Best Asphalt Roofing Shingles in Calgary

Our Most Recommended Asphalt Roofing Shingles

As expert residential roofing contractors that have worked with asphalt roofing shingles in Calgary, Edmonton, and surrounding areas for over 15 years, we’d like to share the best roofing shingles out there.

Our extensive knowledge of roofing shingles comes from our experience in installing them on homes, working with different brands, and revisiting our previous jobs to determine the longevity and quality of shingles after they’ve been installed for several years. At Roof-Ex, we care about homeowners and treat them like neighbours. By writing this blog, we hope to educate Calgary and Edmonton homeowners to find the best roofing options to both protect your home and meet your aesthetic needs.

Below we’ve ranked the best roofing shingles on different criteria based on our experience with asphalt shingles, and additional solutions outside of asphalt shingles. Under each section we’ve provided you with major pros and cons.

Moreover, we’ve written this blog to be beginner friendly for homeowners who are new to roofing terms and materials that we will expand on in the section below. For those of you who are knowledgeable on roofing terms, feel free to jump past this section and head straight to our recommendations.

Here are a few terms you’ll need to know:

Oxidized shingles — this is the traditional form of asphalt shingle, oxidation refers to the process of raising the melting temperature of the asphalt to maintain its solid form through extreme heats on your roof. Oxidized shingles however are more brittle and less impact resistant (to hail for example) when compared to polymer shingles.

Polymer shingles — Typically a polymer shingle will meet the standards for Class 4 impact rating, the highest impact rating there is. This means the shingles should hold up well against hail. These asphalt shingles undergo a process of where thermoplastic or synthetic rubber is added to them to increase its flexibility and impact resistance. Polymer shingles can also be referred to as SBS polymer modified asphalt.

Delamination — Each asphalt laminated shingle is made of two layers. When these two layers are torn from each other, usually from wind storms or ice damming (ridges of ice causing trapped ice and water), it is referred to as delamination. Delamination is more common in shingles with less robust common bonds. Shingles on the lower price spectrum tend to have less robust common bonds and are more likely to undergo delamination.

Common bond — The area of the shingle where the two layers overlap and nails are fastened is called the common bond. Some shingle manufacturers have increased the width of the common bond, to both decrease the chance of delamination and add ease to the install process by making sure more nails hit both layers. Having a large common bond is helpful for wind resistance, ice damming and keeping wind blown water from sitting under the top layer shingle (no troughs). A larger nailing zone AND common bond also adds ease of installation for contractors in ensuring all nails truly hit the common bond.

Below is a graphic from Malarkey, our most trusted shingle manufacturer, showing an example between a manufacturer nailing zone and the actual common bond.

Best Overall Roofing Shingle

Malarkey - Vista Shingles

Our personal favourite!

Malarkey’s Vista shingles offer the best protection against hail damage while remaining a contender in the budget market for roofing solutions. These top class shingles have the largest common bond in the market, giving it fantastic structural integrity against high winds. As well as increased hail protection through a mix of polymer-modified asphalt and rubber. Vista shingles are available in a diverse selection of three-toned natural colours. As expert asphalt roofing contractors, we highly recommend Malarkey’s Vista shingles for every homeowner.

For more information, visit Malarkey’s Vista page here.

Pros

• Rubber and polymer-modified asphalt combination — increased hail protection

• Large tapered common bond — resistant against strong winds

• Class 4 rating — high impact resistance

Cons

• Marginally higher price than other standard shingle products

• Occasional limited availability

Malarkey Vista Shingles

Best Budget Roofing Shingle

IKO - Dynasty Shingles

IKO’s Dynasty shingles offer adequate general roof protection. It also outclasses other budget options with their reinforced woven band that helps prevent the nails in the shingles from tearing from high winds. While they are not the absolute cheapest shingle you can find on the market, they are close enough in price that it’s well worth a couple extra dollars per bundle. They are also available in a wide range of colours compared to other budget shingles.

For more information, visit IKO’s Dynasty page here.

Pros

• Wind resistance nailing strip

• Close to cheapest shingle on the market

Cons

• Class 3 rated — less impact resistance than Class 4

• Small common bond (risk of delamination)

• Oxidized, not polymer modified — less hail resistance

IKO Dynasty Shingles

Best Long-Term Roofing Solution

Metal Roofing

Residential metal roof technology has existed for hundreds of years, and they have great durability. However, they can be noisy from rain and hail, but modern insulation technology continues to reduce this issue year after year. Metal roofs can also be dented by large hail, resulting in permanent aesthetic damage even if the functionality of the roof is not reduced. When compared to asphalt shingles, metal roofing requires a much more technical and specialized installation. If installed poorly, fasteners can come loose, leaks can occur, and damage can be extreme.

Pros

• Great durability

• Long used technology — trusted by many homeowners

Cons

• Very high upfront cost

• Can be noisy

• Can dent

• Requires much more technical and specialized installation

Best Roofing Shingles from Common Asphalt Shingle Brands

For those of you who prefer a certain asphalt shingle brand, we’ve included our recommended shingles from each common brand below.

Malarkey - Legacy Shingles

Another favourite of ours!

