A cover board for every roof

By Emma Peterson. 

From fire resitance to very severe hail ratings, learn how USG has built a catalogue of products that can take on whatever elements are thrown at them.  

Recently, The Coffee Shops™ crew hosted a sound stage, sponsored by Western Colloid, at the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC)’s 2026 Convention. One of the incredible guests that stopped by to chat with us was Rob Cox, the technical sales manager at USG Securock.  

Rob opened the conversation by highlighting the alignment between USG and IIBEC’s missions, sharing, “We produce higher performance cover board products that add value to a roof system. So we’re really focused on making roof systems more resilient, which goes hand-in-hand with what the IIBEC engineers and consultants are doing.” 

And when it comes to roofing cover boards, USG offers one of the most comprehensive catalogues of products. Rob explained, “We have five different coverboards, so each one has its own place. And, depending on what type of building is being worked on, each has its place. Some are ideal for high-traffic and puncture resistance, where others are better against fire or handling a high wind zone.”  

In fact, USG recently announced an expansion of their catalogue with the development of the cover boards that can pass a very severe hail test (not being punctured or damaged when a 2-inch ball of ice hits the board at 160 feet/second). Rob spoke a bit about this, explaining, “Over the last few years, we’ve seen the very severe hail map grow in terms of what regions are impacted...And so we made a board that can be put underneath a membrane to protect the insulation on a roof, which is actually one of the most expensive parts of the roofing system!”  

Learn more about USG’s coverboards and the Weather Defense Board by watching the whole interview with Rob.