Hail damage often cannot be confirmed from the ground. A proper roofing inspection checks for bruising, mat fracture indicators, soft-metal impacts, and collateral damage to vents, gutters and flashing. Roofing is American Prime General Construction’s primary trade, and we work a hail roof in order: measure, test, photograph, scope.
If storm damage is present, we document it with photographs and measurements and explain the next steps. If it is not, we tell you that too, because a roof with cosmetic granule wear and no mat damage does not need replacing.
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What Our Hail Inspection Covers
- Shingle bruising and mat fracture indicators, confirmed by hand
- Soft-metal impacts on vents, flashing, gutters and downspouts
- Collateral damage to siding, windows, screens and fencing
- Test squares on each directional slope, with photos and measurements
- Seal-strip condition and fastener exposure
- A detailed repair or replacement scope
North Texas Hail Season and Why This Roof Market Is Different
The National Weather Service treats hail of one inch or larger as severe, a threshold raised from three-quarters of an inch in 2009, per the SCIPP summary of Storm Prediction Center hail data. That summary also reports northern Texas had the highest frequency of large hail in the country between 1986 and 2015, and that because large stones require strong updrafts, the worst hail usually falls on spring afternoons and evenings. NOAA has recorded 126 billion-dollar severe storm events affecting Texas from 1980 to 2024, 66.3 percent of all billion-dollar disasters in the state.
Bruising Versus Blistering Versus Mechanical Damage
Hail bruising is impact damage to the fiberglass mat beneath the surfacing. GAF’s technical bulletin TAB-R-108, Damage To Shingles Caused By Hail, describes a random pattern of dents or depressions, sometimes with cracks radiating outward, exposed mat where the surfacing has shattered away, or a fractured mat that “may or may not be immediately visible.” A bruise is confirmed by feel: the spot is soft when pressed because the mat behind it has broken.
Blistering is a manufacturing and heat-related condition, not an impact. Blisters form in a diffuse pattern regardless of storm direction, and when they pop they leave a round crater with a raised rim and no soft mat underneath.
Mechanical damage comes from feet, tools and equipment. It concentrates on traffic paths and around penetrations, appearing as scuffs, edge granule shedding and unsealed tabs rather than random isolated impacts.
Telling them apart is a hands-on judgment. We document each condition separately in our construction documentation.
The Test Square Inspection Method
The standard for quantifying hail damage is the test square, developed by Haag Engineering and in use since the early 1960s. The Haag test square method works this way:
- Lay out a 10 by 10 foot square, equal to one roofing square of 100 square feet, on each directional slope.
- Examine every shingle inside the square by hand, checking for creases, breaks, soft spots and bruising.
- Differentiate the types of marks found and count the hail-damaged roofing units in the square.
- Calculate the area facing each direction, then extrapolate the per-square count across the roof.
Haag chose the 100 square foot sample as statistically representative and practical, and presented a peer-reviewed “Protocol for Assessment of Hail-Damaged Roofing” at the 1999 North American Conference on Roofing Technology. This is the method behind the numbers in our roof inspection and forensic roof inspection reports.
Hail Size Versus Damage Threshold on Asphalt Shingle
Size is an indicator, not a verdict; hardness, impact angle, shingle age and deck support all shift the outcome. IBHS laboratory work, in its hail impact performance overview for asphalt shingles, used 1.5-inch and 2.0-inch laboratory-manufactured hailstones and concluded that when new, both impact-resistant and conventional asphalt shingles “should offer good protection for 1.5 in. or smaller hail impacts.” At 2 inches the products separated sharply, and every impact-resistant shingle rated Good or Excellent at that size was polymer-modified asphalt.
| Reported hail size | What it usually means for asphalt shingle |
|---|---|
| Under 1 inch | Below the severe threshold; damage to a sound roof is uncommon, though soft metals may mark |
| 1 to 1.5 inches | Inspection warranted; IBHS testing indicates new shingles protect well at this size, but aged shingles behave differently |
| 2 inches and larger | Material type controls the outcome; mat fractures become common |
Impact-Resistant Shingle Classification and What the Ratings Mean
UL 2218 classification is the standard insurers recognize. As described in the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association standards summary, UL 2218 drops steel balls of various diameters from 12 to 20 feet onto a shingle deck and rates the product into one of four classes, Class 4 highest. FM 4473 does the same with pneumatically launched ice balls. ARMA notes impact resistance is not required by code, and that ratings apply to shingles as manufactured rather than after years of service.
IBHS impact-resistant shingle ratings are a relative performance scale, not a code class. IBHS evaluated 24 impact-resistant products in its 2025 update, roughly 95 percent of those sold annually, grading dents, tears and granule loss as Excellent, Good, Marginal or Poor. Most earned Good, none Excellent, and IBHS does not recommend products rated Marginal or Poor in hail country. Two shingles can both be Class 4 and still perform differently.
