APEX-1132 Lab Results, Explained

Granules are the little colored stones on top of a shingle. They're its sunscreen. They block the UV light that would otherwise cook the asphalt underneath. When you see sandy grit piling up at the bottom of a downspout, that's your roof's sunscreen washing away.

On this test, APEX-1132 improved granule hold by 50% over the untreated shingle. The leading competitor managed 17%. SoyLei ties that result to better resistance to hail damage, since a shingle that keeps its granules keeps its armor.

Why it matters here: Piedmont roofs take a lot of strong summer sun. A shingle that holds its granules longer slows down the cycle behind granule loss.

This row shows a cost. Softening an old shingle isn't free. On this test, both treatments left the shingle with a bit less tear strength than the untreated sample.

The question is how much. The untreated shingle counts as 100%. The leading competitor kept 70% of that. APEX-1132 kept 86%.

So the trade-off is real, but it's smaller with APEX-1132. A dry shingle that bends instead of cracking, and gives up a small slice of tear strength to get there, is a fair deal. We'd rather show you this number than skip it.

Pliability is a fancy word for bend. A healthy shingle bends. A dried-out one cracks. This test was run at 55°F. Shingles get stiffer as they cool, so a cool-weather bend test is a fair check on how brittle they've become.

The aged, untreated shingle failed. Both treated shingles passed. That's the core of what rejuvenation is supposed to do.

It matters in our area because we get both extremes. Long, hot summers dry shingles out. Then winter cold snaps and the occasional ice storm put stiff shingles under stress. A shingle that still bends on a cool day is less likely to end up with cracked, brittle tabs.

People sometimes ask if putting oil on a roof makes it burn easier. On this test it went the other way. Flame spread on the untreated shingle was 42 inches. The leading competitor cut that to 30. APEX-1132 cut it to 15. Lower is better.

Hail is the other worry. A treatment that softens shingles could, in theory, make them easier to damage. The untreated shingle passed the hail impact test. The leading competitor failed it. APEX-1132 passed. SoyLei's note on the sheet says the added flexibility and granule hold didn't cost the shingle its hail resistance.

One caution: no treatment makes a roof hail-proof. If a storm damages your roof, call your insurance company first. For what to do after a storm, read hail and aging shingles in the Triad.

SoyLei publishes its lab work. Its APEX-1132 page names PRI Asphalt Technologies, an independent asphalt materials lab, as the lab that tested the technology, with reports from 2020, 2021 and 2024.

• The product was created by researchers from Iowa State University. They founded SoyLei and still make it.
• It is covered by an issued U.S. patent licensed to SoyLei.
• It carries USDA BioPreferred certification for 96% biobased content.

The numbers on this page come from SoyLei's product data sheet. If you want to read the full lab reports, SoyLei posts them on its website, and we can walk you through them at your free roof assessment. You can also read what APEX-1132 is made of.

This is the maker's own data sheet. It's useful, and it has limits. A few things it doesn't tell you:

• How the shingles were aged before testing
• How many samples were tested
• Which product the leading competitor is

If you want to dig deeper, SoyLei posts lab reports from PRI Asphalt Technologies, an independent asphalt lab, on its APEX-1132 page at soylei.com. Bring your questions about any of it to your free roof assessment. We're happy to go through the data with you. To weigh the product against a new roof on cost and lifespan, see rejuvenation vs. replacement.