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WATCH: SC lab fires perfect hail replicas out of cannon to test shingle strength

RICHBURG, S.C. — A research lab in South Carolina makes perfect hail replicas to be fired at high speeds to test shingles -- no, it is not for fun. It's to better protect your home.

It's a thorough process. First, they make their own hail stone replicas on-site using special machines, then they will shoot them directly at shingle samples using a hail cannon.

[LINK: Shingle Performance Ratings]

The end result of shooting hailstones at the shingles shows which ones hold up without cracking or breaking.

"As we started down this road, we realized that there were going to be some properties of hailstones that we were going to need to be able to mimic real world damage," IBHS Managing Director of Research Tanya Brown-Giammanco said. "Problem was there was no data about these things."

Watch the video above as Meteorologist Jaclyn Shearer gets an up-close look at the test and breaks down how it could end up saving you money. 

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