. The rating only survives a correct install.
- Step 05
Submit the packet
Certificate, permit, photographs, line and colour, sent to your carrier so the credit is actually applied.
Class 4 systems we install.
All of these carry a UL 2218 Class 4 rating. Which one suits depends on pitch, budget, HOA rules and how long you intend to stay.
- Asphalt
IKO Nordic IR Class 4
Our preferred Class 4 product. The IKO Nordic IR impact-resistant shingle looks like a standard architectural roof, carries the UL 2218 Class 4 rating and qualifies for the credit. We install GAF Class 4 equivalents as well.
- Metal
Standing seam
Concealed fasteners, very long service life, and excellent wind performance on exposed sites like the Pueblo West mesa or the Palmer Divide. Higher upfront cost, longest horizon.
- Metal
Stone-coated steel
Class 4 performance with a profile that reads as shingle or tile, which helps where an HOA restricts appearance.
- Synthetic
Composite shake and slate
Impact-rated synthetics for homes where the look of shake or slate matters and the weight or the hail exposure of the real thing does not work.
- Documentation
Certificate and permit packet
Product certificate, closed permit and install photographs, assembled and sent to your carrier. Without it, the credit usually does not appear.
- Coming
Rate filing transparency
A 2026 Colorado law will require insurers to demonstrate in their rate filings that savings from resilient roof installations reach policyholders, phasing in from 2027. Worth asking your carrier about when you renew.
Get it looked at before it gets worse.
Free, photo-documented and no obligation. We work Colorado Springs, Pueblo and the towns between them, and we run 24/7 emergency response including tarping if water is coming in right now.
Ask about impact-resistant (class 4)
Tell us what you are dealing with and we will come and look at it.
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Impact-Resistant (Class 4) Roofing questions.
It varies by carrier and we will not promise a number. C.R.S. 10-4-110.8 requires insurers writing in Colorado to account for impact-resistant roofing in their rates, and most pass it through as a credit on the wind and hail portion. We have seen homeowners receive premium savings of roughly $600 to $2,700, though the actual figure depends entirely on your carrier, policy, property and the qualifying product, so you should verify it directly with your carrier. Ask your agent for your specific figure and what documentation they need, and we will supply the documentation.
Yes, there is a premium over a standard architectural shingle. We quote both so you see the actual difference on your roof rather than a percentage from a brochure, and then you decide.
No. It resists cracking of the mat, which is the failure mode that shortens a roof's life. It can still lose granules and it can still dent. Anybody promising you a hail-proof roof is overselling.
A policy term that excludes appearance-only damage to the roof surface from coverage. They are increasingly common in Colorado, and they change the value of both a Class 4 upgrade and your next claim. Check your declarations page, and bring it to the inspection.
Usually, and sometimes at no extra cost. The claim pays toward the roof you had, and you pay the difference to upgrade. On many qualifying restoration projects Alta is able to provide the Class 4 upgrade at no additional charge when the project economics and the insurance scope allow it. Either way we show the split clearly on the paperwork rather than blending it, so the claim side stays clean.
Yes, though it is a secondary benefit. A mat that does not crack keeps its weather protection after a storm, which means fewer repairs and a roof that reaches its expected life rather than being retired early by a single bad afternoon.
Other things we handle.
Roof Replacement
Complete tear-off and replacement in asphalt, metal, tile and TPO. Decking inspected and repaired, ice-and-water at the eaves and valleys, ventilation designed in, and a lifetime workmanship warranty on the install.
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Roof Repair & Leak Detection
Honest, lasting fixes for leaks, missing shingles, failed flashing and storm punctures. We trace the source rather than patching the stain, and we run 24/7 emergency response including tarping.
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Storm & Hail Restoration
Our specialty. We assess hail and wind damage with proper test squares, document every strike the way an adjuster scopes it, and restore the whole exterior back to pre-storm condition or better.
Read moreNeed impact-resistant (class 4)? Start with the inspection.
Free, no obligation, no upsell. Twenty minutes with a local expert and you will know exactly where your roof stands.