CertainTeed Landmark vs GAF Timberline HDZ | Hommy
CertainTeed Landmark vs GAF Timberline HDZ
Landmark publishes an impact rating and a weight per square. GAF publishes neither. But GAF gives you algae coverage automatically where CertainTeed makes you buy the matching ridge caps.
Hommy
July 16, 2026 · 12 min read
The most concrete difference between these two shingles is what each company is willing to put in writing. CertainTeed publishes an impact rating and a weight per square for base Landmark. GAF publishes neither for base Timberline HDZ. That does not automatically make Landmark the better shingle, but it does mean you can verify more about it before you buy.
Everything below comes from manufacturer documents. Where a company does not publish something, this article says so instead of borrowing a number from a comparison site.
The quick answer
Shared ratings: both carry ASTM D3161 Class F, ASTM D7158 Class H, ASTM D3462, and UL 790 Class A. On the common standards they are tied.
Impact: base Landmark states UL 2218 Class 3. Base HDZ states no UL 2218 class at all.
Weight: CertainTeed publishes 211 to 225 lb per square for Landmark. GAF does not publish a weight for HDZ.
Wind: Landmark is warranted at 110 mph, upgradeable to 160 mph with conditions. HDZ is 110 mph, or 130 mph with six nails and starter, or no stated wind limit under WindProven with four GAF accessories.
Algae: GAF gives 25 years on packages carrying the StainGuard Plus logo. CertainTeed gives 25 years only if you install its matching algae-resistant hip and ridge caps, otherwise it drops to 10.
Both exclude hail damage from warranty coverage, including on their Class 4 products.
UL 2218 impact: Landmark states Class 3. HDZ states none.
Weight per square: Landmark 211 to 225 lb, with CertainTeed noting it depends on manufacturing location. HDZ not published.
Coverage: Landmark states 98.4 square feet per square across 3 bundles, 65 shingles. Worth knowing that a Landmark square covers slightly under 100 square feet.
That last detail is the kind of thing that only matters once. If your roof measures right at a bundle boundary, 98.4 versus 100 square feet per square can change the order.
GAF publishes weight for other products in its range but not for Timberline HDZ, and the same is true of Owens Corning for Duration. CertainTeed publishes it across the Landmark family. None of this tells you which shingle performs better, but a spec you can check is worth more than one you have to take on faith.
Wind: two different routes to a bigger number
CertainTeed Landmark
CertainTeed does not put a wind speed in the Landmark technical data sheet, only the ASTM classes. The MPH figures live in the warranty document, where Landmark is listed at 110 mph, upgradeable to 160 mph during the first 15 years.
The 160 mph upgrade requires all three of these:
The shingles are not applied over an existing roof. Roof-overs are not permitted.
CertainTeed hip and ridge accessory products are installed as cap shingles.
CertainTeed starter shingles are installed along the eaves and rakes. Florida has a carve-out waiving the rake requirement when shingles are set in a bed of roofing cement per code.
Notice what is not on that list: a nail count. CertainTeed upgrade is bought with accessories and a tear-off, not extra fasteners.
GAF Timberline HDZ
GAF runs two pathways. The standard warranty covers 130 mph with what GAF calls Special Installation, meaning six nails per shingle plus GAF starter at eaves and rakes, or 110 mph without it. Separately, WindProven offers a 15-year wind warranty with no maximum wind speed, requiring LayerLock shingles plus four qualifying GAF accessories, and it runs on four nails rather than six.
So on headline numbers CertainTeed 160 beats GAF 130, but GAF WindProven has no stated ceiling at all. The honest read is that both companies will warrant against realistic wind if you buy their full system, and neither will if you mix and match.
“Both manufacturers will warrant a big wind number, and both require you to buy their accessories to get it. The wind rating is really a system rating wearing a shingle label.”
The Hommy Team
Algae coverage, and the condition people miss
GAF gives Timberline HDZ a 25-year algae protection warranty, on product sold in packages bearing the StainGuard Plus logo.
