Insurance Claims & Adjuster Disputes
Discontinued Shingles and Matching: Using ITEL to Justify Full Replacement
When a damaged shingle is discontinued, a partial repair cannot restore uniform appearance. An ITEL laboratory analysis is how that becomes evidence rather than opinion.
Written by Nathaniel Davis, owner of Roof Gutter Now — a licensed exterior restoration contractor in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Updated August 2026
What ITEL returns
You submit a physical sample. The lab reports the manufacturer and product line where identifiable, whether it remains in production, and the nearest current match with a comparison of colour and profile.
A finding of “no longer manufactured, closest match differs in colour and granule blend” is the sentence that carries the argument. It converts a matching dispute from aesthetic preference to documented unavailability.
Combining it with a field test
Do not stop at the report. Physically obtain the proposed match, hold it against the existing roof in daylight, and photograph it from close range and from the street. A laboratory finding plus a photograph of the actual mismatch is far stronger than either alone.
Ohio’s administrative code speaks to restoring a reasonably comparable appearance. Where a jurisdiction has no such provision, the policy language on restoring the property to its pre-loss condition carries the same weight.
Common questions
Who pays for the ITEL report?
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Often the carrier will order it. If not, the cost is small relative to the scope it decides, and it can be submitted as a claim expense.
What if ITEL finds a close match?
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Then the matching argument weakens and the conversation moves to whether the match is acceptable in place. The field test still matters.
Does this apply to siding?
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Yes, and it works even more often, because siding profiles are discontinued faster than shingles.
More on Insurance Claims & Adjuster Disputes
- Why Adjusters Call Creased Shingles “Mechanical Damage”
- The Repairability Test: Proving a Patch Will Destroy the Roof
- Overhead & Profit: Triggering the Three-Trade Requirement
- Xactimate RFG DRIP vs RFG DRIP+: Why the Code Changes Your Payout
- Ordinance & Law Coverage: Getting Drip Edge and Ice Barrier Paid
- Reading a Summary of Loss: RCV, ACV and the Net Claim Trap
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