Most insurance companies actually favor metal roofs — many offer discounts of 15-35% for Class 4 impact-rated metal roofing. The “insurance companies don’t like metal roofs” claim comes from a minority of carriers who charge more because metal repairs cost more per square foot. The solution is to shop for metal-roof-friendly carriers, which many Arkansas homeowners successfully do after upgrading.
The premise of this question is mostly wrong — but not entirely. Let’s sort through the reality for Arkansas homeowners considering metal roofing. At Lifetime Construction Builders LLC, we’ve guided homeowners through the insurance implications of metal roof upgrades since 2009. As a licensed Arkansas contractor and Atlas Preferred Contractor, we see how this plays out at the claims level too.
The Truth: Most Carriers Discount Metal Roofs
The mainstream insurance market treats metal roofing favorably for a straightforward reason: homes with metal roofs file fewer and smaller claims. A 24-gauge standing seam roof that handles 110 mph winds without damage isn’t generating a claim. An asphalt shingle roof in the same storm is.
For insurers, metal roofing — particularly impact-rated metal roofing — represents lower risk. That reduced risk gets passed back to policyholders in the form of premium discounts. Discounts of 15-35% for Class 4 impact-rated roofing are common among major carriers operating in Arkansas.
Our post on metal roofing insurance discounts and myths covers this in detail, including how to document your roof to capture the maximum discount from your carrier.
Why a Minority of Carriers Charge More
Some insurance carriers do charge higher premiums for metal roofing — specifically standing seam. Their reasoning: when standing seam panels are damaged (which is rare), matching and repairing them is expensive. A custom panel profile in a specific color from a specific manufacturer isn’t a commodity repair the way a bundle of architectural shingles is.
This reasoning has a logical basis, but it optimizes for the wrong variable. It focuses on repair cost per incident while ignoring claim frequency. A standing seam roof is dramatically less likely to be damaged in the first place. The expected annual cost of insuring a standing seam roof — (probability of claim) × (cost per claim) — is generally lower than for a shingle roof, even if the per-claim cost is higher.
What This Means Practically
If your current carrier charges more for your metal roof, that’s a signal to shop your policy. Not all carriers make the same actuarial assumptions. Several large national carriers specifically target homeowners with impact-resistant roofing and price their policies competitively because they’ve analyzed the claim frequency data.
Class 4 Impact Rating: The Key to Maximum Discounts
Insurance discounts for metal roofing are primarily driven by the UL 2218 Class 4 impact resistance rating — not the material per se. Class 4 is earned by surviving a 2-inch steel ball dropped from 20 feet twice at the same spot without cracking or splitting.
Many metal and stone coated steel products carry Class 4 ratings. When we install stone coated steel from our stone coated steel roofing product lines, Class 4 certification is standard. The discount unlocked by a Class 4 rating in Arkansas — a high-hail state — can be substantial.
Without the Class 4 documentation, you may install a superior roof and still miss the insurance benefit simply because you can’t prove the rating to your carrier. Always request manufacturer product sheets confirming the specific impact rating of your chosen product. Our team provides this documentation automatically with every installation.
How to Shop for Metal-Roof-Friendly Insurance
If your current carrier isn’t rewarding your metal roof, here’s a systematic approach:
- Contact your agent first: Ask specifically about impact-resistant roofing discounts and Class 4 endorsements. Some carriers have this but don’t apply it automatically — you have to ask.
- Get competing quotes: Tell prospective carriers upfront that your home has a Class 4 impact-rated metal roof. Let the quotes reflect that information.
- Provide documentation: Have your manufacturer spec sheets, installation records, and impact rating certifications ready. Carriers discount what they can verify.
- Ask about replacement cost coverage: Some carriers offer full replacement cost coverage specifically for Class 4 roofing, eliminating depreciation from claims.
For help with documentation, our insurance claim assistance team has extensive experience working with Arkansas carriers. We can provide the paperwork that substantiates your roof’s ratings.
The Arkansas Context: This Matters Here
Arkansas homeowners pay some of the highest homeowners insurance rates in the country, in large part because of the state’s severe weather exposure — hail, tornadoes, and high winds. In this environment, the delta between a metal-roof-discounted policy and a standard shingle policy can be $400-$800/year or more.
Over a 20-year period, that’s $8,000-$16,000 in insurance savings. That’s not hypothetical — that’s the real financial benefit that some of our customers in the Bryant and Central Arkansas area have captured by upgrading to impact-rated metal roofing and shopping their insurance accordingly.
If you’ve experienced storm damage and are considering upgrading to metal during the repair process, this is exactly the right time to get competing insurance quotes. Carriers are required to rate your new roof type in the policy — and a Class 4 metal roof changes the actuarial picture significantly.
Call us at (501) 307-1440 or visit our metal roofing page to discuss your options. Our BBB A+ rated, 5.0-star team has been helping Arkansas homeowners make well-informed roofing decisions since 2009.