Roofing or siding article

A weather and fire-resistant roofing or siding article such as a shingle or panel having high thermal insulation value, comprising:

• (a) a body having opposed inner and outer surfaces composed of insulating board comprising fiber, binder and about 50 to about 90% by weight expanded perlite;
• (b) said body having a butt section and an adjacent nailing section, the butt section being substantially uniformly the maximum thickness of the article and having a non-tapered outer surface to be exposed to the weather, said nailing section being of the same thickness as the butt section at the juncture with said butt section, having a non-tapered outer surface, and having an inner surface tapered in thickness in a portion thereof from said maximum thickness to a minimum thickness at one edge thereof remote from said juncture;
• and
• (c) a water and weather-resistant coating comprising asphalt and roofing granules on the outer surface of said uniform thickness butt section to be exposed to the weather.