Asbestos Cement

What is Asbestos Cement?

Asbestos cement is made by mixing regular cement with about 10% to 15% asbestos fibres. These fibres make the cement stronger, lighter, and fully weatherproof.

This material was widely used in the UK until the late 1990s, especially for utility buildings. Since it is very durable, much of it remains in good condition today.

Where you’ll find it:

The Garage/Shed: Corrugated roofing sheets are the most common (usually grey and wavy).
Outside the house, you might find it in rainwater gutters, downpipes, and soffit boards, which are the boards under the edge of your roof.
Inside the house, asbestos cement can be found in old cold-water tanks in the loft, flue pipes for boilers, and sometimes in wall panels in bathrooms or behind heaters.

Is it dangerous?

Asbestos cement is usually considered a lower risk than other forms of asbestos, such as the fluffy insulation found on pipes.

The good news is that the asbestos fibres are tightly bonded, or locked, into the cement. If you walk past an asbestos garage roof or have an old cement water tank, it does not release fibers into the air. It is perfectly safe to leave it as it is.
The risk comes if the cement is broken, drilled, or sanded. If a sheet breaks or you use a power tool on it, you can release the dust that’s been trapped inside.

How to spot Asbestos cement looks almost the same as modern concrete. However, there are a few signs to look out for:

These are:

The Age: If the structure was built before 2000, it’s highly likely to be asbestos-cement.
The texture is often slightly dimpled, similar to the surface of a golf ball, on one side.
At the edges, if the cement is chipped, you might notice tiny white fibres sticking out from the grey cement.