General Index - National Roofing Contractors Association

Low-Slope Roofing Materials GuideIntroductionThe 2000 edition of NRCA’s Low-Slope RoofingMaterials Guide is a comprehensive report oncommercial, industrial and institutional low-slope roofcovering, rigid insulation board, fastener, andcements and coating products currently on themarket in the United States. It also provides pertinentinformation about the warranties offered for mostmembrane roof systems.The National Roofing Contractors Association(NRCA) publishes the guide annually as a service tothe roofing industry. The objective of the guide is toprovide information that will be helpful to users indetermining which specific manufacturers’ productswill best serve their particular needs. It is of specialvalue to those associated with the design,specification, application and use of low-slope roofsystems.The guide’s first edition was published in 1983.From its inception until 1992, it was titled the RoofingMaterials Guide. The 1993 edition of this publicationwas the first one to bear the title Commercial Low-Slope Roofing Materials Guide. The term“commercial low-slope” distinguished it from acompanion publication, the Residential Steep-SlopeRoofing Materials Guide, which was first published inNovember 1992. The Residential Steep-SlopeRoofing Materials Guide provided information onasphalt shingle, clay and concrete tile, wood shakeand shingle, fiber-cement and synthetic shingle,slate, architectural metal panel and underlaymentproducts, and asphalt shingle warranties.When applied to the U.S. roofing market, theterms “commercial low-slope” and “residential steepslope”are by no means definitive. Low-slope roofingproducts commonly are used on non-residentialbuildings (e.g., commercial, industrial, andinstitutional buildings) and are sometimes used onresidential buildings (e.g., single family homes,townhouses). Conversely, steep-slope roofingproducts are commonly used on residential buildingsand are sometimes used on non-residential buildings.Beginning in 1999, the titles of these guideschanged to the Low-Slope Roofing Materials Guideand the Steep-Slope Roofing Materials Guide. Thereason for these title changes, and division of productcategories, is for consistency with other NRCApublications, including The NRCA Roofing andWaterproofing Manual.Low-slope roofing products are those primarilyintended for roofs with slopes of 3:12 (14 degrees) orless. Built-up, polymer modified bitumen, single-ply,spray polyurethane foam-based, and structural metalpanel roof systems fit this category.Steep-slope roofing products are defined as thoseprimarily intended for roofs with slopes greater than3:12 (14 degrees). Asphalt shingle, fiber-cement andsynthetic, clay and concrete tile, wood shake andshingle, slate and architectural metal panel roof systemsfit this category.In publishing the Low-Slope Roofing Materials Guide,NRCA maintains a policy of objectivity in its reporting ofdata. Nothing is required from listing manufacturers otherthan to adhere to the prescribed reporting format. Anymanufacturer of a product in the product categoriesincluded in the guide can be listed by submitting itsinformation in accordance with procedures developed forthis purpose. Companies involved only in the distributionof other companies’ brand-name roofing products are notincluded in this publication. Manufacturers interested inhaving their products listed in future editions of the guideare encouraged to contact NRCA at:National Roofing Contractors AssociationAttention: Roofing Materials Guide10255 West Higgins Road, Suite 600Rosemont, Illinois 60018-5607NRCA exercises due care in accurately reporting thedata supplied by product manufacturers. NRCA does notaudit test procedures used to arrive at the reported data,nor assume responsibility for the accuracy orcompleteness of the data submitted. The presence orabsence of a listing of products or manufacturers in theguide does not imply NRCA’s approval or disapproval ofthe products or companies, nor does NRCA recommendthat any specific materials be used or not.NRCA does not develop standards itself but, instead,works towards and supports the improvements of existingstandards and development of new ones by thoseorganizations responsible for standards development.The fact that materials listed in the guide do or do notmeet all the values of the reference standards,documents, recommendations or criteria does notnecessarily imply that they will or will not produceacceptable roof systems.How the Guide is OrganizedThe Low-Slope Roofing Materials Guide is divided intosix primary sections:• Section 1: Roof Coverings• Section 2: Rigid Board Insulation• Section 3: Roof Fasteners• Section 4: Roof Cements and Coatings• Section 5: Roof Membrane Warranties• Section 6: Incomplete Data.There is a general index listing all productmanufacturers included in the guide and the locations oftheir specific product listings at the end of thisintroductory section. Also a listing of all productmanufacturers and the locations of their specific productsis provided at the beginning of each section, withexception to Section 6: Incomplete Data.5