Class 4 impact-resistant shingles in Tulsa

What Class 4 means

UL 2218 is a steel ball drop test for roof coverings. Class 4, the top class, uses a 2-inch steel ball dropped from the height that matches the energy of a 2-inch hailstone. It is a lab test of the roof covering, not a promise that the shingle will survive every storm. Very large hail can still damage a Class 4 roof, and a rating says nothing about how well the roof was installed.

Hail sizes, and how big it has been here

• 0.75 inPenny
• 1 inQuarter
• 1.5 inPing pong ball
• 1.75 inGolf ball
• 2.5 inTennis ball
• 2.75 inBaseball
• 4 inGrapefruit
• 4.5 inSoftball

Largest stones logged in Tulsa County, 1996 to 2025: 4.25 in near Tulsa International Airport (March 25, 2015); 3.75 in near Tulsa (March 27, 1997); 3.5 in near Leonard (May 1, 2002); 3 in near Broken Arrow (May 21, 2024).

What it costs

Fixr says Class 4 shingles cost up to 20 percent more than regular asphalt shingles (2022 figure). On a typical replacement of $7,500 to $14,000, that is a real but bounded difference, and on an insurance job you may be paying only the upgrade.

Strengthen Oklahoma Homes

Oklahoma's Strengthen Oklahoma Homes program pays up to $10,000 toward upgrading a roof to the IBHS FORTIFIED Roof standard. It is open to an Oklahoma primary residence with an in-force homeowners policy that includes wind coverage; apartments, duplexes, condos and manufactured homes are not eligible. The grant is paid directly to the contractor after the program requirements are met. The homeowner pays the evaluation fees and any cost above the grant. The Oklahoma Insurance Department opens the program periodically during the year, so check oid.ok.gov/okready for the current window. The department reported its 500th completed Strengthen Oklahoma Homes roof on September 1, 2026.

For the FORTIFIED optional hail supplement, asphalt shingles must earn a Good or Excellent IBHS rating, and metal roofs must meet UL 2218 Class 4. The FORTIFIED standard covers more than the shingle: how the deck is attached, the sealed roof deck and the edges. The contractor has to follow the program's steps and get the roof evaluated, so ask any roofer up front whether they have done FORTIFIED roofs.

How the grant tends to go

Tulsa homeowners who have been through the program describe a similar path: apply when a window opens, get approved, collect bids from roofers who do FORTIFIED work, then pay the difference between the bid and the grant, plus the evaluation fees. For someone with a high wind and hail deductible and an aging roof, a few thousand dollars out of pocket for a new, stronger roof can beat waiting for a storm and paying the full deductible. Do that math with your own numbers and your own bids. Then take the FORTIFIED certificate to your insurer, and to other insurers, and ask what it is worth.

Insurance discounts

The Oklahoma Insurance Department says homes with a FORTIFIED designation in Oklahoma receive discounts on the wind portion of the homeowners premium. Each insurer sets its own discount. Ask your insurer, in writing, what discount it gives for a FORTIFIED roof and for Class 4 shingles without a FORTIFIED designation, and what paperwork it needs. We could not find an Oklahoma statute that requires a specific discount for impact-resistant shingles, so the answer is your insurer's.