Asphalt strip shingles appearance and style added to the variety of shingle types makes them popular with homeowners and roofers. When first introduced, they were commonly called 3 tab shingles. The 1×3 foot strip had two short ½ inch cut outs at foot intervals giving it three shingle tabs.
The 3 tab shingle is still widely used today for roof materials, but heavier architectural shingles are becoming more popular. New manufacturing methods plus the double layering and use of larger heavier granules has raised the weight of the shingles.
Seal tabs for wind resistance feature incorporates into the shingle a row of adhesive at exact positions. The heat from the sun softens the glue and adheres to the shingle underneath.
Fiberglass Shingles
Fiberglass shingles have a different type of manufacturing process. The new shingles are made of fiberglass mat as a base for the asphalt instead of the organic felt base originally used. The fiberglass is considerably stronger than the felt and less bulky. Fiberglass shingles do not shrink and swell with humidity and moisture so they tend to outlast felt based shingles.
Shingle colors are determined by the tiny ceramic granules that are imbedded in the asphalt. You can also change the texture by double layering, irregular butt lines and two toning the shingle colors.
Asphalt shingles are chosen by their weight class as well as other features. The better quality shingles generally weigh more, and cost more. Asphalt shingles also carry certifications from Underwriters Laboratories stating their fire and wind resistance. A class “A” shingle will be more fire resistant than a class “C”.
