Roofing Research

EPDM Roofing Association Launches Field Membrane Study

Roofing contractors encouraged to participate in research incorporating field-aged materials that reflect actual roof performance.

The EPDM Roofing Association (ERA) has initiated a field-based research study designed to improve scientific understanding of the long-term performance of EPDM membranes and explore methods for estimating their remaining service life in commercial roofing systems.

The study focuses on EPDM membrane samples from commercial roofs that have been exposed to decades of real-world environmental conditions. This approach incorporates field-aged materials that reflect actual in-service performance, providing an opportunity to evaluate the characteristics of membranes after years of natural aging and compare them with membranes subjected to accelerated aging and weathering.

Collected samples will undergo laboratory testing in their as-collected condition before portions of the same samples are subjected to accelerated heat aging and weathering. The resulting data will be used to evaluate changes in physical properties and help inform understanding of the long-term performance and potential residual service life of EPDM membranes.

The initiative is expected to contribute to:

Improved understanding of long-term EPDM membrane performance;

Additional data to help inform estimates of residual service life;
A stronger research foundation for future EPDM service-life studies and methodology development;
More informed planning and budgeting for maintenance, repair, and replacement decisions;
More accurate building life-cycle evaluations and potentially Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for EPDM roofing systems.

ERA seeks participation from roofing contractors, roof consultants, building owners and technical/sales representatives with access to EPDM roof systems aged 20+ years, particularly those undergoing scheduled replacement, to provide field samples during reroofing operations. Participating roofs must meet the study’s selection criteria, including the use of black, unreinforced EPDM membrane with a nominal thickness of 45 mil or greater. Participants that send a sample set that meets the minimum criteria and is accepted to participate in the study will receive an honorarium of $2,000. Participants must complete the interest form on the ERA website by September 30, 2026.

Sample collection will be completed by December 5, 2026, with an initial research report anticipated in spring 2027. Those interested in participating may visit the ERA website to learn more about the submission process and sample requirements at https://epdmroofs.org/predicting-epdm-service-life-study/.