IMPACTSHIELD™ — the Class 4 upgrade.
A complete, engineered roofing system built around the highest documented impact rating UL 2218 assigns, for homeowners in harder-hit hail corridors and those who want the certification on file for their carrier.
The same system, one impact tier higher.
IMPACTSHIELD™ is what FOUNDATION™ becomes when the roof covering steps from UL 2218 Class 3 to Class 4.
Everything that makes an Atrium roof an engineered system stays the same here: the assembly is specified as a whole, the components are chosen to meet the manufacturer's requirements, and the resulting system warranty is registered in your name. What changes is the impact rating of the shingle itself.
That is a deliberate, narrow difference. We are not selling IMPACTSHIELD™ as a designer or premium tier, and we are not going to tell you a Class 4 roof cannot be damaged by hail. What it is: the highest documented impact rating the standard assigns, installed correctly, with the certification paperwork you need in hand.
Who it's for
Homeowners in higher hail exposure, homeowners planning to stay in the house long enough for the roof's full service life to matter, and homeowners whose carrier rewards a documented impact-resistant roof. If you are weighing the two tiers, our Class 3 vs Class 4 article lays out the comparison, and the FOUNDATION™ system page covers the Class 3 baseline. STORMLOCK™ and LEGACY™ reach Class 4 by different engineering routes, and THERMALGUARD™ is the option organized around energy performance rather than impact class.
What an IMPACTSHIELD™ roof is made of
This is a representative configuration, not a fixed spec sheet. Component selection varies by project, and the exact list is written on your proposal before anything is ordered.
The primary roof covering is a UL 2218 Class 4 impact-rated architectural shingle. Representative options are GAF Timberline UHDZ with UltraMat, Owens Corning Duration STORM, and Malarkey Vista — all three independently UL 2218 Class 4 rated per their manufacturers' own current data sheets. On the GAF option, the Class 4 rating applies to the UltraMat-labeled packaging specifically, not to any UHDZ box.
Same-manufacturer hip and ridge, not a cut-up field shingle. It is part of the component minimum a manufacturer requires before it will register an enhanced system warranty, and it is standard on every Atrium engineered system.
Balanced intake and exhaust sized to the attic, on every install. Under-ventilated attics age shingles from underneath, which is why ventilation sits inside the system rather than beside it as an add-on.
Underlayment, ice and water barrier, starter course, and flashings follow the same five-layer system described in “The system, not the shingle” on our roof replacement page. Same layers, same standards — IMPACTSHIELD™ does not change them.
The manufacturer's warranty first. Ours underneath it.
A manufacturer-backed system warranty ranks above any contractor's own warranty for one reason: it survives the contractor. If a roofing company closes, changes hands, or simply stops answering the phone, a warranty backed by Owens Corning or GAF is still honored. A contractor's warranty is only worth as much as the contractor still being in business, and that is as true of ours as it is of anyone's.
Atrium holds Owens Corning Platinum Preferred, the top tier of the Owens Corning contractor network, which makes the enhanced Owens Corning system warranty available on our installs. We also hold GAF Certified Plus, which makes the GAF Silver Pledge available. These system warranties cover material and, at these tiers, workmanship, and they are registered with the manufacturer in your name.
These are contractor-certification-tier warranties, not shingle-tier ones, so the maximum available does not change because the shingle is Class 4 instead of Class 3.
Owens Corning Duration STORM installs
Eligible for the Enhanced Owens Corning system warranty, available at Platinum Preferred standing.
GAF Timberline UHDZ with UltraMat installs
Eligible for the GAF Silver Pledge, available because Atrium holds GAF Certified Plus. We do not offer the Golden Pledge — that requires GAF Master Elite certification, which we do not hold. The tier-by-tier difference is explained on our brands and certifications page.
Malarkey Vista installs
Eligible for the Malarkey Emerald Pro Warranty, available because Atrium holds Emerald Pro. It requires at least three Malarkey accessories as part of a Secure Choice system.
Atrium's workmanship layer
Atrium backs every roof replacement with a written 10-year workmanship warranty. It is non-prorated, so coverage in year ten is identical to year one, and it is fully transferable to the next owner. If a covered installation defect appears, we cover the labor and the materials to correct it.
The warranty covers the roof replacement we performed. It is our installation of your new roof system that carries the ten years.
It covers our installation, and that is all it covers. It is not insurance and it does nothing for hail, wind, or anything else an insurance claim would handle. The manufacturer's warranty on the shingles themselves is a separate document.
Whichever warranty applies to your system is registered in your name and delivered as part of the Power Package — the five documents every Atrium customer receives at closeout, including the registration confirmation and the supplier's material invoice.
The rating only helps if it's documented
Class 4 impact-resistant roofs can qualify for wind-and-hail premium discounts with some carriers. Whether yours does, and by how much, depends on the carrier and the policy — the mechanics, including the impact-resistant certification document your carrier will ask for, are covered on our Power Package page.
A higher impact rating also does not change how a claim gets evaluated after a storm. Carriers still separate functional damage from cosmetic damage, and that distinction is where most hail claims are won or lost — we walk through it on our hail damage page.
When the step up from Class 3 is worth it
Class 4 is UL 2218's highest tier, assigned to shingles that withstand a 2-inch steel ball impact test. Class 3, the tier below it, is tested at 1.75 inches and is a sensible baseline for most Central Texas roofs. The question is not which tier is better on paper — it is whether your exposure and your timeline justify the difference.
For homeowners in the harder-hit hail corridors around San Antonio, New Braunfels, and the Hill Country, or anyone planning to stay in the house long-term, the documented rating plus a potential carrier discount usually makes the math work. For a shorter horizon and lower exposure, it may not.
What we will not tell you is that Class 4 makes a roof hail-proof. The manufacturers' own disclaimers are explicit that laboratory impact testing does not correlate perfectly with real-world hail, which varies in size, density, and angle in ways a steel ball does not. Class 4 is the highest documented protection available. It is not immunity.
IMPACTSHIELD™ FAQs
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