Hail can be intimidating. Especially when you are not in the protection of your home. Sometimes your house needs protection from hail too. Any hailstone size bigger than ½ inch can cause serious damage to your roof.

If you know what size hail causes roof damage, you don’t have to worry every time a snowfall happens. Your home will feel much safer. And it will grant you knowledge of whether you need to call an expert to check your roof or not.

Keep reading the article to know the details.

What Size Hail Cause Roof Damage

How much damage hail will do to your roof depends on the type of hailstorm. Hail Storms are generalized by the size of their hailstone.

They can measure from ¼ inches to 4 and a half inches. Each size of hail has a different effect on your roof. The effect can range from mild scratch to substantial damage.

It also depends on what kind of roof you are using. But even the Mightiest of roofs are easily damaged and need to be fixed.

Different sizes of hail’s description and its potency are described in the rest of the article.

Pea-Sized Hail

Hailstone sized about ¼-inch is known as pea-sized hail. They stay for a few minutes and then turn back into rainfall. They do not do any damage to the rooftop unless there are already some substantial damages.

Marble-sized hail

Hailstone sized about ½-inch is known as marble-sized hail. Marble-sized hail is also quite safe when it comes to roof damages. So, if your roof is not really old or damaged, there is nothing to worry about.

Quarter-Sized Hail

If you see hailstones bigger than 3/4 sized hail, you should call a local roofer immediately. Hailstone sized bigger than ¾ inch to 1 inch is considered Quarter-sized hail.

Quarter-sized hail tends to leave damage in the form of dents and cracks to the roof. This can lead to even greater consequences, if not fixed properly. 

This size of hail can damage the comparative weaker 3-tab asphalt shingles types of roofs. It may seem a waste to spend money just for a few dents and cracks. But they will surely cost more when damages stack on to create permanent damages.

effect of hail on an asphalt shingles

Golf Ball-Sized Hail

Any hailstone sized from 1 ¾-inch to 4 ½-inch is considered golf ball-sized hail.

Call a reputable roofer and your insurance agent immediately. Hail of this size can cause damage to any kind of roof. And even substantial damage to a roof depending on its type.

Cedar shingles are prone to anything bigger than a 1.25-inch hailstone.

Anything larger than a 1.50-inch hailstone can damage heavy cedar shakes.

Concrete tiles can’t endure 1.75-inch hailstone.

If the hailstone is bigger than 2-inch, it can damage any kind of roof, including built-up gravel roofing.

Verdict

Take heeds and learn about all sizes of hail. Knowing what size hail causes roof damage will keep you alert, only when you need to be. Do not panic at every drop of snow.

A roof full of snow is dangerous to inspect. So, if you feel there are damages, call an expert for inspection.

Have a wonderful winter. Thank you for reading.

Author

As a civil engineer and roofer, I love to share the experience that I have gained through the last couple of years. In the roofing industry, practical experience is a very crucial fact that can help you a lot. Hence, I want to help you with my blog.

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