Are asphalt shingles a good choice? For most Minnesota homes, yes. The advantages are cost — considerably lower than metal — straightforward repair with material stocked everywhere, wide availability of crews who install them correctly, and good tolerance of freeze-thaw cycling. The drawbacks are a shorter service life of 20 to 25 years for architectural shingles and 15 to 20 for three-tab, vulnerability to hail, which fractures the shingle mat and shortens its life invisibly, and gradual granule loss that accelerates near the end. Asphalt is the right answer when you value lower upfront cost and easy repair; metal is the right answer when you plan to stay twenty-plus years and want the longer life.
Chad Erickson founded Total Home Exteriors in Andover, MN in 2003 and still walks every insurance claim personally. Last updated: September 2026.
What are the pros of asphalt shingles?
Lower upfront cost than metal, easy and cheap repair with material stocked everywhere, plenty of crews who install them correctly, good freeze-thaw tolerance, and a wide range of colours and profiles that suit most house styles.
What are the cons of asphalt shingles?
A shorter life than metal at 20 to 25 years for architectural and 15 to 20 for three-tab, vulnerability to hail damage that is invisible from the ground, and granule loss that accelerates as the roof ages.
What is the difference between three-tab and architectural shingles?
Three-tab is a single flat layer, cheaper and shorter-lived. Architectural shingles are laminated from multiple layers, giving more thickness, better wind resistance, more depth of appearance and roughly five extra years. For a small price difference, architectural is almost always the better buy.
How asphalt shingles actually fail
They fail from the surface down and from the deck up. On top, UV exposure gradually strips the granules that protect the asphalt underneath; once enough are gone the asphalt oxidises, goes brittle, and the edges curl or claw. Underneath, an unventilated attic bakes the shingle from behind and accelerates the same process.
Hail introduces a third mode. A stone large enough to bruise the shingle fractures the mat inside it without necessarily breaking the surface. The roof looks intact, sheds water, and has quietly lost years off its life — which is why post-hail inspections matter even when nothing appears wrong.
Getting the full life out of an asphalt roof
The difference between a roof reaching 25 years and failing at 17 is rarely the shingle:
- Adequate soffit-to-ridge ventilation, so the deck is not cooking the shingles from behind.
- Generous ice-and-water shield at the eaves and in the valleys.
- Gutters that actually drain, so meltwater is not standing at the eave.
- Branches trimmed back off the roof plane, since limbs abrade the surface in wind.
- Annual inspection, plus one after any hail, so small damage is repaired rather than left through a winter.
When asphalt is the wrong choice
On a very low-slope roof, asphalt shingles are the wrong product entirely — they rely on gravity shedding water down a slope, and below the manufacturer's minimum pitch they will leak regardless of installation quality. Low-slope sections need a membrane system instead, and many Minnesota homes have a porch or addition in exactly that category.
They are also a weaker choice if you intend to own the house for several decades and would rather buy one roof than three, or if your area takes hail frequently enough that you are filing a claim every few years.
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Frequently asked questions
How long do architectural shingles last in Minnesota?
Typically 20 to 25 years, at the lower end of the national range because of freeze-thaw cycling, snow load and ice dams. Attic ventilation is the biggest single variable — a poorly ventilated roof can come up five or more years short regardless of the shingle's warranty term.
Is a 30-year shingle really going to last 30 years?
Rarely in this climate, and the term is a warranty designation rather than a service-life prediction. Warranty coverage is also usually prorated, meaning it declines sharply after the early years, and it is conditional on adequate ventilation. Read what it actually covers rather than the headline number.
Can hail damage a brand new asphalt roof?
Yes. Hail fractures the shingle mat regardless of age, and on a new roof it shortens a service life you have barely begun to use. New roofs are less likely to be inspected after a storm, which is exactly when a claimable loss goes unnoticed.
Are asphalt shingles recyclable?
In many areas, yes — tear-off asphalt is commonly processed into road paving material. Whether it happens depends on the facilities near you and where your contractor takes the debris. It is a fair question to ask if it matters to you.
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