What Does Hail Damage Look Like on Asphalt Shingles?

Hail damage on asphalt shingles is not always obvious. A roof can look fine from the driveway and still have impacts that shortened its life. It can also look beat up from ordinary aging and have no storm damage at all.

What hail bruising looks like up close

• Round dark spots where granules have been knocked off, exposing the asphalt mat.
• A soft, bruised feel when pressed, similar to a dented piece of fruit.
• Random scatter across slopes rather than a neat line or pattern.
• Fresh, sharp-edged impacts rather than smooth, weathered wear.

What you can check without climbing

• Dents on soft metals: gutters, downspouts, vents, flashing, the AC condenser fins, mailboxes and grills.
• Granules collecting at the bottom of downspouts.
• Splatter marks on painted surfaces, decks or window screens.
• Damaged siding or window wraps on the side the storm came from.

Dented soft metals are the single most useful clue from the ground. Hail hard enough to dent a gutter is usually hard enough to be worth a roof inspection.

What is not hail damage

• Granule loss spread evenly across an old roof, which is normal aging.
• Blistering, which looks like small raised bumps that pop and leave shallow craters.
• Foot traffic scuffs, usually in lines near vents and valleys.
• Manufacturing flaws or algae streaking.

What to do next

Stay off the roof. Take dated photos of anything you can see from the ground, note the date of the storm, and have a roofing professional inspect it. Whether damage is covered is up to your policy and your insurer, not the contractor and not us.