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Telephone booth roofs

Description

Moulded AC roof designed to withstand strong weathering.

Manufactured in Australia for former
Postmaster-General’s Department (PMG).

ACM content appears isolated to rounded design, rather than including pyramid, pagoda or other designs.

Also known as public telephone cabinets. Up until the aluminium booths were introduced in Australia in the 1960s, there were many different designs used by the PMG, often with a tailored design to suit varied weather environments around Australia.

Of these, it is apparent the use of AC was restricted to two designs, both with a dome shaped roof:

  • The Kiosk No. 3, which was a steel cabinet, produced in small numbers in the early 1940s, and
  • The Modified Standard Cabinet (aka Louvre Glazed cabinet), a wooden design produced in the 1950s-60s. 

These are of demand for ‘retro’ novelty value and so subject to renovation for re-sale or use.

Brands/products
  • Tasbestos
  • Fibrolite
Years of production/use

1940-1960s

Residential uses

Current collectors

Industrial uses

Novelty phone box in publicly accessible areas

Be aware

Disturbance of fibres during renovation.

Will likely deteriorate if left unmaintained and subject to weathering.

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Asbestos cement soffit panelling (Eaves)

Description

Panelling for roof overhang beyond wall line (eaves). Fixtures may include AC battens. Some specific soffit production included ventilation holes in various patterns and hole shapes.

Panelling may have been cut to size on site from wall sheeting. Maybe coloured or painted, laminated or single solid sheet.

Larger areas under roof lines covering attached car ports, porches or decks may also have had the same AC sheeting installed or a variant such as Villaboard, at the time. The original Villaboard product was AC, until the mid 1980s. Moulded AC panels may also have been installed in these areas.

Structures with external AC wall panelling are likely to have AC soffit panelling.

During 1970s, commonly used in houses with no other external AC product (eg brick house with cement tile roof).

Years of production/use

Prior to 1990

Brands/products
  • Fibrolite
  • Tasbestos
  • Durabestos
  • Fibrock
  • Decorvent
  • Fibrocene
  • Wunderflex
  • Flexboard
  • Asbestolite
  • Hardiflex
  • Villaboard
  • Versilux
  • Fibrobestos
Residential uses

Houses, garages

Industrial uses

Office and government buildings, older factories, community buildings, pubs, churches

Be aware

Damaged eaves can expose friable fibres.  Poor maintenance may lead to weathered edges and increase in damage. Damage from ingress of rodents/wildlife may expose fibres.

Well maintained soffit panels may not be easily identified as AC.

Asbestos cement gutters

Description

Moulded AC box, round and eaves gutters for roofing and surrounds.  Range of components were made to suit structural design variations, and connections to AC piping.

If painted, may have appearance of steel. 

The presence of AC gutters will likely accompany other AC product on the structure.

Years of production/use

Prior to 1990

Brands/products
  • Fibrolite
  • Durabestos
  • Tasbestos
  • Fibrock
  • Hardiline
Residential uses

Houses, garages, sheds, apartment blocks

Industrial uses

All industrial, commercial and community buildings.

Be aware

Accumulation of asbestos dust/debris in gutters.

Note possible use of bituminous felt washers and sealing compounds in fixings, which may contain asbestos. Refer fixings information pages.

Organic growth weakens the bonded matrix of AC structures, Root systems penetrate air pockets allowing water ingress and expansion/contraction effect from temperature variations.

Bituminous coated imitation roof tiles

Description

Imported product marketed through Australian franchises under the name ACI Decramastic and AHI Harveytile. Other roofing companies installed the Harveytile product as well.

Decramastic was shaped steel sheet of imitation roof tiles 1350x400mm (also known as Decrabond). Harveytile was a similar product.

The shaped steel sheet was covered on the top side with a bituminous coating which contained asbestos. A fine stone/pebble chip was added to the coating at the point of manufacture, to provide the appearance of cement tiles. Marketed in six colours.

Decramastic was first produced in 1957 by the manufacturer AHI Roofing (NZ), it gained Australian popularity in the 1970s.

Marketed as colour-fast and maintenance-free, as a cheaper replacement for older cast iron and asbestos roofing and for extensions.

