Composite Roofing Shingles in Florida: Are They Worth It?

What are composite roofing shingles?

They are manufactured shingles, usually plastic-based, molded to look like slate or cedar shake. You may also hear them called synthetic slate or synthetic shake.

Composite shingles are not cut from stone or wood. They are made in a factory. Enviroshake, one of the makers, says its products are made from about 95 percent recycled material, including post-industrial plastics, elastomers and cellulose fibre. It says its shingles copy the profile of taper-sawn cedar shake and the texture of quarried slate, using 3D images of the real thing. It sells a lightweight slate look as Enviroslate.

Brands differ. This page reads one maker closely, so the numbers in it are that maker's claims, not results we tested or checked independently. Treat every figure here as a question to ask your own roofer and the maker.

Composite roofs are not a roof type Coastline installs. Coastline repairs and replaces shingle, tile, metal and low-slope roofs. This page is here so you know what to check if a composite roof is on your list, and what the other options are. See our pages on roof replacement and shingle roofing.

Does a composite roof meet the Florida Building Code?

Only if the product has a Florida approval that matches how it is installed on your roof.

Florida Statute 553.842 says products that need approval, and roofing is one of the named categories, must be approved by one of the state's methods before they are used. A product may not be advertised or sold as hurricane, windstorm or impact protection from wind-borne debris unless it has that approval. The Florida Building Commission runs a Product Approval search. You can look up a product by its maker and by code version, and the 2023 code is the one in effect now. See our guide to Florida product approval for roofing.

Enviroshake's FAQ says its product exceeds Miami-Dade's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone wind speed requirements and gives a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance number. A Notice of Acceptance is a Miami-Dade County document. The pages we read did not list a statewide Florida approval number, so ask any installer for the statewide FL number that applies to your county and your roof deck.

Then compare it to the wind speed for your address. Manatee County's design wind speed falls between 140 and 150 mph on the state map. See design wind speed in Manatee and Sarasota. Also see the Florida Building Code roofing requirements.

What are the options if I like the slate or shake look?

Several roof types give a similar look. Coastline installs shingle, tile and metal roofs.

Compare composite with the roofs Coastline does install. Read tile versus shingle roofs in Florida, metal versus tile roofs in Florida and the best shingles for a Florida roof. If hail or flying debris is your concern, read about Class 4 impact resistant shingles in Florida. To see how stone-coated steel differs, read stone coated steel roofing. That page explains it, and it is not a roof type Coastline installs either.

Whether a new roof changes your insurance premium is up to your policy and your insurer. Ask your insurer in writing before you pay extra for a feature. Our guide on whether a new roof lowers insurance in Florida explains what to ask. For a look at warranty types, see roof warranty types.