Can SPF roofing withstand hail?

The Midwest region and St. Louis are known for getting pounded with hail from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Even if a twister or two is not in tow, a hailstorm can inflict devastating damage on a commercial roof. Some business owners wonder if SPF is rough and tough enough to withstand the impact of hailstones. Can Spray Polyurethane Foam really protect a roofing substrate during a hailstorm?
Those were the types of questions asked by the Performance Base Studies Research Group (PBSRG) at Arizona State University. The PBSRG conducted a controlled test of elastomeric-coated SPF roof systems with a two-fold purpose:
- Determine the “relative performance of [the] different SPF roof system products by applying “information theory” based by laboratory tests, by testing the existing in-field installations, and by quantifying the past performance;
- Identify whether a properly installed SPF roof system is a viable option to reduce the risk of future hail damage.” (NRCA)
The test results provided exact confirmation of what our SPF experts have believed for years: SPF roofing not only stands up well to the beating of hail, but SPF roof systems are actually some of the best, if not the best, commercial roofing systems at resisting the effect of hail. According to the PBSRG study, polyurethane-coated SPF roofing systems generated the highest hail resistance of all elastomeric-coated SPF roofing systems.
- Baseball-sized hail stones – St. Louis 2015
- Hail damage Metal commercial roof – St. Louis 2015
- Hail damage BUR – St. Louis 2015
- Hail damage EPDM roof – St. Louis 2015
- Hail damage SPF roof – St. Louis 2015
We’ve seen SPF roof systems perform phenomenally well through hail storms compared to other commercial roof systems and have the pictures to prove it. Hail stones the size of baseballs can pound a metal roof and create cavernous openings when the impact sheers away entire panels. The same storm created only isolated surface punctures in SPF roof systems that were quickly and easily repaired.
Our experience at R&A Contracting with SPF roofing further shows that SPF roof systems are less costly to repair after hail damage compared to any other commercial roof system. SPF roofing is also the most wind-resistant form of commercial roofing due to its monolithic bonding installation. There’s no question: SPF roof systems are the most durable commercial roof systems.