In mid-1977 ACI Decramastic stated 30,000 Australian homes had the product on their roofs. An estimate of ACM amongst this is unknown. Use of the ACM coating ceased in the early 1980s.

In the mid-1970s the Harveytile product was introduced to the Australian market.

Brands/products
  • Decramastic
  • Decrabond
  • Harveytile
Years of production/use

1957 – early 1980s (ACM risk)

Residential uses
  • Housing
Industrial uses
  • Government buildings including housing commission and military
  • Public buildings
Be aware

Similar models of non-ACM sheets were marketed from the early 1980s. Assume asbestos is present until determined otherwise. Affected models of this product can only be determined by sampling and testing at a NATA accredited laboratory.

In 2016 AHI Roofing (NZ) published an industry alert about the ACM product.

The coating adhesion may deteriorate overtime through weathering. Asbestos containing debris is likely in roof guttering.

Some installations left original AC roof sheeting in place, installing the roofing onto new purlins over the top.

Asbestos cement slate and shingles

Description

Moulded AC used as roof tiling (slates and shingles), on gable ends and exterior cladding. Around 4mm thickness.

Later production of shingles was often sheets of numerous tile appearance. Usually around four tiles each sheet. The Shingleplank product was manufactured in red and pinewood colours with a woodgrain texture.

Overlapped and nailed to roof battens with crampons dividing sheets. May be laid on a layer of asbestos containing felt or tar paper. For larger roofs, such as churches, individual copper sheets may have been used underneath each slate. 

AC ridge capping also used. Federation and Queen Anne era housing often incorporated decorative terracotta ridge designs. Wunderlich produced and supplied terracotta roofing products along with AC slates. 

Replacement of original slates with AC slates during the mid 20th Century preserved the original appearance. Slate and shingle combinations were used: decorative on larger roofs or slates on the main roof and shingles on smaller bay roofs and under bay windows. 

Some produced in a range of colours: natural (AC), light grey, brown, charcoal grey. Fibrolite marketing from 1920s has colour range as …pleasing shades of red, russet, blue-black and light grey.

Shingles were produced in rectangular and curved (half- moon) shapes. 

Older shingles and ‘slates’ may have the same weathered surface appearance as AC sheeting. In the southern states, organic growth on the southern or sheltered side of the structure is common with older tiles of these types.

Mainly produced with chrysotile asbestos. Hardies were supplied with crocidolite (blue) asbestos by CSR between the mid 1950s to 1968. Crocidolite asbestos tended to have stronger fibres and so mixing it in with chrysotile provided greater structural strength to an AC product like slates/shingles which were a thinner finished material than sheeting.     

Brands/products
  • Tasbestos
  • Fibrolite
  • Hardie’s Multi-notched shingles or Shingleplank
  • Durabestos
  • Endurite
  • The Asbestos Slate & Sheet Manufacturing Co Ltd (original manufacturer of Hardies Fibrolite – early 20th Century)
Years of production/use

Late 1800s to 1980s. Stocks up to around 1920 were likely imported.

Residential/industrial uses
  • Housing and early 20th Century government buildings. In latter half of 20th Century more commonly restricted to residential houses as application was a more expensive process to that of sheeting
  • AC slates were a cheaper alternative for replacement of real slates or wooden shingles on Church roofs originally constructed in 1800s, and retaining a similar appearance.  
  • James Hardie (Fibrolite) marketing from the late 1920s states:

FIBROLITE Slates are used by Government Departments throughout the Commonwealth. The NSW Railways and Tramways Department, who first tested our slates over 23 years ago, now use large quantities of Fibrolite Slates for roofing station platforms, Engine sheds, signal boxes etc. The NSW Education Department and other Government Departments use large quantities of Fibrolite slates for roofing. 

Be aware

Roof guttering and pipework will likely accumulate asbestos debris and dust.

Product manufactured between the mid 1950s to 1968 might contain crocidolite.

Asbestos cement skylights and manholes

Description

Moulded fixtures into AC sheeting standard sizes. Skylights originally contained glass panels which may have been retrofitted with perspex, sheet metal or other material.

For pitched roofs.