The Texas Department of Insurance confirms that impact-resistant roofing may qualify for premium credits, that qualifying materials must be lab-tested and classified Class 1 through 4 with Class 4 earning the highest credit, and that each insurer sets its own discount. For Texas Windstorm Insurance Association credits the product must have passed UL Standard 2218 and carry a label showing class, manufacturer, year and brand, with TDI form PC068 completed by the contractor.
Soft Metals and Collateral Damage Indicators
Soft metals record a hailstorm more honestly than shingles do. GAF instructs inspectors that when shingle evidence is not evident, they should look for indentations on metal flashings, siding, chimney caps and skylight flashings.
- Gutters and downspouts. Dents on the face, top rail and round back establish impact size and direction.
- Vents, turbines and pipe jack caps. Thin aluminum and galvanized components dent at lower energy than shingles.
- Drip edge, valley metal and counterflashing. Spatter marks on an oxidized surface date the event.
- HVAC condenser fins. Flattened fins are a strong directional indicator; that repair belongs to a licensed HVAC trade.
- Screens, siding, garage doors and fences. Vertical impacts show which elevations took the storm; our siding and window work covers that scope.
What Texas Insurance Policies Commonly Do on Roof Claims
Policy language, not the roof, decides what a claim pays. The Texas Department of Insurance explains that some policies pay replacement cost while others pay actual cash value, which pays less as a roof ages; that some companies switch older roofs to actual cash value; that a roof in poor condition may not be covered; and that no company pays for a new roof simply because the old one is worn out. Replacement cost claims are commonly paid in two checks, a partial payment first and the remainder after repairs start, and TDI advises asking whether the wind and hail deductible differs. After a storm, TDI directs owners to file a claim as soon as they can, notes policies may pay for temporary repairs, and states that waiving a homeowners deductible is illegal under state law.
We are not a public insurance adjuster and we do not negotiate claims on your behalf. We provide the construction side: test-square results, photographs, measurements, material specifications and repair scopes.
From Inspection to Complete Build-Back
American Prime General Construction documents the damage, develops the reconstruction scope, and manages the roofing and exterior repairs through completion. Scattered mat fractures across multiple slopes generally point to roof replacement, while isolated damage on one elevation can often be handled as a targeted repair. When hail also causes water intrusion, qualified mitigation professionals perform the specialized drying work under our mitigation and remediation partner coordination, and APGC manages the water-damage reconstruction.
See our storm restoration services, roof inspections, reconstruction and build-back, construction documentation and service areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can hail damage be seen from the ground?
Hail damage often cannot be confirmed from the ground. A proper roof inspection checks for bruising, mat fracture indicators, soft-metal impacts and collateral damage to vents, gutters and flashing. Bruising has to be confirmed by hand, because a fractured mat can sit under a surface that looks intact from a distance.
Do you provide documentation for the insurance claim?
We provide construction estimates, photographs, measurements, repair scopes, material information, code documentation and technical explanations for the required repair and reconstruction work, including test-square results by slope. We do not act as a public insurance adjuster.
Can APGC manage the complete repair?
Yes. APGC manages roofing repair or replacement and the complete reconstruction of affected interior or exterior areas, including trade coordination, materials, scheduling and quality control.
What areas do you serve?
American Prime General Construction is based in Richardson and serves Dallas, Plano, Garland, Allen, McKinney, Frisco, and surrounding DFW communities. Our office is at 2100 N Greenville Ave Ste 106, Richardson, TX 75082.
How large does hail have to be to damage a roof?
There is no single number. The National Weather Service treats one inch as the severe threshold, and IBHS testing found that new impact-resistant and conventional asphalt shingles should offer good protection against impacts of 1.5 inches or smaller. Stone hardness, impact angle and shingle age all change the result, so an inspection is the only reliable answer for your roof.
Are Class 4 impact-resistant shingles worth installing?
Often, in a market hit as frequently as North Texas. Class 4 is the highest UL 2218 classification and the Texas Department of Insurance notes it receives the highest premium credit, though each insurer sets the amount and paperwork. IBHS ratings add a second layer, since products sharing a class can perform differently.
How long do I have to file a hail claim?
Deadlines are set by your policy and by state law, so read your policy and contact your carrier. The Texas Department of Insurance advises filing as soon as you can after hail or strong winds, and earlier documentation is better evidence.
Will insurance pay to replace my whole roof after hail?
That depends on your policy and on the damage found, and we do not promise outcomes. Replacement cost and actual cash value policies pay differently, older roofs are sometimes switched to actual cash value, and a roof in poor condition may have limited coverage. Our role is to document conditions and scope the work correctly.
If hail has come through your neighborhood, the first step is a documented inspection. American Prime General Construction, 2100 N Greenville Ave Ste 106, Richardson, TX 75082, (469) 888-8326.