Shingle Roofing OptionsWe provide three major Roofing Shingle products:
3-Tab Shingles
Affordable, basic protection for projects on a limited budget
Architectural Shingles
Protect and beautify your building with North America’s top shingles
Designer Lifetime Shingles
Beautiful, stylish, and exceptionally durable
3-TAB VS. ARCHITECTURAL SHINGLES
The first decision to make during a shingle roof replacement project is whether to use basic 3-Tab shingles, or upgrade to an Architectural style shingle. There are significant differences between these two types of shingles.
What are Three-Tab Shingles?
Basic three-tab asphalt shingles are widely used and provide solid performance at a budget-friendly price point. In this type of asphalt roofing material, each shingle is cut into three equal-sized “tabs”—the exposed portion of the shingle that you can see once it is installed. Every shingle is identical in size, shape and thickness, resulting in a uniform appearance.
What are Architectural Shingles?
Architectural shingles, sometimes called dimensional shingles or laminate shingles, are visually distinctive and give a more sophisticated appearance to the roof. This shingle is not cut into tabs, but has pieces of additional asphalt in varying widths laminated to the shingle with an asphalt sealant. This creates an intentional variation in thickness and color shading, which mimics the irregular shadows and random sizes that are characteristic of a wood shake or slate roof. Architectural shingles are thicker, and can weigh 50% more than 3-tab shingles.
Appearance:
- Both types of shingles are available in an array of colors. However, due to the way architectural shingles are manufactured, they come in a wider variety of shading, texture, and shape options.
- A three-tab shingle roof can look flat and featureless due to the uniform nature of the shingles. Most people find architectural shingles more visually appealing than 3-tab shingles, which improves curb appeal.
- Aesthetically, architectural shingles can resemble the appearance of premium materials like cedar or slate, which is appealing when an upscale look is desired.
Durability:
- Because they are thicker, architectural shingles are less likely to curl than 3-tab shingles.
- Most three-tab shingles are only warrantied to handle wind speeds up to 60 miles per hour. In contrast, architectural shingles are often warrantied for winds as high as 110 mph with standard installation; and even as high as 130 mph if special installation procedures and materials are used.
- A standard grade 3-tab asphalt shingle roof is likely to need replacement after 15-20 years, but the additional thickness of architectural shingles makes them considerably more durable. An architectural shingled roof can be expected to last about 50% longer than a 3-tab shingled roof.
- Most three-tab shingles only carry a 20-25 year limited warranty from the manufacturer, whereas architectural shingles may be warrantied for 40 years, 50 years, or even carry a Lifetime warranty. (Warranty terms vary by manufacturer, product line, and installation procedures followed.)
