Reviewed and approved by Samuel Corso, licensed Texas insurance agent.

Published September 12, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

Are impact-resistant shingles worth it in Texas?

This guide walks through what the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says about insurance credits for impact-resistant roofing. Here's what we'll cover: how the Class 1 to 4 rating works, what the label and the installation form are for, the limits TDI's pages describe, and what to ask before you sign a roofing contract.

The short answer

Whether impact-resistant shingles are worth it in Texas depends on your own insurer, because TDI's Products qualifying for impact-resistant roofing credits page says the amount of discount for each class of roofing material is set by the insurance company, company by company. That page, dated February 24, 2023, says roofing materials may be eligible for discounts, and TDI's Insurance and your roof says your company might give one.

TDI's tip sheet Insurance and your roof words it this way: "Consider using roofing materials less likely to be damaged by wind, hail, or fire. Your insurance company might give you a discount for using them."

TDI's Home insurance guide lists an impact-resistant roof among the things you might be able to get a discount for, and it says who decides: "Each company decides what discounts to offer and the amount of the discount."

Both of those TDI pages use the word might. None of the TDI pages used here gives a discount percentage or a dollar figure, so this guide gives none either.

In practice, that leaves two figures to collect yourself: what the upgrade costs on your home, and what credit, if any, your own company confirms for it. Asking before the roof goes on is the way to get both in time, if your company will say.

How the Class 1-4 rating works

An impact-resistance class is the result of a laboratory test on a roofing material. TDI's roofing credits page (as of February 24, 2023) says: "To qualify for a discount, roofing materials must be tested for impact resistance at a test laboratory in accordance with a recognized test standard."

The same TDI page says roofing materials that have passed the test criteria are classified as Class 1, 2, 3 or 4, and it adds: "A Class 4 roof covering would receive the highest premium credit." That sentence ranks the classes. It does not say how large any credit is, and the page leaves the amount to each insurance company.

For the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA), the page names the test standard: "To be eligible for the credit, the roofing materials must have passed UL Standard 2218 and be classified as either Class 1, 2, 3, 4." For other insurers, the page says each insurance company determines the test criteria it will accept.

The rating applies to more than asphalt shingles. TDI's page says the roofing materials may be shingles, tiles, shakes, formed metal panels or sheets, or other types of roof coverings. TDI also notes on that page that it does not endorse or recommend any roofing material.

So when a roofer says a product is impact-resistant, the useful follow-up questions are which class it carries and under which test standard, because those are the terms the TDI page uses.

What TDI says about the label

A roofing product's label can decide whether it qualifies for the TWIA credit, according to TDI's roofing credits page. The page says that after January 1, 1999, for roofing material to be eligible for a credit from TWIA, the manufacturer must label its products with the proper Underwriters Laboratories label (or a label from another lab approved by TDI), the impact resistance classification under UL Standard 2218, the manufacturer's name, the year manufactured and the brand name.

The page then states the consequence for the TWIA credit: "Roofing materials that do not comply with this requirement, even though they meet the required impact resistant standard, DO NOT qualify for the insurance credit from TWIA."

That labeling rule is written for TWIA. For insurance companies generally, the same page says each company determines how the roofing materials are labeled for verification.

A practical step you can take is to keep a label from the packaging and a record of the exact product installed. TDI's Impact-Resistant Roofing Installation Form (PC068) includes a statement for the roofing company to mark, if true, that the packaging shows the UL classification, the manufacturer's name, the date of manufacture and the brand name, and that a label from the packaging was given to the property owner.

The form your contractor fills out

TDI form PC068, the Impact-Resistant Roofing Installation Form, is the paperwork TDI's roofing credits page names for the TWIA credit. The page says that once the roofing material has been installed, the contractor must fill out the form, and that the form is required by TWIA to be eligible for a credit from TWIA.

Other insurers may handle paperwork differently. The same page says: "Insurance companies may elect to use this form, or they may require the use of their own form."

Two TDI documents describe where the form goes, and they are worded differently. The roofing credits page says the completed form is provided to the TWIA policyholder or agent and, in turn, to TWIA. The form itself says property owners should keep the original and send a copy to their insurance company. The form's notice to the homeowner also says some insurance companies may offer a premium discount for buildings with impact-resistant roofing, and that the form is not a warranty by the manufacturer, supplier or installer.

Steps you can take, in order: ask your insurance company which class, label and paperwork it accepts and what credit, if any, it gives; choose a product that matches the answer; have the contractor complete the form your company asks for; then send it to your agent or company. Asking first matters because, for insurers other than TWIA, the TDI page leaves each of those requirements to the company.

What TDI's pages say about the limits

An impact-resistant roof changes the roofing material on your home, and TDI's pages describe several things about a home policy that are separate questions. Each point below is drawn from TDI pages about roofs and home insurance in general, applied here to an impact-resistant roof.

