Whether you’re looking to replace your current roof or considering purchasing a home with an older roof, you might be wondering about the lifespan of roof shingles. For those not familiar with roof shingles, the most commonly used roofing material is asphalt shingles and their job is to protect and waterproof your home. These shingles are known for their durability, ease of installation, and affordability. However, even though they are known to be durable, they certainly won’t last forever and will eventually need to be replaced with a new roof.

What is the Life Expectancy of a Roof Shingle?

While there’s no exact number, especially since multiple factors can influence the lifespan of a shingle, the average is somewhere between 20 to 30 years.

Factors that Affect Roof Shingle Longevity

As mentioned above, there are multiple factors that can affect the roof shingle longevity, such as:

Temperature and Weather Elements

One of the biggest and most obvious factors in how long a new roof shingle will last is the weather. Temperatures can shift from hot to cold, humidity can change from moist to dry, and occasionally strong storms can really have a big impact on your shingles.

The stresses from these weather elements and changes will eventually cause shingles to weaken and inevitability becomes brittle over time. This can lead to granule loss and eventual tears and breakage in shingles.

Color of Your Roof

The darker the color of your shingles, the more heat they’ll absorb causing them to break down quicker than lighter colored shingles.

Roof Pitch

The higher the roof pitch is, the longer roof shingles tend to last. This is largely in part to gravity pulling moisture off of your roof faster, giving water less chance to accumulate and sit on the shingles which can cause damage over time.

Poor Ventilation

This one may surprise some people as you would assume there would be plenty of ventilation since roof shingles are outside in the open air. However, it’s actually from a lack of attic ventilation that allows excess heat to build which can then result in a shortened shingle lifespan.

Poor Installation

Some asphalt shingles will prematurely fail simply because they were poorly installed to begin with. This is usually the result in inexperienced roof installers who cut corners in order to speed up the job.

Lack of Maintenance

Just like with other parts of your home, if your roof isn’t regularly maintained it can lose its effectiveness much more rapidly. This includes keeping your gutters clear and free flowing as well as performing routine inspections on your roof. It’s also a good idea to periodically inspect the roof support structure in the attic, and make sure to address any issues and arrange for repairs promptly.

Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t give their roof a second thought until there’s a major problem. Unless you want to replace your roof prematurely, it’s important to perform routine inspections and maintenance on your roof to help ensure that you’re getting the maximum shingle life expectancy you can have.

We pride ourselves in over 75 years of home improvement experience and we are a local company you can trust. Contact Armorvue Home Exteriors today to schedule a virtual appointment with our installation experts! It’s a great time to make some improvements to your home, and a new roof is a great project to start with. Let’s talk soon.