When a homeowner goes with Malarkey, the shingle we put on is Highlander Cool. Here is what it is, the California rule it helps you meet, and the three reasons it's the Malarkey shingle we install.
Highlander Cool is Malarkey's architectural shingle with cool-rated granules. Like their other shingles, it's made with polymer-modified asphalt, basically rubberized asphalt, so the shingle stays flexible in the heat instead of drying out. Here's what Malarkey's own spec sheet lists for it:
The exact coverage depends on Malarkey's warranty document, the components and registration, so we go over the real paper at your estimate.
Most of the cities we work in sit in California's Climate Zone 9 or 10. Going by the state's ZIP code lookup, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Ontario and Upland are Zone 10, and Pomona and Claremont are Zone 9. In both zones, when you replace more than half of a house's roof, the 2025 energy code calls for a cool roof on a sloped roof: a minimum aged solar reflectance of 0.20 and thermal emittance of 0.75, or a Solar Reflectance Index of 16. There are other ways to comply, like enough attic insulation, and some exceptions, so check the rule for your address.
All four Highlander Cool colors sit at or above that line. Malarkey's sheet lists an aged solar reflectance of 0.20 to 0.21 and an SRI of 20 to 22. Riverstone Grey's numbers are calculated with the state's worksheet instead of coming from a CRRC listing, and Malarkey notes that on the sheet.
The part people don't expect: one of those cool colors is a black. Moonlit Black meets the same numbers. A cool roof rule doesn't mean you're stuck with a light roof.
Highlander Cool is a serious architectural shingle at a price that works for a lot of homeowners. That's what most people want from a roof: a good shingle at a fair number.
This one doesn't show up on a spec sheet, but it matters on a job. We get good support on Highlander Cool from our supplier and from Malarkey's reps. When a question comes up on a job, about a product, an order or a warranty, we have people to call.
The brand on the wrapper matters less than what goes under it. A great shingle over bad decking and old felt is still a bad roof. Every shingle job we do is a full tear-off, with:
We install both. We're a Malarkey Certified Contractor and an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor, and we're GAF certified too. Right now we're putting Owens Corning Duration COOL on a house in Fontana. Which one fits you comes down to your budget, the look you want and the warranty that fits. We bring samples of both to the estimate, and you get the same answer we'd give a family member.
An Owens Corning Duration COOL roof we finished in Rancho Cucamonga. We install both brands.
More on the brand is on our Malarkey shingles page.
A cool roof doesn't have to be a white roof. It has to be the right shingle.
Sources: Malarkey, Highlander and Highlander Cool flyer (California, Rev. 02/26); California Energy Commission, 2025 Energy Code, section 150.2(b)1I; California Energy Commission, building climate zones by ZIP code; Cool Roof Rating Council, rated products directory.
Free in-home estimate, in writing, with the actual sample boards. We do asphalt shingle roofs, tile replacement with new tile, tile lift and relay, and flat roofs across the Inland Empire.
(909) 819-8394