ASPHALT SHINGLES

The Manufacturing Process

The manufacture of asphalt roofing products is a continuous process performed on a roofing machine that begins at one end with a roll of core material and concludes at the other end with the finished product. This sequence of operations builds the product up in stages, adding materials along the way and monitoring their operations. The graphic below illustrates the sequence of events.

The Advantages of Asphalt Products

The dominance of asphalt roofing products through the years has not evolved as a matter of chance. It is based on proven product performance that goes beyond the basic roofing requirements of providing a covering that shields the building’s inhabitants from the weather. The characteristics have earned asphalt roofing its leading position include the following:

• Weather Resistance. Asphalt roofing products are proven to resist sunlight, heat, cold, water and ice.
• Fire Resistance. Asphalt roofing products are manufactured to comply with ASTM International and/or Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards for fire resistance.
• Wind Resistance. Asphalt roofing products comply with the wind-resistant standards of Underwriters Laboratories.
• Efficient, high-volume production plus relatively low cost of application result in economies that are difficult for competing roofing materials to match. Moderate installed costs combined with long service life gives asphalt roofing products a very low annual or life-cycle cost.
• Ease of Application. Asphalt roofing is considered to be the easiest of all standard roofing materials to apply.
• Because of their flexibility and strength, asphalt roofing products can be applied on a wide variety of roof styles.
• Asphalt roofing is available in many appealing colors, shapes and dimensional depths that provide bold roof appearances. The wide range of asphalt roofing products introduced in recent years offer much greater flexibility in choosing the appearance of a building’s exterior than is available with most other types of roofing material.
• Style Suitability. Asphalt roofing is completely “at home” with most architectural styles, whether contemporary, modern or traditional.
• Low Maintenance. Properly chosen and applied, asphalt roofing products require little or no upkeep and are easily repaired, if damaged.