Year after year, asphalt roof shingles are the most popular choice for roofing material on single homes and small commercial buildings with sloped roofs. This popularity is due to an easy installation process, lower maintenance, a vast variety of colors and styles, and lower costs. Those are important advantages when compared to other roofing options.

Asphalt gives support for a shingle’s weather-resistant components and provides it with strength. Properly installed, asphalt shingles can last 15 to 40+ years. The surfacing material, usually mineral granules, offers protection from impact and UV rays, plus improves resistance to fire. Atlas Roofing adds Scotchgard™ Protector to its three HP (High Performance) asphalt shingle lines; StormMaster® Slate, StormMaster® Shake, and Pinnacle Pristine®. This protection resists algae growth on the shingles. The shingles will retain their original look for years and are marketed with the slogan, “The color you choose is the color you keep.”

As technology advanced, the roofing industry created “architectural” shingles, using two layers bonded with a special sealant that adds an eye-appealing effect to a roof. These asphalt shingles are available with many different textures, thicknesses and a wide variety of colors. Homeowners should have no trouble finding a look that matches their home. Architectural asphalt shingles are produced to have the three-dimensional appearance of expensive, natural materials, such as cedar shakes, slate, or tile. However, they retain the performance benefits of asphalt shingles. Because they are flexible, yet sturdy, asphalt shingles are compatible with many roof designs.

Asphalt shingles are backed with a strip of factory-applied adhesive that is activated by the sun's heat after installation. This adhesive seal provides shingles with resistance to wind uplift and some brands are guaranteed not to blow off in high wind conditions. The HP line by Atlas Roofing is warranted to 130 mph.

Perhaps the most favorite advantage of asphalt roof shingles is their cost. The installation cost of asphalt roof shingles is also relatively inexpensive compared to other roofing materials. Some types of roofing products require special tools or structural changes to an existing roof to support additional weight. Asphalt shingles are the easiest type of roofing material to install.

Another cost advantage of asphalt shingles is that, over the life of a roof, they require very little maintenance. While certain other roofing materials, such as cedar shakes, slate and tile, do require ongoing maintenance to keep up their appearance, asphalt roof shingles will continue to look good with little effort. Also, unlike those other roofing products, shingles can easily be replaced if they happen to become damaged.

Even upon reaching their “end of life” phase, asphalt shingles provide an environmental advantage by being easily recycled. This lowers the volume of debris put in landfills, reduces demand for virgin asphalt, and lessens production costs for hot mix asphalt (HMA). After sorting out unacceptable material, clean asphalt shingles are ground into a powder-like product called RAS (Recycled Asphalt Shingles).