WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) released its final quarterly report for 2019, showing shipments for BUR are up, but shingles and modified bitumen have tapered off.

The report covers asphalt roofing product shipments in the U.S. and Canada in the fourth quarter (Q4), as well as year-to-date shipment information and a comparison with the prior year’s data. The data is presented in the number of squares shipped.

According to the latest report, BUR shipments in the U.S. increased between Q4 2018 and Q4 2019 by 16.6%. The increase nearly lifted BUR shipments to match last year’s total of 8.1 million, but fell just short (1.2%) at 8 million.

Shipments of shingles in the U.S. fell by 5.7% when comparing Q4 2018 to Q4 2019. In Q4 2018, 29.2 million shingles were shipped, while this year’s Q4 total was 28.4 million. However, when comparing 2018 to 2019, overalls shipments were up by 2.2%.

The U.S.’ neighbors to the north experienced a much different year for shingle shipments. In Q4, shipments dropped between 2018 and 2019 by 3.9%. This declining trend resulted in Canadian shingle shipments decreasing by 12.1% between 2018 and 2019 (14.4 million to 12.6 million).

Modified bitumen shipment numbers in the U.S. saw decreases in Q4 2019 and in 2019’s total numbers. Shipments were down by 5.7%, while overall shipments decreased by 3.8% between 2018 and 2019.

ARMA does not provide comments or insights on what trends its reports reflect.

“ARMA’s shipment report provides relevant, valuable insight into the asphalt roofing industry, and is a valued resource for ARMA members and others interested in the industry,” said ARMA’s Executive Vice President Reed Hitchcock.ARMA does not provide comments or insights on what trends its reports reflect.

ARMA is a trade association representing North America’s asphalt roofing manufacturing companies and their raw material suppliers. The association includes the majority of North American manufacturers of asphalt shingles and asphalt low slope roof membrane systems. Information that ARMA gathers on modern asphalt roofing materials and practices is provided to building and code officials, as well as to regulatory agencies and allied trade group.