Definitely yes, roofing shingles burn. Basically, roofing shingles are used on the roof to protect the entire roof from external disasters. If you want to know about different burning grades of the roofing shingles, stay tuned.

There are different classes of roofing shingles. Some are made with flammable materials that burn easily and some are fire protective. Class A grade shingles are the most common, and they are able to sustain in a fire for around two to four hours. Sometimes it is not legal to burn the shingles as it produces toxic gases and flames.

Read this article carefully to find the detailed answer of your question: do roofing shingles burn?

Do Roofing Shingles Burn

Do Roofing Shingles Burn?

If a fire develops on the inside of the home and spreads to the rooftop, the roofing shingles and roof decks both might burn. However, the resistance to fire of the roofing shingles is characterized by a set of classification rating. That classification rating has been linked with the various flame propagation ratings. 

The classification ranking is divided into 4 categories. They are:

Class A

Class A grade is the highest possible for a shingle. The materials do excellent job in fire-prone situations, including the places where wildfire is likely to explode. 

These types of roofing shingles are capable of withstanding in fire for a long period which gives fire crews a plenty of time to approach. Also, they work well in situations where there is a minimal risk of fire.

Class B

After Class A grade, this is the 2nd greatest fire rating any shingle may get, and the only fire category which must be assessed when you live in a fire-prone region. These types of roofing shingles can stay around an hour on fire.

Class B shingles are thought to be a flame resistant choice. Such shingles of roof are less combustible, but they are not able to maintain themselves in the event of a medium fire.

Class C

When you live in a fire-prone region, Class C grade seems to be the minimum limit you may set. Most of the building standards allow a Class C fire grade as the lowest. This grade of fire has a poor resistance rating to fire. 

These shingles can survive just around 20minutes in fire. Though it is not easily combustible, just minimal fire exposure is appropriate for Class C roofing shingles.

Unrated

It comes after C Class grade shingles. This is the lowest grade shingles anyone can have. Unrated shingles tend to aid in the propagation of a fire. It is a major issue that should be avoided at all costs. 

Many roofing regulations & house insurance policies will certainly query unrated shingles. It’s advisable to stay away from these shingles.

Some high flame grade shingles:

You know raw wood roofing shingles and shingles made primarily of asphalt are the highest flame prone among all the roof covering materials in the world. 

So to prevent fire dangers, you should use the roofing shingles listed below.

Fiberglass Asphalt

Most popular roofing shingle available within the marketplace is fiberglass asphalt. These can stay inside any fire for nearly 2 to 4 hours before igniting and achieve A Class fire category. 

They also do fantastic work in preventing fire, although these are vulnerable to severe winds and rains, as well as high-impact climate phenomena like hailstorm.

Concrete 

Class A and Class B fire standards are fully achieved by concrete roofing shingles. These roofing shingles are made out of gypsum, clay, as well as lime which are damn near fire resistant. 

It is essential to take regular care and make sure all cracks are filled properly which will prevent the fire sparks from reaching the roof’s wood base to ignite it.

Metal Roofing shingles

These types of shingles have high resistance to fire and achieve Class A flame grade. It comes in a variety of colors. Also, these shingles are a great option for preventing forest fire damages.

Verdict

I hope you’ve found this content helpful. And you now know your answer to the query: do roofing shingles burn?

When roofing shingles burn, they become toxic and produce many toxic chemicals. Toxic means, these shingles usually load with or even cover with a variety of compounds which are hazardous to the environment, unhealthy to inhale, and harmful to contaminate the water and soil surrounding them when they burn. As a result, it’s recommended not to burn any roofing.

So use high flame grade roofing shingles to avoid unwanted fire hazards associated with low flame grade shingles.

Have a great time. Bye.

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.

Write A Comment