Asbestos Products

Asbestos is a group of naturally-occurring fibrous minerals. Asbestos was used in over 3000 products before 1990. Millions of Australian homes contain asbestos.

Asbestos-containing materials come in a range of forms, colours and textures. It was common for asbestos to be mixed with cement or other bonding agents. Some building materials may have a warning label for asbestos — but no label doesn’t mean no asbestos.

What does asbestos look like?

You can’t tell by looking if a material contains asbestos. Get help from a licensed asbestos assessor. They may have the material checked by an accredited asbestos testing lab.

What colour is asbestos?

• Naturally occurring asbestos can be blue, brown, green or white.
• When asbestos is mixed with other things, or is painted over, the colour can change.

Cement sheeting and asbestos

Asbestos cement sheeting can feel hard and brittle. Asbestos cement sheeting is white to grey in colour. It is usually flat and smooth, and may be painted or have dimples like a golf ball on one side.

Cement sheeting was made of asbestos fibres and cement mix. The cement mix locked in the asbestos fibres.

Flat sheet fibro was the most common asbestos cement sheeting. It was nailed to a wooden frame for quick and cheap construction and may have been painted over.

Asbestos fibres in cement sheeting don’t tend to move if the sheeting is in a complete piece and is not cut or drilled.

Asbestos cement sheet products include Coverline, Hardiflex, Harditherm, Highline, Shadowline, and Villaboard as well as:

• Colorbord – smooth-surfaced sheeting used for interiors and exteriors, coloured on one side.
• Hardiplank – looks like weatherboard and common in single and medium-density homes for alterations and additions.
• Standard surface compressed sheet – either had a smooth surface on both sides or a non-skid patterned surface on one side.
• Tilux – coloured, patterned and waterproof, this sheeting was used in wet areas like kitchens, bathrooms and laundries.
• Versilux – fibro sheeting often used to line internal walls and ceilings in laundries, kitchens and high-traffic areas. Often used by builders in residential and commercial buildings.

Locations

Ceiling and ceiling spaces, Laundry, Bathroom, Floors and floor coverings, Plumbing and drainage, Plant and machinery, Garage, sheds and dog kennels, Fences, Roofs and eaves, Garden and backyard

Known uses

External cladding of walls and eaves and internal lining of walls and ceilings. Cement sheeting was also used in domestic, agricultural, commercial and industrial buildings like:

• houses
• sheds
• garages
• chook sheds
• extensions or additions
• window sills
• stair treads
• balustrades
• curtain wall infills
• toilet partitions
• bathroom floors
• suspended decks
• sun louvres
• laboratory bench tops
• formwork.

Alternative names

AC sheet, Fibre cement sheet, Fibro

Characteristics

Asbestos cement sheeting is white to grey in colour. It is usually flat and smooth and may be painted or have dimples like a golf ball on one side.

The Tilux product may have silver screws holding it in place, or nail heads sitting on top of the sheet.

The joins between sheets may be covered with moulded asbestos cement battens (40mm x 6mm or 75mm x 8mm), wooden ‘D’ mould strips or silver metal strips.

Asbestos cement sheeting can feel hard and brittle. Non-Friable cement sheeting can also become friable if it’s disturbed or damaged by machining or tools.

Eaves and asbestos

Roof eaves that meet or overhang the walls of a building were made from non-friable (bonded) asbestos sheeting until the mid 1980s. Signs the asbestos has broken down include discolouration, cracking or splitting. Do not drill into the eaves as it can release asbestos fibres.

Locations

Roofs and eaves, Walls, Plumbing and drainage

Known uses

Eaves, internal or external soffits, fascia.

Door, window, cornice & joining strip mouldings and asbestos

Strip mouldings can have plain or rounded edges, including louvre blades. A round nail may be visible on the strip, usually just above the surface.

Locations

Doors, Windows, Kitchen, Laundry, Bathrooms, Mouldings and moulded products, Garage, sheds and dog kennels, Fences

Known uses

Commonly used to cover joins between fibre cement sheets and around cornices, windows, and door architraves. Strip mouldings were used inside and outside.

Alternative names

Architrave

Characteristics

• Round nails may be visible on the strip, usually just above the surface
• They may be painted over on walls and around cornices, windows and doors.

Vinyl floor tiles and covering and asbestos

Vinyl flooring containing asbestos comes in a wide variety of colours and patterns.  

Vinyl is durable, so asbestos-containing vinyl tiles and floor coverings are likely to still be in many Australian homes built prior 1990. 

Locations

Floors and floor coverings, Kitchen, Laundry, Bathroom, Garage, sheds and dog kennels

Known uses

Floor tiles, vinyl flooring sheets, plastic tiles, lino or linoleum. 

Alternative names

Floor tiles, Vinyl floor, Plastic tiles, Lino or linoleum 

Characteristics

Vinyl flooring that contains asbestos looks exactly the same as vinyl flooring without asbestos. 

If you suspect vinyl flooring contains asbestos, get help from a licenced asbestos assessor. 

Corrugated cement sheet and asbestos – Super Six

Corrugated cement sheets are usually white to grey in colour, but may be painted. They are hard and brittle, and may have a dimpled surface like a golf ball on one side. Over time, they can deteriorate and release small amounts of asbestos fibres.  Corrugated sheets made (without asbestos) since 1985 look similar. 

Locations

Garage, sheds and dog kennels, Fences, Roofs and eaves, Garden and backyard

Known uses

Corrugated fibre cement sheets were widely used in Australia for roofing, shed walls, and fencing.

Alternative names

Super Six sheets

Characteristics

• Usually white to grey, but may be painted 
• Hard and brittle 
• May have a dimpled surface like a golf ball on one side 
• Corrugated sheets made (without asbestos) since 1985 look similar

Bituminous electrical backing board and asbestos

A bituminous electrical backing board is a black panel or backing board fixed to a wall or an electrical switch box. The board has electrics attached, such as: 

• fuses 
• links 
• protection and control relays 
• contactors 
• small circuit breakers 
• meters 
• maximum demand indicators (MDIs).  

In an electrical substation, bituminous backing boards are usually fixed to a steel frame attached to the substation’s floor and walls. 

Locations

Electrical and power boxes

Known uses

As the mounting base for: 

• switchboards 
• protection panels 
• street lighting panels 
• auxiliary power boards 

other electrical equipment. 

Alternative names

LV boards, Power boards, Electrical boards, Electrical switchboard panels

Characteristics

Electrical backing boards are usually dark brown or black with a stiff and rough fibrous or wood-like surface. They may smell like tar.  

Product brand names (Lebah, Zelemite, Miscolite or Ausbestos) may be stamped on the back of the board.  

If a board has been identified by an electricity company as potentially containing asbestos, a warning sticker should be on the board or inside the meter box.