Since 2020, Malarkey has ensured that all of their products are modified polymer shingles for high impact resistance. Malarkey's shingles are also leading in the environmental impact department as they use recycled rubber tires and plastics in their solution along with new polymers. In addition to using recycled materials, their shingle granules have smog reducing technology comparable to planting two trees (for an average sized roof). Malarkey shingles have the best nailing zone in the market, which is great for wind resistance, as they reinforce the back of the entire nail zone by sealing the layers with a large asphalt common bond.

The Malarkey Legacy shingle offers similar benefits as the Vista, such as using a mix of polymer-modified asphalt and rubber in their formula, and having a tapered large common bond between shingle layers. What sets the Legacy shingle apart is its thicker and more robust design. This puts its price point higher than the Vista, but with additional protection against hail and general wear and tear. If you are looking for a premium high impact resistant shingle, we highly recommend Malarkey Legacy.

For more information, visit Malarkey’s Legacy page here.

Pros

• Class 4 — high impact resistance

• Polymer-modified asphalt with rubber mixed in — increased hail protection

• Large tapered common bond — resistant against strong winds

• Algae resistance

Cons

• Occasional limited availability

Malarkey Legacy Shingles

IKO - Nordic Shingles

As a company founded in 1950 in Calgary, IKO is one of the most well known brands in Alberta. Since their founding, they have expanded and built facilities in both Europe and Asia. IKO has taken a step in reducing their environmental impact in Canada by building an asphalt shingle waste recycling facility in Hawkesbury Ontario.

While IKO shingles lack a large common bond, their Nordic and Dynasty shingles have a large nailing area approved by IKO for standard installation. This nailing area has a woven band incorporated into the shingle which is designed to combat wind blowoffs. Nordic shingles are also the only polymer modified option that IKO offers.

For more information, visit IKO’s Nordic page here.

Pros

• Class 4 

• Polymer-modified asphalt 

• Wind resistance nailing strip

• Algae resistance

Cons

• Small common bond

IKO Nordic Shingles

Owens Corning - Duration Flex Shingles

Owens Corning is another North American company that is well known throughout Alberta. They have developed many fibreglass and insulation products that have been used around the world. They offer three shingles that are comparable in design and structure to IKO’s laminate line.

The Duration Flex shingle from Owens Corning is by far their best shingle. It is their only shingle that uses Polymer Modified asphalt, and it has a mesh strip that runs over the nailing area to increase protection against high winds. Similar to IKO however, the common bond between the two shingles is quite small, but Owens Corning has approved nailing anywhere within the mesh strip.

For more information, visit Owens Corning’s Duration Flex page here.

Pros

• Class 4

• Polymer-modified asphalt

• Wind resistance nailing strip

• Algae resistance

Cons

• Small common bond

CertainTeed - Landmark Climateflex

CertainTeed is another large North American company but is not as commonly seen throughout Alberta. However they have a much larger range of products to choose from. In a step towards a more sustainable and circular economy, CertainTeeds’ parent company Saint-Gobain acquired a recycling facility to turn used shingles into asphalt paving mix.

Landmark Climateflex is our best pick out of all the CertainTeed products as it is a Class 4 polymer-modified asphalt shingle. It is comparable to IKO Nordic and Owens Corning Duration Flex in terms of general performance, and also lacks a large common bond on its nailing zone.

For more information, visit CertainTeed’s website here.

Pros

• Class 4

• Polymer-modified asphalt

• Algae resistance

Cons

• Small common bond

• Limited availability

CertainTeed Landmark Climateflex Shingles

Other Non-Asphalt Roofing Options

Rubber Roofing

New to the market, rubber roofing is becoming a popular choice for homeowners who want to protect their homes from intense hail storms (like the ones in Calgary). While costing somewhere between premium asphalt shingles and metal roofing, rubber roofing is considered hail proof as opposed to asphalt shingles that are hail resistant. As it is a new technology, we have seen some homeowners reporting cases of cracked rubber shingles.

Euroshield 

However we see improvements made year after year, such as the ones that the Calgary rubber roofing company Euroshield’ has made. They have produced a recent hail proof model where the molds of shingles are filled in which decreases the chance of cracking. Another bonus of using Euroshield rubber shingles is that it recycles many used tires, keeping them out of the landfill thus creating a more circular economy.

For more information, visit Euroshield’s website here.

Pros

• High impact protection

• Recycles many rubber tires

• Similar labor costs to asphalt shingles

Cons

• New technology 

• Cost of supplies much higher than asphalt shingles

• Can produce a smell if attic is not ventilated properly

Asphalt Shingle Roofing Services in Calgary and Edmonton

Calgary Roofing Contractor and Operations Manager Mackenzie White Installing Asphalt Roofing Shingles

We hope this blog has provided you with a better understanding about roofing shingles and alternate solutions for your home and aesthetic needs.

If you’re a resident in Edmonton, Calgary, or surrounding areas and are interested in learning more about our residential asphalt roofing services, check out our roof replacement and maintenance services.

Do you have questions about what shingle solutions would be best for your roofing needs? Are you ready to get a quote for your roof? Reach out to us here!