If you need some new shingles, then you have come to the right place, because this is exactly what we are here to talk about right now. Today, we want to compare two brands, both of which produce a wide array of high-quality shingles – GAF and Owens Corning. Both are extremely popular companies with great reputations in the industry, and both have been around for a very long time.
However, there are some pretty big differences between these two great shingles brands that you need to be aware of, and this is exactly what we are here to discuss today. Continue reading to find out which of the two – if either – is the better one for your project.
GAF Overview
First, we have GAF, which is effectively one of the oldest and most popular shingle businesses in the industry. The company has been in existence since 1886, and at this time is considered to be the leading shingle and roofing manufacturer in all of North America, which includes the United States, Canada, and even Mexico.
One of the main reasons why people like this brand so much is that it has an absolutely massive selection of asphalt shingles and related products, with no less than 15 different lineups.
Most of the products from this brand name are also very affordably priced, which is why many residential homeowners love them so much.
That said, just because the shingles from the GAF brand are affordable, does not mean that they are not high quality. Generally speaking, these are considered to be some of the better shingles on the market, particularly at their price point.
One of the most popular shingles from this brand is the Timberline. There are many different Timberline shingles, although the basic Timberline lineup is what many homeowners choose to go with because they feature a good mix of affordability and durability.
Owens Corning Overview
We then have Owens Corning, which is also quite an old brand. The company itself started in the 1800s as well. That said, it really didn’t start producing shingles until the 1930s.
To this day, the company is known as one of the biggest and most popular brands of premier asphalt shingles around. They also have a fairly good selection of products, and they’re generally quite affordable.
This is one of the things that people tend to like about the Owens Corning roofing products, that they come in at fairly reasonable prices. That said, these shingles are not known for being the best in the world, although they are pretty decent.
Most would say that they are comparable in quality to GAF shingles and that both brands don’t quite stand up to others, particularly Malarkey and CertainTeed. Seeing as we can’t focus on the whole brand at once, we will focus on the Duration line of shingles from Owens Corning. This is one of the more popular options, particularly for homeowners.
GAF vs. Owens Corning: How Do They Compare?
Now that we know the basics about both the GAF and the Owens Corning brand names, let’s take a closer look at how the Duration and the Timberline shingles stack up against each other.
Product Lineup
Something that stands out about both of these brands is that they have huge product selections. If you go to the GAF website, you’ll see that there are no less than 15 different types of shingles, all of which come in many different styles and colors.
If you take a look at Owens Corning, you’ll see nearly as many. Maybe not quite as many as with GAF, although all of the options do come in many different styles and colors. When it comes down to it, GAF does have a bigger product lineup.
Overall Quality
At the end of the day, both of these brand names are fairly high quality, especially the Timberlines and Durations.
Now, most people would say that they are a class behind other brand names, such as the ones we mentioned above, although, for the very low prices they come in at, they are more than good enough.
This is the tradeoff that you get here. Neither of these manufacturers is the highest quality in the world, but they’re also extremely cost-effective. All things considered, they’re more than good enough for their price range.
Durability
When it comes down to it, the shingles from both of these brand names are fairly durable. Both have pretty good wind ratings, algae resistance, fire ratings, and impact resistance.
That said, GAF shingles tend to perform just a little bit better in inclement weather, especially when it comes to hail and wind.
Furthermore, although the Timberline shingles do suffer from a bit of granule loss, the shingles from Owens Corning, particularly the Duration shingles, tend to have this problem even more.
Wind Rating
Both the Duration and the Timberline shingles feature a wind rating of 130 mph, which is about 210 kilometers per hour. That is quite impressive, and it’s the highest rating possible.
Yes, there are some products out there that can withstand winds of up to 150 mph, but they aren’t either of the ones we are looking at today. That said, thanks to the technologies used, GAF shingles tend to stand up to extreme winds a bit better than Owens Corning.
Algae Resistance
What can also be said about the Owens Corning Duration shingles and the GAF Timberline shingles is that they are decently algae-resistant. Both are said to have best-in-class algae resistance, and both feature special technologies and materials to this end.
Whether GAF or Owens Corning has the better shingles in terms of algae resistance is questionable. Both are said to be pretty good, although some accounts say that Owens Corning has a slight edge on this front.
Energy Efficiency
GAF Timberline shingles are set to produce about 20% payback in the first three years thanks to energy savings. The payback from the Duration shingles may be slightly less. With that being said, both products are Energy Star certified.
This means that they are proven to be energy efficient and should help save you a whole lot of money. When it comes down to it, both of these shingles are probably about equal.
Fire Rating
Both the Owens Corning Duration shingles and GAF Timberline shingles feature class A fire ratings, meaning that they both have the highest possible fire rating in the industry.
This is generally the case for shingles across the board because nobody wants shingles that easily combust. On this front, both brand names are fairly equal.
Warranty
What stands out about the Owens Corning shingles, particularly with the Duration lineup, is that they feature limited lifetime warranties. Of course, there are some caveats, but generally speaking, the warranty is very good. On the other hand, with GAF, the warranty is a 50-year warranty, which is definitely not bad, although not quite as good as with Owens Corning.
Price
For GAF shingles, you can expect to spend anywhere between $2.50 and $3 per square foot. With Owens Corning, you can expect to spend between $2 and $4 per square foot. We are talking about the Duration and the Timberline shingles specifically, and it would appear that in most locations, the Duration shingle is slightly more affordable.
GAF vs. Owens Corning: Which Offers Better Roofing Shingles?
If you are looking for very decent shingles that won’t cost you too much, we do recommend checking out the Duration shingles from the Owens Corning brand. These are perfectly fine shingles that have great algae, wind, impact, and fire resistance, plus they don’t even cost that much.
However, if you are willing to spend just a little bit more money, we recommend checking out the Timberline shingles from the GAF brand. Although they are not that much more expensive, they do have slightly higher durability. they should just last a bit longer, in spite of the fact that the warranty isn’t quite as good as with Owens Corning.
All in all, although we would not exactly call them budget brands, both of these brand names do have quite affordable shingles. They aren’t quite as expensive as some of the other companies out there, particularly Malarkey and CertainTeed. However, for average homeowners that need something affordable that gets the job done and offers great protection for their homes, both GAF and Owens Corning are perfectly fine options.
How Do GAF and Owens Corning Compare with Other Shingles Brands?
See how GAF compares with: Atlas | BP | CertainTeed | IKO | Malarkey | TAMKO
See how Owens Corning compares with: Atlas | CertainTeed | IKO | Malarkey | TAMKO