As the roofing industry struggles with supply shortages, the latest report from the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) shows shipments of asphalt products are improving in the U.S.

According to ARMA’s Quarterly Product Shipment Report, shipments in shingles, BUR and modified bitumen products increased in the second quarter (Q2) of 2021 compared to the first quarter of this year.

The quarterly report’s data is collected from participating manufacturers by an independent third party. Shingle manufacturers reported an overall increase of 8.3% in square shipments. Conversely, shingle shipments in Canada dropped by 7.8% compared to Q1.

Modified bitumen saw the largest increase of the tracked products, growing by 18.24% in Q2 from 9.1 to 10.7 million squares. BUR shipments saw similar improvements, increasing by 15.6% (1.6 to 1.9 million squares).

Asphalt products overall experienced an increase in shipments when compared to Q2 2020. Modified bitumen saw the greatest increase, jumping by 36.5% compared to this time last year. Canadian shingle shipments were next at 20.1%, followed closely by U.S. shingle shipments (19.4%). BUR shipments in the U.S. weren’t as impressive, but still increased by 7.6%.

The report shows year-to-date shipments in 2021 are outperforming 2020, with 22.9% more shipments of shingles in the U.S., totaling 90 million squares. This is higher than the number of shipments seen in 2019, which totaled 80.6 million at the end of Q2.

Modified bitumen experienced 29.2% more shipments compared to this time last year, and shingle shipments in Canada also increased by 15.4% when comparing year-to-date data.

ARMA's reports do not include shipment information for Canadian BUR and modified bitumen shipments. ARMA does not provide insight into the data presented in its report.

“The shipment report provides direct insight into the asphalt roofing industry for ARMA members and interested parties,” said ARMA Executive Vice President Reed Hitchcock. "It is an invaluable data resource."

Chris Gray is the managing editor of Roofing Contractor.