CertainTeed also offers 25 years on Landmark, but conditionally. The warranty states that to get the 25-year algae coverage the original owner must install CertainTeed algae-resistant hip and ridge accessories. Without them, algae coverage is limited to 10 years from installation.
That is a real 15-year swing that turns on an accessory choice most homeowners never discuss. If algae staining matters where you live, put the hip and ridge product in writing on the estimate.
One naming point worth clearing up: Landmark AR is not a separate product line. It is the algae-resistant version, and CertainTeed technical data covers Landmark and AR together with identical specs.
Warranty tiers: same structure, different emphasis
Both companies sell a base warranty and an enhanced version that requires a credentialed contractor and a full system of matching components. Structurally they mirror each other. Base non-prorated coverage is 10 years for both, extending to 50 years at credentialed-installer tiers.
Where they differ is workmanship:
CertainTeed states workmanship coverage explicitly at its upper tiers, 15 years at 4-STAR and 30 years at 5-STAR, and requires the contractor to hold the corresponding ShingleMaster credential. The 5-STAR tier also requires all metal flashings to be replaced, including step, sidewall, and chimney.
GAF top tier likewise adds workmanship coverage, while its cheapest certified tier is where the jump from 10 to 50 years of non-prorated material coverage happens.
CertainTeed system requires six component categories: waterproofing underlayment, water-resistant underlayment, starter shingles, shingles, hip and ridge caps, and ventilation.
One tier detail worth knowing
Base Landmark sits in the lower of CertainTeed two lifetime groupings. Landmark PRO, Premium, and TL sit in the upper one. Practically that means base Landmark gets 25-year algae coverage where the upper group gets 30, and on non-residential buildings Landmark caps at 40 years where the upper group reaches 50.
Transferability is once only, and the timing matters: transferring during the non-prorated period preserves the remaining coverage, while transferring after it limits the warranty to two years from the transfer date.
Warranty documents and contractor credential names both get revised, and CertainTeed has renamed its credential tiers in recent years. Ask for the current warranty document covering the exact product and tier you are being quoted, and check what triggers the enhanced coverage.
If you need impact resistance
Base Landmark already carries UL 2218 Class 3, which is more than base HDZ states. For Class 4 you step up in both families.
CertainTeed: Landmark ClimateFlex, formulated with rubberized polymers, carries UL 2218 Class 4. Landmark Premium and TL also list Class 4 in their standards.
GAF: Timberline AS II, an SBS-modified shingle, and Timberline UHDZ, which reaches Class 4 through a high-performance mat.
A note on Landmark IR, which older comparisons still recommend. It does not appear on CertainTeed current Landmark series page, and it has no row in the 2026 warranty table. It looks superseded, with ClimateFlex occupying the Class 4 slot. If a contractor quotes Landmark IR, ask them to confirm it is still available and what warranty actually covers it.
The part both companies say out loud
Neither warranty covers hail. CertainTeed limitations exclude damage caused by hailstorm, and separately exclude damage caused by impact including wind-blown objects. GAF states the same about its own coverage.
So a Class 4 shingle does not buy you hail protection from the manufacturer. What it may buy is an insurance discount, and CertainTeed says so directly: some insurers offer premium discounts for UL 2218 Class 4 products, check with your agent. Whether that discount exists at your address is a question for your carrier, not your roofer.
As with any two shingles in the same tier, installation quality will matter more than the brand. Flashing detail, ventilation, and whether the crew follows the nailing pattern will decide how your roof performs long before the shingle does.
That said, honest tiebreakers:
If you want a base product with a stated impact rating, Landmark carries Class 3 where HDZ carries none.
If algae is a problem in your area, GAF 25-year coverage is unconditional on packaging, while CertainTeed 25 years requires their matching AR ridge caps. Get the accessory in writing either way.
If your contractor is credentialed with one manufacturer, that largely settles it. The enhanced warranty you can actually receive depends on their certification, not your preference.
If you want verifiable specs, CertainTeed publishes more of them.
If you need Class 4, neither base product qualifies. Move up the line in whichever family your contractor works in.
