Why choose FM-tested products

Understanding the FM approval process and why they are the gold standard for roofing insurance testing. 

While many home and business owners think of roofs as singular entities, here in the roofing industry we know that they are actually a collection of different products that work together to create a strong assembly. And because all parts of the assembly must work together, choosing what roofing products to use is a key part of building a long-lasting, healthy roof system.  

So, how do you choose what products to use? One trick is to look for something called an FM approval! FM, otherwise known as Factory Mutual Global, is one of the largest insurance carriers in the world. They were founded back in 1835 and provide some of the industry’s most thorough testing for product and system performance.  

To learn more about FM testing and why you should use their approvals to help choose products for your next project, Western Colloid's Greg Hlavaty and Hal Leland stopped by for an episode of the Understanding Roof Restoration (URR) podcast.  

FM truly is the gold standard of insurance carrier approvals. Prior to FM, testing roofs for insurance purposes hadn’t been done as robustly. And under FM, testing isn’t as simple as a one and done test. Instead, approved products will be tested quarterly to ensure the products are produced to the same FM standard. Greg described how the process went when the team at Western Colloid sent in products and systems for approval:   

We had inspectors at our plants for FM and UL and ICC-ES, but especially FM, quarterly to make sure we're making the exact same products. They take tests of the products just to make sure the formulas are the same... Everything is rigorously followed up on quarterly. 

The long story short is that if you want to know a product has been tested, time and time again, and proven to perform as intended, look for the FM approval diamond. Hal added, “[Getting an FM approval] says a lot about your company and the commitment to having that FM approvals mark on your product. If your product has an FM-approved mark, that means it's been through the certification testing process to verify its functioning as intended.” 

Want to learn more about choosing high-performance products, like FM-approved options? Listen to the whole Understanding Roof Restoration episode!