Is My Garage Roof Asbestos?

Asbestos garage roofs, much like cement fibre, use corrugated roofing panels for greater strength.

In fact, the differences between asbestos and cement fibre are close to zero. To the untrained eye, it is almost impossible to tell which is which.

Let’s have a look at two images that show how similar they really are:

As you can see, these corrugated roofing panels are almost identical.

For example, you will see that both suffer from the growth of green, mossy fungi called ‘lichen’ inbetween the roofs corrugations.

Lichen grows when concrete is exposed to sunlight. Since both asbestos and cement fibre are concrete, both will experience lichen growth over the years.

Asbestos panels may experience larger amounts, as seen above, but only because they may have been in place for a longer period of time.

If your roof panels are corrugated and filled with lichen – it may be asbestos.

Asbestos is very low cost AND easy to install. It lasts for decades and even stands up to weather damage.

If you were a tradesman back in the 60s, 70s & 80s, why wouldn’t you opt for asbestos?

Well, that’s just what they did. Throughout the rapid construction era of the 20th century, most residential garages were built with an asbestos roof.

It wasn’t until the turn of the 90’s where we discovered the long term effects and damage it caused. Unfortunately, most asbestos garage roofs still remain – and they’re starting to show their age.

If you garage was built before 1999, chances are, your garage roof is made of asbestos.

Old asbestos roofing panels will be fragile and cement fibre even more so. If you were to handle a small piece of cement fibre, it will be brittle and crumble apart in your hands with enough force.

Asbestos will more likely snap than crumble, much like a piece of treacle.

If your garage roof is suffering from cracks, scaling or is breaking apart, that could be a warning sign of asbestos.

If you spot any cracks in your roof, do NOT try and break apart the panels or handle anything yourself.

Leave that to the experts.

Back in the days of asbestos it was common for manufacturers to print batch codes on the underside of the panels.

For asbestos, manufacturers printed ‘AC’ whereas cement fibre were printed as ‘CE’ or ‘C’.

If you suspect that your garage roof is asbestos, the first thing to do is contact a licensed asbestos surveyor. Or, you can find a company that specialises in asbestos garage roof replacements.

In the meantime, asbestos still poses a threat to your long-term health.

It is important you do not disturb the roof panels and release the harmful asbestos fibres into the air. It is these tiny, microscopic fibres that cause long-term damage to your lungs.

To keep the panels intact, make sure to take the following precautions: