Asbestos Sheet: What It Is, Where It’s Found, and What to Do About It
Asbestos sheet was one of the most widely used construction materials in the UK throughout the 20th century. Cheap, durable, and fire-resistant, it found its way into an enormous range of buildings — from factories and schools to domestic garages and garden sheds.
If your building was constructed or refurbished before 2000, there’s a real chance asbestos sheet is present somewhere on the premises. The danger isn’t simply that it exists — it comes when the material is disturbed during renovation, maintenance, demolition, or even well-intentioned DIY.
Understanding what asbestos sheet looks like, where it’s typically found, and what your legal obligations are is the first step towards managing it safely.
What Is Asbestos Sheet?
Asbestos sheet refers to flat or corrugated board and panel materials manufactured using asbestos fibres bonded with cement or other binding agents. The most common form is asbestos cement sheet, which combined Portland cement with chrysotile (white asbestos) — and in some cases crocidolite (blue) or amosite (brown) asbestos — to produce a rigid, weather-resistant material.
It was produced in two main forms:
- Flat asbestos cement sheet — used for internal wall linings, ceiling panels, partitions, and soffit boards
- Corrugated asbestos cement sheet — used extensively for roofing and cladding on agricultural buildings, garages, industrial units, and outbuildings
Asbestos cement sheet typically contains between 10% and 15% asbestos by weight. While this is lower than some other asbestos-containing materials (ACMs), it doesn’t mean it’s safe to disturb. Drilling, cutting, breaking, or pressure-washing asbestos sheet can release fibres into the air — and those fibres, once inhaled, can cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer, often decades after exposure.
Where Is Asbestos Sheet Commonly Found?
One of the reasons asbestos sheet remains such a widespread risk is the sheer variety of applications it was used for. Surveyors regularly encounter it in locations that property owners weren’t aware of — and in some cases had assumed were safe.
Roofing and External Cladding
Corrugated asbestos cement roofing is probably the most visible form of asbestos sheet. It was the standard roofing material for agricultural buildings, industrial sheds, garages, and outbuildings from the 1950s through to the 1980s. Many of these roofs are still in place today, often weathered, cracked, or covered in moss and lichen.
Flat asbestos cement sheets were also widely used as external wall cladding on industrial and commercial buildings, and as soffit boards under roof overhangs on both domestic and commercial properties.
Internal Wall and Ceiling Linings
Inside buildings, flat asbestos sheet was used as a partition board, ceiling tile substrate, and fire barrier. It’s commonly found in utility rooms, boiler rooms, stairwells, and service areas — locations where fire resistance was a priority.
In domestic properties, asbestos insulation board (AIB) — a higher-risk material than standard asbestos cement — was used in similar applications, including around fireplaces, in airing cupboards, and as ceiling tiles. AIB requires more careful handling than standard asbestos cement sheet and is subject to stricter regulatory controls.
Garages, Sheds, and Outbuildings
Pre-fabricated garages constructed from the 1950s to the 1980s frequently used asbestos cement sheet for both roofing and wall panels. Many of these structures are still standing, and the materials may now be in a deteriorated condition — which increases the risk of fibre release.
Garden sheds, lean-tos, and other outbuildings of the same era carry the same risk. The fact that these are domestic structures doesn’t reduce the hazard — and while the Control of Asbestos Regulations apply specifically to commercial premises, the health risk from exposure is identical regardless of setting.
Other Common Locations
- Fascia boards and guttering supports
- Flue pipes and flue surrounds
- Cold water storage tank panels
- Floor tiles and floor tile adhesive (a separate ACM, but often found alongside asbestos sheet)
- Fire doors and fire-rated panels in commercial buildings
How to Identify Asbestos Sheet
You cannot identify asbestos sheet by looking at it. Visually, asbestos cement sheet looks similar to non-asbestos fibre cement products — and since non-asbestos alternatives were introduced during the 1980s, there’s no reliable way to tell them apart without laboratory analysis.
Age is a useful indicator. If a building was constructed or significantly refurbished before 2000, any cement sheet material should be presumed to contain asbestos until proven otherwise. This is the approach required by the Control of Asbestos Regulations and the HSE’s guidance document HSG264.
The only way to confirm whether a material contains asbestos is to have a sample analysed by an accredited laboratory. This sampling should be carried out by a qualified asbestos surveyor — not by the building owner or a general contractor — to ensure it’s done safely and the results are reliable.
If you’re managing a commercial property and haven’t yet established whether asbestos sheet is present, a management survey is the appropriate starting point. This will identify the location, extent, and condition of any ACMs across the premises and give you the information you need to manage them safely.
