Roof tiles with asbestos: what a genuinely tiled roof still needs checking
If your roof really is tiled, the tiles are almost never the reason to ask this question. Three other materials sit on or under a tiled roof, and each one is a separate check.
Concrete and terracotta roof tiles are not asbestos products. If a genuinely tiled roof has raised this question, the tiles themselves are not what needs checking. Three other materials sit on or under a tiled roof, and each one is a separate question with its own answer.
None of what follows identifies anything on a real roof. A description cannot confirm a material. Only a laboratory analysis does that, and accreditation by NATA is what makes the result something you can rely on.
The tile is fired or cast, not fibre cement
Clay tiles are fired earthenware. Concrete tiles are cast and coloured in a mould. Neither uses asbestos fibre, and neither appears among the products covered by Australia's asbestos ban. A full comparison of tiled roofs, corrugated sheeting and steel sits on its own page. This one starts from a tiled roof and asks what else is up there.
A flat cement shingle can be laid to look like a tile
Before full corrugated sheets became the standard, some older houses and outbuildings were roofed with small flat asbestos cement shingles, laid in overlapping rows much like tiles.
They are not concrete or terracotta, and once you know what to look for they read differently. Look for individual rectangular pieces, thinner and flatter than a moulded tile, usually grey or painted, fixed with visible nail heads rather than sitting under a mortared, interlocking edge. A shingle roof like this deserves the same caution as sheeting. It does not deserve the same indifference as a genuine tile roof.
Pressed metal "tile profile" roofing is a separate, newer product
Steel roofing pressed to look like overlapping tiles has been sold in Australia for decades, often to reroof older tiled houses. It is not an asbestos product. From the ground, a tile-profile steel roof and a real tiled roof can be hard to tell apart at a glance. The ridge line usually gives it away. Pressed metal tiles run in continuous sheets under a metal ridge cap, while genuine tiles are individual units under a mortared or clipped one.
Ridge capping is one material, its bedding is another
The moulded piece that caps a tiled roof's ridge and hips can itself be an older asbestos cement product. The page about the rest of a roof covers that question in full. What is worth separating out here is the bedding: the mortar that holds the capping in place and is pointed along its edges. In the great majority of roofs, that bedding is ordinary sand-and-cement mortar. It is not the moulded asbestos cement item sitting on top of it.
The distinction matters in practice. Re-bedding and re-pointing ridge capping is routine roof maintenance, and it disturbs the mortar far more than the capping itself. A tiler told "the ridge caps might be asbestos" still needs to know which of the two materials their tools are actually about to grind.
What sits under the tiles is a different question again
Sarking, the felt or foil layer draped under tiles to catch wind-blown dust and the odd leak, is a bituminous or reflective product on the vast majority of Australian roofs. It is not an asbestos cement material. That is worth saying plainly, because a dark, aged sarking layer glimpsed from the roof space is one of the more common false alarms homeowners report.
If a tiled roof still feels worth checking, look at the places common to any Australian roof covering. That means the eaves lining under the overhang, the flashings where the roof meets a wall, and whatever sits in the roof space itself. Each has its own page on this site.
What not to do while any of this is unresolved
- Do not grind, cut or sand old ridge capping or its bedding mortar to re-point or replace it.
- Do not high-pressure wash a shingle roof, a tile roof, or the valleys between them.
- Do not lift sarking or poke at roof space linings beyond what a normal inspection needs.
- Do not treat a newer-looking ridge cap as proof the roof beneath it is newer too.
How the question actually gets settled
Two honest endings apply here, the same as everywhere else on this site. Presume that an older shingle roof or an original ridge capping is asbestos cement, and leave it undisturbed. Or have a sample taken and analysed by a laboratory, where NATA accreditation is what gives the result something to rely on.
The WHS regulator in your own state or territory sets which one you need, and what a re-bed, repair or removal may involve. The small-quantity allowances for bonded material differ between jurisdictions, so a figure from one state should not be assumed to apply in another.
On a tiled roof, which parts could be asbestos?
The tiles are not. Concrete and terracotta tiles do not use asbestos fibre. The parts worth a second look are flat cement shingles laid to look like tiles, older ridge capping, and the eaves and flashings common to any roof. This table sums up each part and what to do about it.
| Part of the roof | Could it be asbestos cement? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete or terracotta tiles | No. They are cast or fired, not fibre cement | Nothing on asbestos grounds |
| Flat shingles in overlapping rows, with visible nail heads | Possibly. Some older houses and outbuildings used asbestos cement shingles | Presume it is and leave it undisturbed, or have a sample analysed |
| Pressed metal tile-profile roofing | No. It is steel | Check the ridge: continuous sheets under a metal ridge cap |
| Moulded ridge capping | On some houses it can be an older asbestos cement product | Presume or sample it before any re-bedding or re-pointing |
| Bedding and pointing mortar under the capping | In the great majority of roofs, ordinary sand-and-cement mortar | Tell the tiler which material their tools will actually touch |
| Sarking under the tiles | Not on the vast majority of Australian roofs | Do not lift or poke at it beyond a normal inspection |
| Eaves lining and flashings | A separate question, as on any roof | See asbestos in eaves and soffits |
Only a laboratory analysis confirms any of these, and NATA accreditation is what makes the result reliable. The rules for repair or removal come from the WHS regulator in your own state or territory.
Frequently asked questions
Can roof tiles themselves contain asbestos?
No. Concrete and terracotta roof tiles are fired or cast products that do not use asbestos fibre, and neither appears among the products covered by Australia's asbestos ban.
What is a fibro shingle roof?
Some older houses and outbuildings were roofed with small flat asbestos cement shingles laid in overlapping rows to resemble tiles, before full corrugated sheeting became standard. They are individual, thinner pieces fixed with visible nail heads, not mortared and interlocking like a real tile.
Is the ridge capping on a tiled roof asbestos?
The capping itself can be an older asbestos cement product on some houses. The mortar that beds and points it is ordinary sand-and-cement mortar in the great majority of roofs. Only a laboratory can confirm either one.
Is the felt or foil under roof tiles an asbestos product?
No, not on the vast majority of Australian roofs. Sarking is a bituminous felt or reflective foil layer, and an aged, dark sarking sheet is one of the more common false alarms homeowners report.
How do I tell a real tiled roof from pressed metal tile-profile roofing?
The ridge line is usually the clearest sign. Pressed metal tiles run in continuous sheets under a metal ridge cap, while genuine tiles are individual units under a mortared or clipped ridge.
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