Asbestos cement sheet inside the house: where flat fibro turns up
Flat cement sheet was the default lining for wet and busy areas of Australian homes for decades.
Asbestos cement sheet is the flat, grey-white board most people call fibro. And in a house built before the late 1980s it is more likely to be there than not. It was cheap, rigid and water resistant. So builders used it wherever a wall or ceiling needed to cope with moisture or knocks.
Where flat sheet was used indoors
The usual places are bathroom, laundry and toilet walls, ceilings, the backing behind wall tiles, and the board behind the electrical meter. Garages and enclosed verandahs often have it too, as lining or as the walls themselves. Sheet was also used for eaves, which we cover in our eaves page.
Inside, the sheet is usually painted or tiled over. That hides the surface and makes it hard to judge by eye. Builders often covered joins with timber strips or a narrow cover strip, which can be a clue to the type of lining.
Why you cannot tell by looking
Modern fibre cement looks almost identical. So does plain plasterboard once painted. Nothing about the colour, the thickness or the age of the paint proves what the sheet is made of. A sheet is only confirmed as asbestos by a sample analysed at a NATA-accredited laboratory. Until then, treat it as compatible with containing asbestos if the house is old enough. Our page on what the material actually is covers the product itself.
What to do before you touch it
The answer is to leave it alone and find out first. Do not cut, drill, sand, scrape or break it, and do not use a power tool or pressure cleaner on it. Intact, painted bonded sheet is generally regarded as low risk, because the fibres stay locked in the cement. The risk comes from disturbing it.
If a renovation will touch the sheet, the sensible order is to arrange a sample, wait for the result, and then decide who does the work. Our guide to taking an asbestos sample explains the process, and what a homeowner may legally remove covers who is allowed to do what. The rules differ by state, so check yours.
If the sheet is cracked, crumbling or water damaged, stop and call your state regulator or a licensed removalist before going near it.
Frequently asked questions
What is asbestos cement sheet?
A flat or corrugated building board made from cement reinforced with asbestos fibre. In houses it is usually called fibro, and it was widely used until the 1980s.
Is there asbestos cement sheet inside my house?
It is possible if the house was built or renovated before the late 1980s, especially in wet areas, ceilings and behind tiles. Only a NATA-accredited laboratory can confirm it from a sample.
Can I tell asbestos sheet from modern fibre cement by looking?
No. They can look almost identical once painted. Testing is the only reliable way to know.
Is it safe to leave asbestos cement sheet in place?
Intact, painted bonded sheet that is left undisturbed is generally regarded as low risk. Do not cut, drill, sand or break it.
Sources
What this page explains is based on these official sources. If you check one and it does not match what you read here, send it to us and the article gets corrected.
- Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency. Asbestos Product Guide. What products contained asbestos and where they were used
- NSW Government. Asbestos in NSW. The NSW Government asbestos portal