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This document provides a photo guide and text that can help in identification of asbestos-containing roofing products like asphalt shingles & asbestos-cement roof shingles.

This article assists building buyers, owners or inspectors who need to identify asbestos materials (or probable-asbestos) in buildings by simple visual inspection. In the website sections listed below, we provide photographs and descriptive text of asbestos insulation and other asbestos-containing products to permit identification of definite, probable, or possible asbestos materials in buildings.

While an expert lab test using polarized light microscopy may be needed to identify the specific type of asbestos fiber, or to identify the presence of asbestos in air or dust samples, many asbestos-containing building products not only are obvious and easy to recognize, but since there were not other look-alike products that were not asbestos, a visual identification of this material can be virtually a certainty in many cases.

Also see AMERICAN CEMWOOD ROOFING, and see other cementious siding materials such as JamesHardie HardiPlank Siding and cementious roofing materials such as Corrugated Cement-Asbestos Roofing and ASBESTOS CEMENT & FIBER CEMENT SIDING. Also see Environmental Issues - Asbestos Roofing/Siding. (Also see Hardie's Fibrolite™ or Fibro where used in Australia). Also see ASBESTOS ROOFING / SIDING DUST.

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Photo guide to asbestos containing roofing products

Most roofing materials are considered to be non-friable, and are probably less hazardous than other friable asbestos products such as asbestos pipe insulation. However removal of asbestos-containing roofing products is regulated as we discuss below.

Guide to Asphalt-asbestos Roof Shingles, Roll Roofing & Roofing Mastics & Coatings

Also see our asphalt roofing materials articles at ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLES and at ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR

Guide to Cement-asbestos roof shingles

Asbestos cement roof shingles were in popular use in the U.S. from the 1920's (est) through the 1960's (est) and were sold in the U.S. into the 1970's and according to some sources even in the 1980's.. The mixture of asbestos fibers and portland cement to form a hard material that was was durable and fire resistant is credited to Ludwig Hatschek who, in 1900, came up with the name Eternit associated with a U.S. producer of these products.

The typical life expectancy of an cement asbestos shingle roof was given as 30 years, but we've seen these roofs that were now 50 years old in good condition. Typical roof wear or failure patterns are either failure of the shingle fasteners or broken and falling shingles.

Asbestos cement corrugated roofing has been in use over the same time period and was generally a thicker material used in low-cost applications such as on sheds, barns, and low-income housing in some areas.

Roofing materials that use fibers and aggregate other than asbestos are properly called "fiber cement" roofing products. Some manufacturers use the term "fiber-reinforced cement" for these products. All of these products use some sort of fiber along with cement. Before 1978 in the U.S. the common fiber used was asbestos.

Cement asbestos shingles (or asbestos cement roofing shingles) have a medium in-place cost and durability compared with other roofing products and a a fire rating of Class A or B.

Also see the following articles listed at ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR

  Wear Signs on Cement Asbestos Shingles
  Maintenance Tips for Asbestos Cement Shingles
  Replacements for Asbestos Cement Shingles
  Corrugated Cement-Asbestos Roofing
  Asbestos Roof Power Washing
  Asphalt-asbestos Paints & sealants

See Cement Asbestos Roof Shingles, information for home buyers & home inspectors for basic information for home buyers purchasing a home with cement-asbestos roof shingles.

Also see Corrugated Cement-Asbestos Roofing.

Environmental Issues With Cement Asbestos Roof Shingles

How do we cut, install, or remove fiber cement roofing or siding products with a minimum of dust and potential asbestos fiber release? How friable are cement-asbestos roofing and siding products?

Definition of friable asbestos materials:

The asbestos in cement asbestos roofing products is not friable under normal conditions. That is, asbestos cement products are is not normally easily crushed into dust by hand.

