How do the major shingle brands compare?

The major asphalt shingle makers organize their offers in a similar way. Each sells a few product lines, from a basic strip shingle to thicker laminated and designer shingles. Each line comes with a standard limited warranty, whoever installs it. On top of that, each maker sells longer system warranties that only roofers in its credentialed installer program can register, and only when the roof uses the maker's own accessories. In the published documents we read, the longest of these system warranties covers material defects in full for up to 50 years on a single-family home, and some add 10 to 25 years of workmanship coverage. This page lays out how four makers structure their lines and warranties, from their own documents, so that you can read the brand, line and warranty on an estimate. It does not rank the makers or their shingles.

How shingle makers organize their product lines

Most makers sell three kinds of asphalt shingle:

• Strip shingles, often called 3-tab: a single flat layer, usually with a warranty stated in years.
• Laminated shingles, often called architectural or dimensional: two or more layers bonded together, usually with a "limited lifetime" warranty.
• Designer or premium shingles: heavier laminated shingles made to look like slate or wood shakes.

Makers name their lines differently. Malarkey's warranty chart groups its Highlander, Vista and Legacy lines as architectural and its Windsor line as designer. TAMKO's shingle warranty names Elite Glass-Seal as its 25-year shingle and treats its Heritage and Proline lines as laminated shingles with a limited lifetime warranty. CertainTeed says most strip shingles carry a 20- to 30-year limited warranty and most architectural shingles a lifetime-limited one. Our guide to architectural and 3-tab shingles compares the two main types.

Within a line, a maker may also sell impact-resistant, algae-resistant or "cool" versions of the same shingle. The version affects the warranty terms, so an estimate should name it exactly.

Two layers of warranty from the maker

A shingle maker's warranty usually comes in two layers:

1. The standard limited warranty comes with the shingles. It covers manufacturing defects. For the first years, often called the non-prorated period, the maker pays in full for what the warranty covers, which can include labor. After that, the maker pays a shrinking share.
2. An enhanced or system warranty is registered by a credentialed roofer. It stretches the non-prorated period, adds tear-off and disposal, and in its higher tiers covers the roofer's installation errors as well.

Neither layer replaces the roofer's own workmanship warranty, unless the system warranty you buy says it covers workmanship. Our guide to what a roof warranty actually covers explains prorating, exclusions and what voids a warranty.

How four makers set up their warranty tiers

These terms come from each maker's published warranty documents for single-family detached homes, read on September 26, 2026. "Full coverage" is each maker's own term for the period in which it pays in full for a covered defect: Owens Corning calls it TRU PROtection, TAMKO calls it Full Start, CertainTeed calls it SureStart, and Malarkey calls it the non-prorated period. Terms differ by shingle line. The table shows the laminated lines unless a row says otherwise.

Some cells need a note:

• Owens Corning also sets the length of each warranty by line. Its Duration, Oakridge, Woodcrest and Woodmoor lines carry a limited lifetime warranty on a single-family home, and Supreme a 25-year one. Under Platinum Protection, the installing contractor handles workmanship claims for the first two years.
• TAMKO's four system warranties include tear-off and removal. They can be transferred once in the first 20 years.
• Malarkey's standard non-prorated period is 10 years for Highlander, 15 for Vista and 20 for Legacy and Windsor.
• CertainTeed's web pages say SureStart pays 100 percent of materials and labor during its period and that a SELECT ShingleMaster can offer a 5-Star warranty with 25 years of workmanship cover. They also mention other tiers. We could not read CertainTeed's full warranty documents, so those cells are left short.

Credentialed installer programs

Every maker above runs a program for roofers, and a roofer's level in it decides which warranties that roofer may register:

• Owens Corning uses Preferred Contractor and Platinum Preferred Contractor. It says only these contractors may install for, and provide, an extended warranty. It also says they are authorized, but not obliged, to offer one, so you have to ask for it before the roof goes on.
• TAMKO runs the TAMKO Edge program. Its public page lists four levels: an entry level that can offer only the standard warranty, then Gold, Platinum and Diamond, each able to offer more of the Shield warranties.
• Malarkey has Certified Pro contractors, who completed in-person training and passed a test, and Certified Premium contractors, who completed advanced training and had their work inspected by Malarkey's technical team.
• CertainTeed credentials contractors, and its SELECT ShingleMaster designation is the one it names for the 5-Star warranty.

A credential means the roofer met the maker's program rules. It is not a license, and it does not replace the checks in our guide on what to check before you hire a contractor. The programs also reward roofers for volume. TAMKO's program page, for example, lists cash-back rewards that start at 0.5% at the entry level and at 4% at the top level. That is a normal part of these programs, and it is worth knowing when a roofer suggests a brand.

