What roofing materials qualify for an insurance discount in Texas?

Texas insurers can offer premium credits for roofs built with impact-resistant materials rated under UL 2218, a four-class steel-ball drop test where Class 4 receives the highest credit, per the Texas Department of Insurance. Discount amounts aren't set by the state — each insurance company decides its own, and Texas Windstorm Insurance Association customers need form PC068 to claim theirs.

Texas insurers can offer premium credits for roofs built with impact-resistant materials rated under UL 2218, a four-class steel-ball drop test where Class 4 earns the highest credit available, according to the Texas Department of Insurance. TDI doesn’t set the dollar or percentage amount itself — each insurance company decides its own — and Texas Windstorm Insurance Association policyholders must file a specific form to claim theirs.

What discount does Texas offer for impact-resistant roofing materials?

The Texas Department of Insurance doesn’t set a specific discount percentage — it names which roofing materials qualify for a premium credit and leaves the actual amount to each insurance company. TDI is explicit that impact-resistant roof coverings rated under UL 2218 qualify, with a Class 4 rating earning the highest credit available.

That means the size of the discount varies by carrier — one insurer’s Class 4 credit may differ from another’s — so the only way to know the exact number is to ask your own insurance company directly. If you carry coverage through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA), claiming the credit requires filing form PC068; TDI doesn’t publish a parallel form requirement for standard homeowners carriers, so check with your own insurer about its paperwork.

What is UL 2218, and how does the test actually work?

UL 2218 is a steel-ball drop test that rates roofing materials in four impact classes. A steel ball is dropped onto a shingle sample from a set height, and the shingle passes if its back shows no tear, fracture, crack, or rupture — Class 4 is the toughest rating a product can earn.

The four classes correspond to increasing steel-ball diameters — 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, and 2.00 inches — with Class 4 using the largest ball, dropped from 20 feet, according to testing background published by CertainTeed. A shingle that survives the Class 4 drop without visible cracking on its underside earns the top rating TDI recognizes for a premium credit.

Which roofing materials actually earn a Class 4 rating?

Class 4 is the top UL 2218 rating — the Texas Department of Insurance says a Class 4 roof covering “would receive the highest premium credit” available. It isn’t one specific brand or material; it’s a pass level that individual shingle products, tile, or metal roofing lines each earn (or don’t) through independent testing.

TDI’s own page doesn’t list which named products carry that rating — it points homeowners to their insurer and contractor to confirm what a specific roof covering is rated for. IBHS’s impact-resistance testing program covers a range of individual asphalt shingle products across all four UL 2218 classes, not Class 4 alone, so a given shingle line’s actual rating is worth confirming rather than assuming.

What does a passing UL 2218 test not tell you?

A shingle that passes UL 2218 has shown no tear, fracture, crack, or rupture on its back after the steel-ball drop — but the test doesn’t grade denting or cosmetic granule loss. A roof covering can pass the test and still show visible dents or lose surface granules without failing.

That’s a meaningful gap worth knowing: a Class 4 rating means a shingle resisted structural cracking in a lab test, not that it will look pristine after a real hailstorm or that granule loss won’t occur. Granule loss matters beyond appearance, since it can expose the asphalt layer underneath to sun and weathering — a separate concern from the pass/fail structural test. See what hail damage actually looks like on a roof for how IBHS evaluates that separately.

How do you actually claim an impact-resistant roofing discount in Texas?

Start by asking your own insurance company whether it offers a premium credit for impact-resistant roofing and what documentation it requires — TDI confirms the credit exists but leaves the process to each carrier. Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) policyholders specifically need to file form PC068 to receive their credit.

If you’re deciding what to install after storm damage or during a routine replacement, confirming a product’s UL 2218 class before the job starts is the only way to know in advance whether it will qualify for your insurer’s credit. See Storm & Hail Damage for how this fits alongside filing an insurance claim and documenting damage after a hailstorm.