Corrugated asbestos cement sheeting – roofing

Description

Moulded cement sheeting which has been shaped into a series of parallel ridges for added rigidity and strength.

May be painted. Some were coloured red/brown (Tasbestos Trojan Tile – about 1m length sheet).

Average asbestos content was around 15%.

Installed on pitched, single sloping, valleyed and sawtooth roof designs.

See fixings information page for further about use of bitumen washers/compounds.

Years of production/use

Prior to 1990

Brands/products
  • Asbestolite
  • Correbestos
  • Durabestos
  • Fibrock
  • Fibrolite
  • Fibrobestos
  • Super-Six
  • Standard
  • Tasbestos
  • Trojan tiles
  • Master Seven (M7)
  • Deep six
  • Big Six
Residential uses
  • Houses
  • Garages, sheds and external toilet buildings, some without roof gutters
Industrial uses
  • Pitched, flat or saw tooth roofs
  • Foundries, factories, warehouses, electricity substations, workshops, Government buildings, iron/steel works, hospitals, railway structures, theatres, halls, churches, pavilions, service stations, boiler houses, mills, bakeries, baths, dressing sheds, aircraft hangars, abattoirs, engineering works and others
Be aware

Roof guttering and pipework will likely accumulate asbestos debris and dust, as this sheeting is directly exposed to weathering and subject to deterioration. The dust and debris should be considered friable material.  

Corrugated sheets expand and contract with weather temperatures. Those sheets in contact with each other rub slightly during this process producing a fine asbestos containing dust which moves to the gutters.  

Asbestos dust may accumulate inside structures with exposed interior roof sheeting – framework, existing shelving and lower areas. 

Avoid using run-off water for garden or household water tanks for drinking, washing or bathroom.

Prolonged weathering will weaken bonded structure – surface flaking may occur. Moss and lichen and other organic accumulation weakens the bonded structure as root structures allow air and water ingress.  

Panels and panel sections may have been used in other applications at same location: fences, retaining walls and for concrete formwork.

Bituminous membrane sarking (asbestos roofing felt)

Description

Usually applied to flat roofing.

A waterproofing membrane made up of a thin, rough textured black material containing asbestos and bitumen or a coating of bitumen over an asbestos paper. Installed as a layer of water-tight material that is laid over a surface. Asbestos provided stability and rot-proofing.

May be an exposed top layer or installed as an underlayer beneath gravel or a roof deck.

Older industrial applications may consist of up to three layers of asbestos felt interleaved with asphalt, sometimes with a lower layer of compressed fibre board.

Years of production/use

1900s-1980s

Brands/products
  • Ruberoid
  • Rexlite
  • Ormonoid
  • Johns Manville (USA)
  • Rubanit
  • Permanoid
  • Rok (UK)
  • Malthoid (Pabco)
  • Maltha
  • Bituminoid
  • Fibrolite
  • Genasco
  • Sealkote
  • Asbestocore
  • Nu-Roof
Residential uses

Blocks of flats/apartments

Industrial uses

Larger commercial roofs, Government buildings, public buildings, factories, foundries, electrical sub-stations etc

Be aware

Modern equivalent products with no asbestos are widely marketed. Identical product with asbestos may be made in countries that allow asbestos use.

Asbestos cement ridge capping and gable ends

Description

Moulded AC sections of ridging fitted over apex of roof: pitched, saddle or sawtooth. Fluted for fit over adjacent corrugated sheets. 2-piece or single sections.  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, garages, sheds
Industrial uses
  • Pitched or saw tooth roofs
  • Foundries, factories, warehouses, substations, workshops and others
  • Community buildings, schools, churches, government buildings
Be aware

Accumulated asbestos containing dust and debris under sections.

Note instruction to use compound for bedding ridge capping during installation. Asbestos containing compounds were often used.

Email: enquiries@asbestossafety.gov.au

Phone: 1300 326 148

© 2024 Commonwealth of Australia

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.

Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra.

Made with     by Toggle and Ident.