Abstract: A weather and fire-resistant roofing or siding article, such as a shingle or panel, having a high thermal insulation value is cut from insulating board comprising fiber, binder and about 50 to 90% by weight expanded perlite. The article has adjacent butt and nailing sections, the butt section being substantially uniformly the maximum thickness of the article and having a water- and weather-resistant coating composition on the outer surface to be exposed to the weather, and the nailing section having a non-tapered outer surface and an inner surface tapered from the maximum thickness at the junction of the two sections to a minimum thickness at the edge of the article. The outer surface of the butt section may be machined or pressed or embossed to provide a decorative surface simulating a wood shake, and coated with a sun- and moisture-proof coating such as asphalt and roofing granules.