Years of production/use

Prior to 1990

Brands/products
  • Fibrolite
  • Durabestos
  • Asbestolite
  • Tasbestos
Residential uses
  • Rarely
Industrial uses
  • Commercial offices attached to warehouse
  • Warehouses, factories, foundries etc
Be aware

Disturbance of glass panelling or manhole covers can disturb fibres on older AC components, particularly if weathered.

Asbestos cement exhaust ventilators and bases

Description

Situated on roof ridge, or on sloping roof within specific moulded base and AC sheet. Base section attached. Usually commercial or industrial buildings. Identical also produced in steel. Moulded internal AC shafts used.

Position on roof dictated by best position for receiving maximum wind force.

Drum diameters: 18”(45.8cm), 24”(61cm), 32”(81cm), and 44”(1.12m). 

Corresponding base diameters: 9”(22.9cm), 12”(30.5cm), 16”(40.6cm) and 22”(55.9cm).

Years of production/use

Prior to 1990

Brands/products
  • Durabestos
  • Fibrolite
  • Tasbestos
  • Hopley
  • Colt (Hardie)
  • Fibrock
  • Super-Six
  • Asbestolite
Residential uses
  • Garages, large sheds
Industrial uses
  • Commercial offices attached to warehouse
  • Warehouses, factories, foundries – structures where heat release was important
Be aware

Ventilation was based on flow-through effect. Asbestos dust/debris may have accumulated on interior structures including baffle. 

Asbestos cement covers (barge moulding), angles and flashing

Description

Moulded AC fittings for end coverings, bird proofing behind gutters and flashing for aprons on joins between roof and walls. Side flashing and gutter flashing.  Prevent water and vermin ingress, add stability to roof structure from wind force.

Sections usually spigoted to overlap/underlap at ends.

Only a few designs of large range depicted.

Years of production/use

Prior to 1990

Brands/products
  • Fibrolite
  • Tasbestos
  • Durabestos
  • Fibrock
  • Master Seven (M7)
  • Asbestolite
Residential uses

Houses, sheds, garages

Industrial uses

All types of industrial, government and community buildings where AC sheeting was used.

Be aware

Barge moulding and capping may conceal damaged sections of sheeting with exposed fibres. May also conceal accumulated asbestos containing dust and debris.

Subject to the same potential weathering and damage as roof sheeting.

Asbestos cement gable panelling

Description

May be any moulded, flat or corrugated AC panelling product, cut to shape and secured vertically or horizontally. Some moulded pattern sheets may be installed with either side externally facing, for owner preference. Battens, if used, may be AC, wooden or aluminium moulded jointing strips.

Refer to Walls information pages.

Years of production/use

Prior to 1990

Brands/products
  • Asbestolite
  • Correbestos
  • Durabestos
  • Fibrock
  • Fibrolite
  • Standard
  • Super-Six
  • Deep six
  • Tasbestos
  • Master Seven (M7)
  • Shingleplank
  • Coverline
  • Wunderplank
  • Hardiplank
  • Weatherboard
  • Shadowline
  • Hardiflex
  • Highline
  • Chamferboard
  • Coverline
  • Durawall
  • Log Cabin
  • Striated
    (also known as Striated Hardiflex)
  • Fluted
Residential/Industrial uses

All building applications with a gable end.

Be aware

Well maintained (for example, painted) AC sheeting may have visual appearance of other material, such as steel or timber.

Asbestos cement ventilating ridges and components

Description

Ridging that provides ventilation.  Can be moulded units installed in sections or larger curved corrugated sheets fixed onto frame, both for apex of pitched roofs.

Also curved corrugated sheets on ridge of saw tooth roofs.

Installed with moulded AC flashing components.

Years of production/use

Prior to 1990

Brands/products
  • Fibrolite
  • Tasbestos
  • Durabestos
  • Fibrock
  • Master Seven (M7)
Residential uses
  • N/A
Industrial uses
  • Warehouses, factories, workshops etc
Be aware
Accumulated asbestos containing dust and debris. Bituminous felt washers were often used with the screws for fixing. Bituminous felt washers used for fixings often contain asbestos. Roofing screws and bolts were also dipped in bituminous compound before fixing. Refer fixings information pages.
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Email: enquiries@asbestossafety.gov.au

Phone: 1300 326 148

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The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past, present and emerging.

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