Is Asbestos Sheet Dangerous?
Asbestos cement sheet is classified as a non-friable material, meaning it doesn’t readily crumble or release fibres under normal conditions. In good condition and left undisturbed, it poses a relatively low immediate risk compared with more friable materials such as sprayed coatings or pipe lagging.
However, this does not mean it’s safe to ignore. There are several situations in which asbestos sheet becomes a significant hazard:
- Weathering and deterioration — Over time, asbestos cement sheet exposed to the elements can become fragile and prone to crumbling. Weathered material releases fibres more readily than material in good condition.
- Mechanical disturbance — Drilling, cutting, grinding, or breaking asbestos sheet generates high concentrations of airborne fibres. This is a common route of exposure for construction and maintenance workers.
- Pressure washing — A frequent and serious mistake. Pressure washing asbestos cement roofing or cladding to remove moss and algae is one of the most effective ways to release fibres into the environment and must never be used on suspected ACMs.
- Accidental damage — Falling debris, impact damage, or structural movement can fracture asbestos sheet and release fibres without any deliberate disturbance.
The diseases caused by asbestos fibre inhalation — mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer — are irreversible and often fatal. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure, and the latency period between exposure and disease can be 20 to 50 years. This is why even materials considered lower-risk must be managed carefully.
Your Legal Obligations When Asbestos Sheet Is Present
If you are the dutyholder for a non-domestic premises — typically the building owner, employer, or person responsible for maintenance — the Control of Asbestos Regulations impose clear legal duties on you.
These include:
- Identifying whether ACMs, including asbestos sheet, are present in the building
- Assessing the condition and risk presented by any identified ACMs
- Producing and maintaining an asbestos register
- Developing an asbestos management plan that sets out how identified materials will be managed, monitored, and — where necessary — removed
- Making the register and management plan available to anyone who may carry out work on the premises
- Ensuring that any work involving ACMs is carried out by suitably trained and, where required, licensed contractors
For domestic properties, the legal framework is different — private homeowners are not subject to the same duties as commercial dutyholders — but the health risk is identical. Anyone planning work on a domestic property that may involve asbestos sheet should take the same precautions.
Where you’re planning intrusive work — anything from a minor refurbishment to a full demolition — a refurbishment survey or demolition survey is legally required before work begins. These surveys are more intrusive than a standard management survey and are designed to locate all ACMs in the areas that will be affected by the work.
What to Do If You Find or Suspect Asbestos Sheet
Don’t Disturb It
If you suspect a material is asbestos sheet, the most important immediate action is to leave it alone. Do not attempt to drill, cut, break, or remove it. Do not pressure wash it.
If it’s a roof that’s leaking, temporary protective measures can be put in place while you arrange a professional assessment. Covering the area and restricting access costs far less than dealing with the consequences of uncontrolled fibre release.
Arrange a Professional Survey
Contact a qualified asbestos surveying company to carry out an inspection and, where appropriate, take samples for laboratory analysis. The survey type you need will depend on your circumstances — whether you’re managing an existing building, planning refurbishment work, or preparing for demolition.
Supernova Asbestos Surveys operates nationwide and has completed over 50,000 surveys across all property types. Our UKAS-accredited surveyors can advise on the right approach for your situation, whether that’s a straightforward management survey or a complex pre-demolition inspection.
We carry out surveys across the country, including asbestos survey London, asbestos survey Manchester, and asbestos survey Birmingham.
If Work Is Already Under Way
If asbestos sheet is discovered unexpectedly during building work, stop work in the affected area immediately. Secure the area, prevent access, and do not attempt to handle or remove the material without specialist assessment.
Notify the principal contractor and site manager, and arrange for sampling and analysis before work resumes. Resuming work without this step puts operatives and occupants at serious risk and may constitute a breach of the Control of Asbestos Regulations.
Asbestos Sheet Removal: When Is It Necessary?
Not all asbestos sheet needs to be removed immediately. Where materials are in good condition and not at risk of disturbance, managing them in situ — with regular monitoring — is often the appropriate approach. Removal introduces its own risks and should not be undertaken unnecessarily.
Removal becomes necessary in the following situations:
- The material is in poor condition and actively deteriorating
- Planned building work will disturb the material
- The material presents an ongoing risk to occupants or maintenance workers
- The building is being demolished or substantially refurbished
Asbestos cement sheet removal is classified as non-licensed work under the Control of Asbestos Regulations, provided it is carried out correctly and in accordance with HSE guidance. However, this doesn’t mean anyone can do it — the work must be carried out by trained operatives using appropriate controls, PPE, and compliant waste disposal procedures.
