Roofs serve as the first line of defense against severe weather, protecting buildings and occupants from the hazards storms bring. Hail alone is responsible for billions of dollars of roof damage in the United States every year (Gunturi and Tippett 2017).  

While past IBHS research has focused on the hail impact performance of asphalt shingles – the most common material used in steep-slope residential construction – the growing diversity of roofing systems calls for expanded testing. Following the development of the new IBHS Impact Resistance Test Protocol for Asphalt Shingles (2019), IBHS researchers saw an opportunity to apply elements of that test methodology to evaluate the performance of other roofing products, such as synthetic composite shingles (Estes et al. 2019).  

In partnership with the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), this study extends that work to evaluate the hail impact performance of low-slope metal roof systems. The research aims to better understand how different roof assemblies respond to hail impact and to guide future improvements in product design and performance standards.