What Are Shingles Made of and How Are They Made?
8/12/2015
Curious about how this everyday home construction staple is made, and how they’re made? Learn more about what shingles are made of and the process to create.
Every day, thousands of tons of raw and manufactured materials are delivered to freight yards and receiving docks at top tier roofing plants across the United States.
These materials will be transformed into high-quality durable roofing shingles and specialty products that have earned the respect of countless industry professionals and homeowners.
Shingles made using asphalt as the main component are the most popular shingles sold in the U.S. today. The asphalt used at these roofing facilities is processed to meet the stringent quality requirements needed to create strong, yet flexible, roofing shingles.
Here’s an overview of the process of making these asphalt shingles:
- Limestone rock, which typically arrives at plants by truck or rail car, is processed by crushing mills into a fine limestone powder. This powder is then mixed with the asphalt to make a product called filled coating.
- On the production line, miles upon miles of rolled fiberglass mat that serves as the ‘backbone’ of shingles are rolled out and fed into a coater, where the filled coating – super-heated to more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit – is applied to the top and bottom of the mat to create a base sheet.
- Next up come the shingle granules. Mined rock that has been sized for use as granules is put through a process where a specialty ceramic coating is applied. The coating is colored so that the granules create the desired shingle colors, and these granules are designed to maintain their appearance for the life of the shingle.
- A thin coating of sand is applied to the base sheet as it is fed into a press that embeds the granules.
- As the sheet loops through a series of rolls, a fine mist of water is sprayed onto it, and the evaporative effect of the water removes heat from the sheet.
- Afterward, a strip of sealant is applied to the sheet in order to give the shingles protection against wind damage.
- Complex cutting machines then slice the base sheet into individual shingles that are stacked and packed into bundles.
- Finally, the shingle bundles are wrapped in packaging, placed onto palettes, and then transported to warehouses prior to being shipped to homes just like yours all across America!