Black shingles - are the bad

[Christopher S. DeWitt]

I don't think they are a problem, but I've heard it a few times. That black shingles are too hot? I've installed them over the years and never heard any complaints from home buyers. But my question is are black shingles a problem for a modern home, with at least a r-44 in the attic?

[Michael Roberson]

There are too many variables to directly answer your question. Ventilation, direction, quality of the shingle, access to sunlight, pitch, snow loads, etc. all play a part in a shingles lifespan.
As a general rule, black shingles do absorb more heat energy than lighter colors, which can speed up the deterioration time. Lighter colors tend to be more reflective.

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Black shingles might feel good in the winter time. Life is too short...buy what you think looks good on your home.

[Christopher S. DeWitt]

I live in Minnesota and the home is gray vinyl with white trim, black fake shutters and currently a hail damaged grey / pewter roof, which is pretty dull looking. black or dark charcoal would make the home very nice looking.

The shingles are a decent timberline 20yr shingle, I doubt they will last 20yrs with 120 acres of open land behind us. Winds are typically the problem for us.

Anyway I really am thankful for you feed back, this snow load has been high we've been pounded with snow this year.

[Kenton H. Shepard, CMI]

What Michael said.

Less likely to be a problem in colder climates.
Less likely to be a problem when the roof structure is well ventilated.
Less likely to be a problem when granule coatings or filler are engineered for high-performance heat transfer, which can inhibit adhesive strip bonding in cold climates.
Wind resistance is most strongly related to the design strength of the adhesive strip and whether it has fully bonded. Black shingles encourage good bonding in cold climates.