Roofing products with improved tear strength

The use of a nonwoven mat in a roofing shingle, the nonwoven mat comprising a plurality of glass fibers having a specific toughness greater than or equal to 45 kPa/(kg/m3) bound together by a binder.

A method of manufacturing a roofing shingle comprising:

• applying an asphalt shingle coating composition to at least one surface of a nonwoven mat, thereby forming an asphalt-coated sheet, the nonwoven mat comprising a plurality of glass fibers having a specific toughness greater than or equal to 45 kPa/(kg/m3) bound together by a binder,
• wherein the roofing shingle has an improvement in cross-direction (CD) tear resistance, as measured in accordance with ASTM D1922, of at least 5% as compared to an otherwise identical shingle having a nonwoven mat comprising a plurality of glass fibers having a specific toughness of less than 45 kPa/(kg/m3).