GAF vs Owens Corning vs CertainTeed vs Malarkey

All four list ASTM D7158 Class H and ASTM D3161 Class F wind ratings and a Class A fire rating. Class H is the highest class in the California Residential Code's wind table, so in Los Angeles the code's wind requirement doesn't separate them; what that classification means and what the warranty adds is in architectural vs 3-tab shingles, and what each wind and impact test measures is in shingle wind and impact ratings.

Impact rating

UL 2218 rates how well a roof covering stands up to impact, in four classes, and Class 4 is the highest. Vista's data sheet lists Class 4 for the line itself, which Malarkey makes with NEX, its polymer-modified asphalt. The other three flagships are rated Class 3, and each brand sells a separate Class 4 line: GAF Timberline AS II, Owens Corning Duration STORM and CertainTeed Landmark ClimateFlex. Owens Corning notes that in some areas a Class 4 roof may qualify for an insurance discount; ask your insurer whether it gives one in California before paying more for it.

How long the warranty pays in full

Every one of these is a "limited lifetime" warranty, which means full coverage only for the first years and reduced coverage after that. Under the standard warranties, that full-coverage period is 10 years for Timberline HDZ (GAF's Smart Choice), Duration (Owens Corning's TruProtection) and Landmark (CertainTeed's SureStart), and 15 years for Vista. Malarkey's Legacy line goes to 20. How proration works after that, and what the standard warranties leave out, is in roofing warranties explained.

Wind coverage and the accessories behind it

The wind numbers in the table are warranties, not code ratings, and each step up depends on how the roof is installed. GAF covers Timberline HDZ to 110 mph with four nails per shingle and to 130 mph with its starter strips at the eaves and rakes; its WindProven warranty removes the speed limit for 15 years when the roof also uses GAF starter strips, roof deck protection, ridge cap shingles, and leak barrier or attic ventilation. Owens Corning's enhanced 160 mph coverage on Duration asks for its starter shingles, hip and ridge shingles and underlayment, plus another listed accessory, all installed to its enhanced instructions. CertainTeed lifts Landmark from 110 to 160 mph with its own starter and hip and ridge on a roof that isn't laid over old shingles, and removes the speed limit when the roof is installed as its Integrity Roof System, with CertainTeed waterproofing and water-resistant underlayments, starter, ventilation and hip and ridge. Malarkey lifts Vista from 110 to 130 mph with four nails per shingle and its own starter and hip and ridge. In practice, the brand of the accessories on your estimate decides which wind and algae terms apply, so ask for them by name.

Cool-roof colors in Los Angeles

When more than half of a roof is replaced, California's energy code requires a cool roof in many climate zones, and the City of Los Angeles applies its own cool-roof rule; the details are in the cool-roof requirement on a re-roof, and how to read a color's rating against both rules is in CRRC cool roof ratings. That turns the brand choice into a color choice. GAF lists four Timberline HDZ colors as rated by the Cool Roof Rating Council, and two of them, Birchwood and Golden Amber, for the City and County of Los Angeles. Malarkey lists two Vista colors, Sienna Blend and Silverwood, as rated and usable for California's Title 24 and Los Angeles County's Title 31 cool-roof requirements. Owens Corning and CertainTeed sell separate reflective lines, Duration COOL and Landmark Solaris. On our 2024 re-roof in Canoga Park, not one gray in the first shingle line we priced cleared the city's threshold; Owens Corning's Duration COOL Plus in Mystic Gray did (the Canoga Park case).

• Start from the rules for your house. If the re-roof needs a cool roof, pick from the qualifying colors first; if the house is in a fire hazard severity zone, confirm the Class A listing for the exact product, as in the Class A roof rating.
• Compare the warranty you'll actually get. The standard warranty comes with the shingles; the top tiers depend on the contractor's certification with that maker and on its accessories being used; see what a roofer's manufacturer certification means.
• Ask for the line, not just the brand. "GAF" or "Owens Corning" on an estimate can mean any of several lines with different ratings and terms. Why two estimates for the same roof can still differ is in why roofing quotes differ.
• Check what's in stock locally. Colors, algae-resistant versions and some lines vary by region, and a color you saw online may not be sold in Southern California.

Code sections, rules and figures on this page come from the primary sources below. Codes, local requirements and product terms change; each was verified October 9, 2026.

1. GAF, Timberline HDZ shingles (specifications, standards, warranty notes)
2. GAF, What Is LayerLock Technology and How Does It Impact Installation (October 4, 2021)
3. GAF, Timberline AS II shingles
4. Owens Corning, TruDefinition Duration shingles
5. Owens Corning, TruDefinition Duration STORM shingles
6. Owens Corning, Standard Product Limited Lifetime Warranty (shingles purchased after August 1, 2026)
7. Owens Corning, Section 07 31 13 Fiberglass-Based Asphalt Shingles specification guide
8. CertainTeed, Landmark shingles
9. CertainTeed, Landmark Technical Data Sheet (2024)
10. CertainTeed, Wind Warranty sell sheet (2026)
11. CertainTeed, Landmark Solaris cool roof brochure, Southwest (2026)
12. CertainTeed, Landmark ClimateFlex shingles
13. Malarkey Roofing Products, Vista Technical Product Data Sheet (effective February 2026)
14. Malarkey Roofing Products, Standard Shingle & Accessory Warranty for Single Family Homes, summary (rev. April 2026)
15. Malarkey Roofing Products, Warranties