Answers · Is something wrong?
What does hail damage on a roof look like?
The short answer
Random circular impact marks with the granules knocked off, exposing the darker mat, and a bruise that feels soft when pressed — like the give in a bruised apple. It is random, not in lines, and it is usually easier to confirm on soft metal than on the shingles themselves.
Check the soft metal first, from the ground
Hail dents aluminium and soft metal long before the damage on shingles is obvious. Look at gutters, downspouts, roof vents, the air conditioner fins, metal fascia and any garage door facing the storm. If those are dimpled, the roof took the same hits, and you now have evidence you can see without a ladder.
What a bruise is
- A round area where granules have been knocked away, exposing the black mat.
- A soft spot underneath, because the impact has fractured the mat. An adjuster will press it.
- Random placement across the slope, in contrast to blistering or manufacturing defects, which follow patterns.
- Often worse on the slopes facing the direction the storm came from.
Functional damage versus cosmetic
Insurers distinguish between hail that shortens the roof's life and hail that only looks bad. That distinction is where most disputes live, and some policies now exclude cosmetic damage outright — particularly on metal roofs. Read your own policy for a cosmetic damage exclusion before assuming a dented metal roof is covered.
Also asked
- How long do I have to file a hail claim?
- Policies impose notice requirements and states impose statutes of limitation, and both vary. Some states have tightened the window for weather claims specifically. Check your own policy and your state's rules early rather than assuming you have a year.
- Can hail damage be invisible from the ground?
- Routinely. That is exactly why the soft metal check matters, and why a documented inspection after a significant hail event is worth doing even when the roof looks fine.
General information about roofs and about hiring, not advice about your building. Roofing contractor licensing, permits, insurance practice and deductible rules are set state by state and province by province across the United States and Canada, so your own authority is the current answer.