Asbestos insulation board, which is sometimes found in similar locations to asbestos cement sheet, is a licensed material. Removal must be carried out by an HSE-licensed contractor. If you’re unsure which type of material you’re dealing with, always seek professional advice before any work begins.
Our asbestos removal service covers both licensed and non-licensed materials, with fully trained operatives and compliant waste disposal throughout.
Ongoing Monitoring: The Re-Inspection Requirement
Where asbestos sheet is being managed in situ, it must be regularly monitored to check its condition hasn’t deteriorated. This is a legal requirement under the Control of Asbestos Regulations for commercial dutyholders, and it’s also simply good practice for anyone responsible for a building.
Re-inspection intervals will depend on the condition and location of the material. A surveyor will typically recommend an appropriate monitoring schedule based on the findings of the initial survey.
The asbestos register must be updated following each re-inspection to reflect the current condition of any identified ACMs. If the condition of asbestos sheet has deteriorated since the last inspection, the risk assessment and management plan must be revised accordingly.
Keeping accurate, up-to-date records isn’t just a legal obligation — it’s what protects contractors, maintenance workers, and occupants from inadvertent exposure. Sharing the register with anyone carrying out work on the premises is a fundamental part of the dutyholder’s responsibility.
Asbestos Sheet in Domestic Properties: What Homeowners Should Know
The Control of Asbestos Regulations don’t apply to private domestic dwellings in the same way they apply to commercial premises. But that doesn’t mean homeowners can ignore the issue.
If you’re planning any building work — loft conversion, garage demolition, re-roofing, or even fitting a new boiler — and your property was built or refurbished before 2000, you should consider whether asbestos sheet or other ACMs may be present before work begins. The health consequences of exposure are no different in a domestic setting.
Many homeowners discover asbestos sheet when they take on renovation projects, often without realising what it is. A pre-renovation survey is a sensible and relatively low-cost precaution that can prevent a serious health risk — and avoid the considerably higher cost of dealing with contamination after the fact.
Contractors working in domestic properties also have legal obligations. Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations, anyone carrying out work that may disturb ACMs must take appropriate precautions, regardless of whether the property is commercial or domestic.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I have asbestos sheet in my building?
You cannot tell by visual inspection alone. If your building was constructed or refurbished before 2000, any cement sheet material — on roofs, walls, ceilings, or as cladding — should be treated as potentially containing asbestos until a qualified surveyor has taken samples and had them analysed by an accredited laboratory. Age and appearance are useful indicators, but only laboratory analysis provides confirmation.
Is asbestos cement sheet dangerous if left alone?
In good condition and left undisturbed, asbestos cement sheet poses a relatively low immediate risk. The danger arises when it’s disturbed — through drilling, cutting, breaking, pressure washing, or deterioration over time. Materials in poor condition or at risk of disturbance should be assessed by a professional and either managed carefully or removed by trained operatives.
Do I need a licence to remove asbestos cement sheet?
Asbestos cement sheet removal is generally classified as non-licensed work under the Control of Asbestos Regulations, provided it is carried out in line with HSE guidance. However, the work must still be done by trained operatives with appropriate controls, PPE, and compliant waste disposal. Asbestos insulation board — sometimes found in similar locations — is a licensed material requiring an HSE-licensed contractor. If you’re unsure what type of material you have, get professional advice before any work starts.
What survey do I need before renovating a building with asbestos sheet?
If you’re planning refurbishment work that will disturb the fabric of the building, you need a refurbishment survey before work begins. If the building is being demolished, a demolition survey is required. Both are more intrusive than a standard management survey and are designed to locate all ACMs in the areas affected by the planned work. This is a legal requirement under the Control of Asbestos Regulations.
Can I pressure wash an asbestos cement roof?
No. Pressure washing asbestos cement roofing is one of the most effective ways to release asbestos fibres into the environment and must never be used on suspected ACMs. If an asbestos cement roof needs cleaning or treatment, seek specialist advice. In many cases, the appropriate course of action is encapsulation or removal rather than cleaning.
If you have asbestos sheet in your building — or suspect you might — the safest course of action is always to get a professional assessment before taking any further steps. Supernova Asbestos Surveys has completed over 50,000 surveys nationwide and our UKAS-accredited team can advise on the right approach for your property, whether you need a management survey, a pre-refurbishment inspection, or specialist removal.
Call us on 020 4586 0680 or visit asbestos-surveys.org.uk to arrange a survey or speak to one of our team.