The Industry’s Longest Lasting Product

Durability and Serviceability Predicate a Roof System’s Life-Cycle.

Durability – How will the waterproofing membrane weather?
Serviceability – Can the membrane and flashings be repaired?

Characteristics that contribute to EPDM’s overall system performance include:

  • Membrane Flexibility
  • Outstanding Weathering Characteristics
  • Unmatched Resistance to Ozone, UV Radiation, and Cold Cracking
  • Dimensionally Stable
  • Limited Environmental Impact
  • Low Life-Cycle Cost

Longest Average Serviceable Life
EPDM continues to be the roofing material that withstands the test of time. Forty-five years of practical experience in field applications has shown EPDM to have the industrial roofing industry’s most extended average service life, according to the latest study provided by ERA (EPDM Roofing Association).

ERA tested installations 28-32 years of age. The study shows that all of the aged EPDM roof samples taken have physical properties above or just below the ASTM minimum properties required of newly manufactured 45-mil EPDM membrane, and estimated them to exceed 40 years of serviceable life. A more recent German study (SKZ) reports EPDM withstanding over 50 years in situ.

Weathering Characteristics:
Weatherability is a key reason why more EPDM commercial roofs continue to perform better than any other single-ply membrane. “From a weathering standpoint—mil for mil—EPDM has proven to be one of the most cost-effective membranes available today,” – Rene Dupuis, president of Structural Research Inc., Madison, WI. Besides weatherability, EPDM is dimensionally stable and flexible, expanding, and contracting with building movement. This movement allows the membrane to be used successfully in a variety of climates. Unlike Thermoplastics, EPDM does not rely on plasticizers for flexibility, making it is virtually immune to ozone, UV radiation, and cold cracking. This flexibility is what provides superior adhesion to repair after decades in place. An engineering weakness concerning Thermoplastics is with plasticizer shedding measures in weight loss, the material disintegrates due to the sun’s UV rays that cause degradation. The Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA), conducted a 15-year study of .060 mil TPO and found that the membrane became unrepairable in years 7-10. Some of the manufacturers withdrew entirely after three years into the investigation.