Last Updated on: 28th December 2025, 05:33 pm
Every roofer has a story about a homeowner who just wants “the same shingles we put on twenty years ago.” Sometimes that’s possible, sometimes it’s not. The asphalt shingle market moves fast, and entire product lines quietly disappear as manufacturers update formulas, change plant locations, or shift to new warranties. Yet a few discontinued models remain in constant demand, thanks to their looks, performance, or sheer familiarity.
Let’s take a closer look at three names that refuse to die in conversation even if they’re long gone from shelves: GAF Grand Sequoia, CertainTeed XT 25/30, and IKO Marathon.
Why Shingles Get Discontinued
Shingle lines rarely vanish overnight. Manufacturers phase them out for several reasons:
Cost of materials: Asphalt blends and fiberglass mats evolve; old recipes can’t meet modern specs profitably.
Updated product tiers: A “new and improved” replacement often merges two old lines into one.
Limited regional sales: Some colors or models just don’t justify full production runs.
Warranty simplification: Fewer lines mean cleaner paperwork and marketing.
The trouble starts when you’re trying to match an existing roof after a storm repair, color, cut, and texture suddenly matter more than nameplates.
GAF Grand Sequoia: The Architectural Giant
The GAF Grand Sequoia once reigned as a top-tier “luxury architectural shingle.” It offered thick tabs and shadow lines that mimicked wood shakes without the weight of real cedar. Although GAF still sells the Grand Sequoia AS (ArmorShield) variant in select regions, the original line has been quietly retired.
Why it’s missed:
Distinctive shape and deep profile – irregular cuts gave roofs a hand-split look.
High wind resistance (up to 130 mph).
Colors like Autumn Brown and Weathered Wood had balanced warmth missing in newer lines.
Thicker asphalt mat that gave installers more forgiveness on rough decking.
The modern Grand Sequoia AS and Timberline UHDZ lines partially fill the gap, but they lack that unique chunky texture. Roofers who worked with the original often note how it “laid down beautifully” even on imperfect framing.
CertainTeed XT 25 and XT 30: The Classic Three-Tabs
Not every discontinued product was flashy. The CertainTeed XT 25 (and the thicker XT 30) were among the most trusted three-tab shingles for decades. They earned a reputation for consistency, no surprises in color, sealant, or granule loss.
Why homeowners still ask for them:
Simple, clean lines fit traditional homes and ranches.
Exceptional color consistency across batches, easy to patch years later.
Held up for 25–30 years when installed correctly.
Lightweight, easy to cut, and quick to install.
CertainTeed gradually replaced them with the revised XT25 and the Landmark Pro family, which emphasize dimensional appearance over simplicity. But many repair jobs still require XT-era shingles to match existing roofs, and few suppliers keep leftover bundles.
The workaround:
Specialty distributors and salvage yards occasionally have partial pallets. Another option is Landmark TL in lighter colors; its tab pattern visually resembles XT when installed flat.
IKO Marathon: The Dependable Workhorse
The IKO Marathon was one of those shingles roofers didn’t talk about much, until it disappeared. A solid, mid-grade three-tab with wide availability in Canada and the northern U.S., it offered reliable performance for budget-conscious jobs.
What made it special:
Heavier fiberglass mat than most competitors in its price class.
Consistent sealing even in cooler weather.
Practical colors like Dual Brown and Dual Black matched countless neighborhoods.
Affordable, backed by a recognizable brand.
IKO eventually merged its regional lines into the newer Cambridge architectural family, phasing Marathon out around 2020 in most markets. Builders miss its simplicity: no layered tabs, no marketing hype, just a straight, dependable shingle.
The Problem of Matching Old Roofs
When patching a roof built with discontinued shingles, even a small color mismatch can stand out. Granules fade at different rates, and new shingles never age like the existing ones.
If you can’t find exact replacements:
Salvage shingles from inconspicuous areas, behind dormers or from unused bundles.
Blend repairs by interlacing new shingles across several courses instead of creating a sharp rectangle.
Use old cutoffs as color samples before committing to a full repair.
Check restoration suppliers, some keep backstock specifically for insurance claims.
Are Old Shingles Really Better?
Not necessarily, they were just different. Modern shingles use less asphalt and more engineered filler. That doesn’t make them weaker, but it does change how they look and feel.
Older models excelled in visual texture and color depth, something cost-optimized modern shingles sometimes compromise.
Legacy Remains!
Every generation of shingles has its classics:
GAF Grand Sequoia gave homes a bold, hand-crafted look.
CertainTeed XT proved that simple can be timeless.
IKO Marathon quietly protected millions of roofs without fuss.
They may no longer be in production, but their legacy remains nailed down across North America, fading slowly, still keeping out the rain exactly as intended.
