Hail Damage Roof Chart by Hail Size
A hail damage roof check starts at 1 inch: the National Weather Service counts hail that size (a quarter) or larger as severe. Smaller stones can still dent gutters, vents and soft metal.
Measure the stone, find its size below, then check the parts of your roof that size can hit. Sizes from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center.
Hail sizes at true size
Hold a stone over its circle. On a phone the circles are smaller than life; to use them at true size, print this page at 100% scale on Letter paper.
- Marble 0.5 in, 13 mm
- Penny 0.75 in, 19 mm
- Nickel 0.88 in, 22 mm
- Quarter 1.0 in, 25 mm
- Half dollar 1.25 in, 32 mm
- Ping pong ball 1.5 in, 38 mm
- Golf ball 1.75 in, 44 mm
- Hen egg 2.0 in, 51 mm
- Tennis ball 2.5 in, 64 mm
- Baseball 2.75 in, 70 mm
- Tea cup 3.0 in, 76 mm
- Softball 4.0 in, 102 mm
- Grapefruit 4.5 in, 114 mm
Hail size chart in inches and mm
| Size | Inches | mm | NWS category | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marble | 0.5 | 13 | Below severe | Gutters, downspouts, vents and window screens, from the ground |
| Penny | 0.75 | 19 | Below severe | Gutters, downspouts, vents and window screens, from the ground |
| Nickel | 0.88 | 22 | Below severe | Gutters, downspouts, vents and window screens, from the ground |
| Quarter | 1.0 | 25 | Severe | Shingles, flashing and soft metal too: dark spots, lost grit, dented vents |
| Half dollar | 1.25 | 32 | Severe | Shingles, flashing and soft metal too: dark spots, lost grit, dented vents |
| Ping pong ball | 1.5 | 38 | Severe | Shingles, flashing and soft metal too: dark spots, lost grit, dented vents |
| Golf ball | 1.75 | 44 | Severe | Shingles, flashing and soft metal too: dark spots, lost grit, dented vents |
| Hen egg | 2.0 | 51 | Significant severe | A full inspection with someone on the roof, plus skylights and siding |
| Tennis ball | 2.5 | 64 | Significant severe | A full inspection with someone on the roof, plus skylights and siding |
| Baseball | 2.75 | 70 | Significant severe | A full inspection with someone on the roof, plus skylights and siding |
| Tea cup | 3.0 | 76 | Significant severe | A full inspection with someone on the roof, plus skylights and siding |
| Softball | 4.0 | 102 | Significant severe | A full inspection with someone on the roof, plus skylights and siding |
| Grapefruit | 4.5 | 114 | Significant severe | A full inspection with someone on the roof, plus skylights and siding |
Largest hail in NOAA storm reports for our storm metros
| Metro | Largest hail | About the size of | Latest hail report |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | 4.0 in | Softball | June 22, 2026 |
| Dallas | 3.0 in | Tea cup | June 6, 2026 |
| Fort Worth | 3.0 in | Tea cup | June 2, 2026 |
| San Antonio | 3.0 in | Tea cup | June 11, 2025 |
| Omaha | 3.0 in | Tea cup | June 13, 2026 |
| Amarillo | 3.0 in | Tea cup | June 23, 2026 |
| Wichita | 2.75 in | Baseball | June 25, 2026 |
| Lubbock | 2.5 in | Tennis ball | June 25, 2026 |
| Denver | 2.0 in | Hen egg | June 26, 2026 |
| Colorado Springs | 2.0 in | Hen egg | August 24, 2025 |
| Tulsa | 2.0 in | Hen egg | June 1, 2026 |
| Minneapolis | 2.0 in | Hen egg | June 19, 2026 |
| Austin | 1.75 in | Golf ball | May 9, 2026 |
| Kansas City | 1.5 in | Ping pong ball | April 15, 2026 |
After hail hits your roof
- Photograph the stones next to a coin or a ruler and any dents on cars, gutters and vents.
- From the ground, check gutters, downspouts and vents for dents and loose grit.
- Get a free roof inspection before you file, then follow the roof insurance claim steps.
Method: size names and the severe (1 in) and significant (2 in) thresholds from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Metro figures from NOAA Storm Events reports for the period stated. The what-to-check wording is our own guidance, not a damage prediction.
Download: hail-size-chart.svg, hail-size-chart.png, hail-history-by-metro.csv (source: NOAA SPC storm reports). The chart is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with this line: Hail size chart from Local Roofing, local-roofing.co/hail-size-chart.
Roof questions people ask
What size hail damages a roof?
The National Weather Service counts hail 1 inch across (quarter size) as severe and that is the size to start checking shingles. Age, shingle type and wind change the outcome, so a roofer has to look.
Can small hail damage a roof?
Stones under an inch rarely break shingles, but they can dent gutters, vents and window screens. Those dents are worth a photo for your claim.
How do I measure a hailstone?
Lay a ruler across the widest point or hold the stone next to a coin and take the photo before it melts. Then find the nearest size in the table.
Get your roof checked after hail
Hail damage you cannot see from the ground still lets the next rain in. Call us and get your roof checked before you file.
After you call, a roofer documents the hail damage so your claim starts with proof.