• Hail damage. TDI's Insurance and your roof refers to roofing materials less likely to be damaged by wind, hail, or fire, without using the term impact-resistant. That wording does not say such a roof cannot be damaged.
• Your deductible. The same TDI tip sheet says to ask your agent whether the deductible for wind and hail damage is different from the deductible for other types of damage and adds that, if it is, you might pay more out of pocket if your roof is damaged in a storm. Our guide on how the wind and hail deductible works explains that deductible.
• The cost of the upgrade. TDI's tip sheet says your insurance company won't pay for a new roof just because it's old or worn out. If a storm claim leads to a new roof, you can ask your company or agent whether a claim payment would cover a higher class.
• How roof damage is paid. TDI's tip sheet says some policies pay up to the full cost to repair your roof at current prices, called replacement cost coverage, and some policies pay less if the roof is older or showing wear, called actual cash value coverage. TDI's column What to know about insurance and your roof (March 2026) says to tell your insurance company if you replace your roof so it can update the age. Our guide on home insurance with an old roof in Texas covers how age can change the terms.

What TDI says about roof condition, price and eligibility

Roof condition can affect both what a Texas home policy costs and whether a company will write it, according to TDI's general roof guidance. TDI's Insurance and your roof says your insurance company will inspect your roof when you apply for insurance and may charge you more or refuse to insure you based on what it sees.

TDI's column What to know about insurance and your roof (March 2026) says new roofs often get a better rate than older ones and that some companies give discounts for roofs with materials resistant to wind, hail, or fire. Those statements are about roofs in general. The column does not say how much, and it does not say what any one company will do for a given home.

On the coast, wind and hail coverage may sit with TWIA. TDI's Home insurance guide says that if you live on the Texas coast or in Harris County on Galveston Bay, your home policy might not cover wind and hail damage, and that TWIA sells wind and hail coverage for coastal residents. TDI's roofing credits page says TWIA offers policyholders credits for installing impact resistant roofing materials, subject to the UL Standard 2218, labeling and form PC068 conditions described above. Our guide on windstorm insurance and TWIA in Texas covers how that coverage works.

For a re-roofing decision, this means the roof may matter in two places: the credit question covered above, and the roof information your company holds about your home.

Before you sign a roofing contract

Deciding on impact-resistant shingles in Texas means comparing the extra cost on your roof with the credit, if any, your own insurer gives for it. These are steps you can take before the contract is signed; the TDI facts behind them are cited in each step.

1. Class and credit. Ask your insurance company whether it gives a credit for Class 4, Class 3 or Class 2 roofing, and how much.
2. Documentation. Ask what paperwork your company requires. TDI's roofing credits page says form PC068 is required by TWIA for its credit and that other insurance companies may use that form or require their own.
3. Upgrade cost. Ask the roofer for the cost of the upgrade in writing as a separate line item, so you can set it beside the credit.
4. Product and label. Confirm the exact product, its class and its label. TDI's roofing credits page says materials that do not carry the labeling it says TWIA requires after January 1, 1999 do not qualify for the insurance credit from TWIA, and that other companies determine their own labeling for verification.
5. Deductible and payment basis. Ask whether your wind and hail deductible is different from your other deductible, a question TDI's Insurance and your roof suggests, and whether your roof is covered at replacement cost or actual cash value.
6. Discounts by company. TDI's Home insurance guide points readers to HelpInsure.com to find out what discounts companies offer.

TDI's Insurance and your roof also includes a roof checklist, which lists hiring a roof inspector every few years to find issues early.

Key facts

• TDI's tip sheet Insurance and your roof says your insurance company might give you a discount for using roofing materials less likely to be damaged by wind, hail, or fire.
• TDI's Products qualifying for impact-resistant roofing credits page (as of February 24, 2023) says the amount of discount for each class of roofing material is established by the insurance company on a company-by-company basis.
• The same TDI page says that, to qualify for a discount, roofing materials must be tested for impact resistance at a test laboratory under a recognized test standard, that passing materials are classified as Class 1, 2, 3 or 4, and that a Class 4 roof covering would receive the highest premium credit, though the page leaves the amount to each company.
• For TWIA, the TDI page says roofing materials must have passed UL Standard 2218 and be classified Class 1, 2, 3 or 4 to be eligible for the credit; for other insurers it says each company determines the test criteria it will accept.
• The TDI page says roofing materials that do not carry the labeling it says TWIA requires after January 1, 1999 do not qualify for the insurance credit from TWIA, even though they meet the impact resistant standard, and that each insurance company determines how materials are labeled for verification.
• The TDI page says form PC068 is required by TWIA to be eligible for a credit from TWIA and that insurance companies may elect to use that form or require their own; the form says property owners should keep the original and send a copy to their insurance company.
• TDI's Home insurance guide lists an impact-resistant roof among the things you might be able to get a discount for and says each company decides what discounts to offer and the amount.
• TDI's column What to know about insurance and your roof (March 2026) gives 800-252-3439 as the number to call TDI with an insurance question.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Products qualifying for impact-resistant roofing credits, Insurance and your roof: What to know when buying a policy or filing a claim, What to know about insurance and your roof, Home insurance guide (CB025), Impact-Resistant Roofing Installation Form (PC068). This page is general information, not legal advice. For a question about your own policy, read the policy, ask your agent, or contact the Texas Department of Insurance.

Take the next step

If a re-roof is on your horizon, two questions are worth asking before the first shingle is ordered. Ask your insurance company whether it gives a credit for each impact-resistance class and what proof it wants. Ask your roofer for the upgrade cost as a separate line, and for the product's class and label documentation in writing. With both answers you can compare the cost with the credit yourself.

If you're weighing a roof decision against your coverage, our guides on does home insurance cover roof damage in Texas and how to choose home insurance in Texas are a good place to start.

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