What a system warranty asks of the roof

A system warranty covers a system, not just the shingles, so each maker requires its own accessories:

• Owens Corning requires its hip and ridge shingles plus two other accessories for System Protection. Preferred and Platinum Protection add its underlayment. Platinum Protection also requires new metal flashing and drip edge.
• TAMKO requires three of its accessories for Shield and ProShield, and four for MasterShield and DiamondShield.
• Malarkey requires three of its accessories for Certified Pro and four for Certified Premium. It lists the accessories as its ice and water barrier, underlayment, starter shingles and hip and ridge shingles.

In each case the roofer, not you, registers the system warranty. Owens Corning requires registration within 60 days of installation. Ask for the registration confirmation in writing when the job is done.

Wind and algae are separate terms

Wind and algae coverage are usually their own clauses. They run for their own number of years, and they often need extra steps at installation:

The wind speed a warranty names is not the same as a building-code rating, and damage from a storm is normally an insurance matter rather than a warranty claim. Our guide to roof insurance claims covers that side.

How to compare lines on your estimate

When two estimates name different brands, compare what each estimate commits to rather than the brand names:

1. Find the exact line and version. "Architectural shingles" is not enough. The estimate should name the maker, the line and any impact-resistant, algae-resistant or cool version.
2. Name the warranty. Ask which warranty the roofer will register: the standard one, or a named system warranty such as System Protection, ProShield or Certified Premium.
3. Check the roofer's level. Make sure the roofer's credential lets them offer that warranty. The makers' contractor search pages show the level.
4. Line up the full-coverage years and the workmanship years. These two numbers differ the most between tiers, as the table above shows.
5. Check the accessories. A system warranty needs the maker's own accessories. The estimate should list them by name, not "underlayment and ridge cap".
6. Ask about wind and algae terms. If you want the higher wind rating, the estimate should state the nailing and starter courses it needs.
7. Get the warranty in writing. Ask for a sample of the warranty before you sign and the registered warranty after the job.

Our list of questions to ask a roofer covers the rest of the estimate. Our roof replacement cost guide shows how to compare estimates per square.

This page describes published documents. It is not legal advice, and the signed warranty for your roof is what counts.

Transfers when you sell

Transfers work differently from maker to maker:

• Owens Corning says the buyer must contact it within 60 days of the sale. A transfer fee of up to about $100 may apply, depending on the warranty.
• CertainTeed says its shingle warranty can be transferred once, from the original owner to the next owner, with no fee.
• TAMKO's standard warranty lets the original owner transfer it once in the first five years for laminated shingles and in the first two years for Elite Glass-Seal. Its system warranties can be transferred once in the first 20 years.

Coverage after a transfer is often shorter than the original owner's. Check the transfer section before you rely on a warranty as a selling point.

Frequently asked questions

Does the shingle brand matter more than the roofer?

Makers tie their longer warranties to the roofer's credential and to how the roof is installed, and most standard warranties exclude installation errors. The line, the warranty tier and the roofer's level all appear on a good estimate, so compare all three together.

What does "limited lifetime" mean on a shingle warranty?

For the makers we read, it means coverage for as long as the original owner, or one properly transferred owner, owns and lives in the single-family home. Full coverage ends after the non-prorated period, and the maker pays a shrinking share after that.

Can any roofer offer an enhanced warranty?

No. Each maker lets only roofers at certain levels of its program register its system warranties. Owens Corning notes that a qualifying contractor is authorized, but not obliged, to offer one.

Why does my estimate list starter strips and ridge caps by brand?

A system warranty requires the maker's own accessories. If the estimate names a system warranty, the accessories it lists should come from the same maker.

Are warranty terms the same every year?

No. Owens Corning says coverage is based on the warranty in effect when the shingles were installed, and TAMKO publishes a separate warranty for each effective date. Keep a copy of the version that applies to your roof.

Where this information comes from

Every term on this page comes from a maker's own published documents, read on September 26, 2026. We did not test any product, and nothing here ranks one maker or line over another.

• Owens Corning, roofing shingle warranties: its frequently asked questions on extended warranties, installers, required accessories, registration and transfers.
• Owens Corning, Standard Product Limited Warranty, System Protection, Preferred Protection and Platinum Protection limited lifetime warranties (the Platinum Protection document is marked August 2026).
• TAMKO, the TAMKO Edge contractor program: program levels and the Shield, ProShield, MasterShield and DiamondShield warranties.
• TAMKO, fiberglass asphalt shingle limited warranty, effective January 1, 2025.
• Malarkey Roofing Products, warranties, the standard warranty chart, the Certified Pro chart and the Certified Premium chart.
• CertainTeed, Roofing 101: worry-free warranties and My roof warranty: what it is and what it covers.

GAF, IKO and Atlas also make asphalt shingles and run their own contractor programs. Their websites refused our requests when we tried to read their warranty documents, so this page does not describe their terms. We will add them, and update the terms above, when we can read the makers' current documents. The date at the top will show when.

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