Owens Corning vs. GAF vs. CertainTeed Standard Shingles: Which Is Right for My Seattle Home?

Are you wondering if there is one shingle that’s clearly better for homes in the Pacific Northwest, or if it’s all just personal preference? Worried you might pick the wrong brand and end up with a roof that doesn’t hold up to Seattle’s constant rain and wind?

When it comes to picking the right asphalt shingle for your home, it’s easy to become confused and overwhelmed because there are so many options, and all of them are fairly similar. This leaves you wondering what the differences are. 

At RoofSmart, we match hundreds of customers every year with their perfect roof using our SmartMatch Needs Analysis to find a roof based on their needs, preferences, and budget. During this process, we educate our customers on the pros and cons of each roof type and discuss how their roof options compare. 

This article will focus on the following shingles: the Owens Corning Duration, the Certainteed Landmark, and the GAF Timberline HDZ. These standard-level shingles were chosen for this article because they’re made by three top brands in the Seattle market. 

We offer all of these brands, as do most other local roofers in the area. So, I want to make sure you understand and compare all of your options to find the best shingles for your home in the Seattle area. 

In this article, you’ll be able to compare Owens Corning, GAF, and CertainTeed’s shingles to see how they measure up in these categories: 

1. Aesthetics
2. Wind Resistance
3. Algae Prevention
4. Overall Warranty Coverage
5. Wind Warranty Coverage

Each category will have a winner, showing you which shingle brand performs best in that specific category. 

By the end, you’ll be able to decide which shingle best aligns with your needs and preferences.

How do I pick the right shingle for my home?

Each manufacturer has their own version of the standard architectural shingle, but what’s the difference between them? A big part of the reason that it can be so difficult to choose which shingle brand you want is that you don’t know how they compare to each other. 

This article will help you make your decision with confidence by comparing the 50-year luxury shingles by Owens Corning, GAF, and CertainTeed based on different categories:

1.) Aesthetics 

Winner- CertainTeed Landmark (for color variety)

The Owens Corning Duration offers 12 color options, the GAF Timberline HDZ shingle offers 11 color options, and the CertainTeed Landmark shingle offers 21 different colors. 

If you’re looking for a lot of color variety, then the CertainTeed Landmark is a great shingle option for you. 

In terms of design, it is up to you to choose which one you like best because this is more of a subjective category. But all of these are the same type of shingle, so they each have a similar design. 

Specialty colors can be hard to come by. Each manufacturer is in charge of choosing which colors they want to use, so if you’re looking for a unique color, it will probably be difficult to find. 

Here’s how all these shingles look in their version of a dark gray (or black) shade:

Owens Corning Duration: 

GAF Timberline HDZ: 

CertainTeed Landmark: 

2.) Nail Strip Technology

Winner- Owens Corning Duration

The Owens Corning Duration is made with their patented SureNail Technology. This means that they have three layers of protection with a cloth layer along the nail line that has up to 2.5 times better nail pull-through resistance and up to 2 times better delamination resistance. This greatly improves the shingle’s ability to withstand high winds. These shingles have a wind resistance limit of 130 mph.

GAF advertises that their LayerLock Technology strengthens the area where overlapping shingles adhere together. They also point out that they have the widest nail zone available (this feature is more beneficial for roofers than homeowners). With the right eligibility requirements and LayerLock materials, their shingles are protected under warranty in unlimited wind speeds (130 mph with LayerLock).

CertainTeed Landmarks are made with a NailTrak that helps keep roofers consistent while installing the shingles. Their shingles are designed to last in winds up to 110 mph.

3.) Algae Prevention

Winner- Tie (All manufacturers have solid algae-resistant technology that is on a similar level)

Owens Corning Duration shingles have StreakGuard Algae Resistance Protection, which blends regular granules and granules lined with copper together on the shingle to help prevent algae growth.

GAF Timberline Shingles use Time-Release Algae-Fighting Technology that releases copper over time in the shingle that fights off algae.

Similar to the other two, CertainTeed Landmark Shingles use StreakFighter technology that slowly releases copper from the granules over time to get rid of algae.

4.) Overall Warranty Coverage

Winner- Owens Corning Duration Shingle

All of these shingles have solid warranties, but the Owens Corning warranty stands out for having lifetime coverage for workmanship issues at the Platinum level. The others max out after 25 years. 

Other than workmanship coverage, the warranty coverage is pretty similar for each manufacturer. 

Here’s a comparison table showing you the coverage you get from both the lowest and highest level warranties offered by Owens Corning, GAF, and Certainteed. 

5.) Wind Warranty Coverage

Winner- GAF Timberline Shingle

Though the warranties for each of these shingles are similar, GAF stands out for its wind coverage with no maximum speed, whereas the other warranties cap off at a certain speed.

Owens Corning Duration Shingle

• 15-year wind coverage for winds up to 130 mph

GAF Timberline Shingle

• 15-year wind coverage with no maximum wind speed when eligibility requirements are met

CertainTeed Landmark Shingle

• 15-year wind coverage for winds up to 110 mph

How do I know which shingle is right for me? 

At the end of the day, choosing a shingle that’s right for you is about knowing what your priorities are and what you want your new roof to accomplish. Think about which of the categories listed in this article are most important to you and choose the shingle that performs best in those categories. Do you want strong workmanship warranty protection? Are you worried about wind damage?

Typically, this decision comes down to the cost of the material and depends heavily on your budget. However, these shingles will all cost about the same amount because they’re the same style and type of shingle (just made by different brands). 

On average, standard shingles cost $20,000 to $30,000 to install. 

How do I Make Sure I’m Getting a Great Roof?

But the shingle itself is not the only thing you should focus on. An incredibly important factor to consider is who you choose to install your shingles. We recommend that you also prioritize choosing which contractor you feel you can trust the most. 

Each of these manufacturers (Owens Corning, GAF, and CertainTeed) has contractors that they’ve certified as qualified, reputable contractors who will do a good job installing any shingle. If your priority is getting a great quality roof AND a great quality shingle, then these certified contractors are worth looking into. 

On each company’s website, you can find a list of their certified contractors. You can search by the area you live in to find a certified contractor near you. Use these links to get started:

• Owens Corning
• GAF
• CertainTeed

How do you know if a roofing contractor is qualified to install a great roof for you? Check out our article "How Do I Know If A Roofing Contractor is Qualified?" to learn how to assess a roofing contractor's qualifications. 

Want to make the evaluation process easier? Download our Qualified Roofer Checklist to use as a guide for asking your roofer all of the right questions before you sign a contract.