ROSEMONT, Ill. — A coalition of industry trade associations representing contractors, consultants and manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada completed its initial Quarterly Market Index Survey for Reroofing. The survey takes the pulse of the reroofing industry on a quarterly basis and serves as a regular barometer of the industry’s business conditions.

The survey is an industry-wide effort spearheaded by a coalition of trade associations, including the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, Canadian Roofing Contractors Association, Chemical Fabrics & Film Association Inc., EPDM Roofing Association, International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants, National Roofing Contractors Association, National Women in Roofing, Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association, Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association and Single Ply Roofing Industry. 

By asking a handful of business questions and measuring responses across a number of demographics, the survey helps give an indication of the reroofing market’s strength and trajectory. 

Nearly 500 respondents completed the eight-question survey during a two-week period in January with more than three-quarters of responses coming from roofing contractors and the remainder coming from roof consultants. The results indicate the continued resilience of the industry in the face of a struggling economy and the global COVID-19 pandemic. 

Some topline excerpts of the survey are:

• Thirty-three percent of respondents indicated their customer inquiries increased during the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with the same quarter in 2019. Thirty percent of respondents reported a decrease in customer inquiries during the same period, and 37% indicated no change in activity. 
• The survey revealed a similar trend for project contracts. Thirty-one percent of respondents reported an increase during the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with the same quarter in 2019. Thirty-two percent of respondents reported a decrease in project contracts during the same period, and 37% indicated no change in activity. 
• Twenty-one percent of roofing contractors reported no project backlogs, 46% reported project backlogs of one to two months and 23% reported project backlogs of three to four months. 

“Roofing contractors need a reliable supply chain built on accurate data. For the first time, roofing professionals are providing the data needed for better supply management,” said Reid Ribble, NRCA CEO. “National roofing industry associations have partnered together to create a consistent stream of information coming directly from the source — contractor and consultant sales and inquiry data. I encourage all roofing contractors to participate.” 

The complete results of the Quarterly Market Index Survey for Reroofing are available to those who participate in the survey via an online dashboard that enables users to filter results by region and other metrics. Any contractor or consultant who wants to participate in next quarter’s brief survey can sign up for a notification at http://bit.ly/37ank7D.