Cleaning stains, mold algae, lichens from cement-asbestos roofs

Watch out: As we discuss at Power Washing Roofs we do not recommend power-washing asbestos-cement nor any other roofing. See Black Stain Removal & Prevention for advice on diagnosing, cleaning, and preventing stains on roofing.

Warning about making asbestos-containing cementious materials become friable

Watch out: However very old, weathered and worn asbestos cement shingles, such as on a roof or sometimes on a wall that has been painted and is peeling, or roofing or wall cement asbestos shingles that are mishandled during demolition (breaking into many small pieces, running hand or power saws to cut the material) risks creating airborne asbestos-contaminated dust which could be a health and environmental hazard.

When we installed asbestos cement shingle siding we rented a guillotine chopper that cut the material while producing a minimum of dust. A modern version of this fiber cement cutter that is hand-lever operated and does not require electricity is the Bullet Tools 920 Pro Magnum Shear I-20 Electricity Free 20 Inch Flooring and Siding Dust Free Cutter (photo at left) - this is a great tool, but a bit steep for a homeowner or do-it-yourselfer at around $900. \ A modern fiber cement shingle cutting tool used for the same purpose is the Malco® TSFC Tubo Shear fiber cement cutting tool also used to cut cement backerboard and similar products. The Malco fiber cement and backerboard shear is powered by a separate cordless or wall-power connected electric drill. Malco also produces the TSF2A, a heavy-duty pneumatic shear cutting tool for the same purpose. Similar shear tools are produced by quite a few other manufacturers - see Tools to Cut Fiber Cement Shingles

Added demolition and disposal cost of cement-asbestos products

Also in some communities special measures and added costs are involved because of a requirement for air-testing during removal and possibly costs to dispose of the material in an appropriate landfill. (After all, originally this material came from the land.)

Thanks to reader Van Moore for technical editing and requesting clarification.

Asphalt-asbestos paints and sealants, Other Asbestos-containing Paints

Asbestos-filled asphalt paint was used damp proofing on building foundations and as a roofing sealant for many decades up to 1978.

Other paints and sealants that used asbestos fibers, particularly chrysotlie asbestos include textured paints, textured surfaces using joint compound, and popcorn ceiling paints and coatings. Possibly also in some fire-resistant coatings and paints.

See ASBESTOS FIREPROOFING SPRAY-On Coatings.

Also see our articles at ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR

OSHA Regulation of roof demolition where asbestos containing roofing materials ACRM are present

See ASBESTOS MATERIAL REGULATIONS and ASBESTOS REGULATION Update that address the handling of asbestos containing building materials, including ACM (asbestos containing materials), PACM (presumed asbestos containing materials), SACM (suspect asbestos containing materials), and ACRM (asbestos containing roofing materials).

According to NRCA, the National Roofing Contractors' Association, their studies up to February 1992 had not found a single roofing job at which the asbestos permissible exposure limits (PELs) were exceeded, and NRCA reported that in some cases no fiber release was detected.

We note that the association would have been referring only to asphalt-based roofing materials, not jobs involving the demolition of other ACRM such as cement-asbestos roof shingles (or "asbestos roof tiles" as some consumers refer to them) which might produce different statistics.

At OSHA Asbestos Roof/Siding Regulations we discuss (briefly) the regulation of demolition & removal of cement asbestos or other asbestos containing roofing and siding materials.

Questions & Answers & Comments about asbestos cement roofing and its replacement products

Comments:

Terry Jones said:

Supradur Shingles were sold into the early 1990's when the cellulose binder, introduced in 1989 to replace the asbestos binder, started to fail.
On March 30, 1995, Supradur filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code.
On July 20, 1995 the G.A.F. Corporation bought Supradur.
As a result of the sale to G.A.F., Supradur no longer owns its manufacturing operations and cannot honor any warranties applicable to products sold by Supradur.

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ASBESTOS ROOFING / SIDING DUST
ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION
ASBESTOS FLOORING REMOVAL GUIDE
ASBESTOS-FREE INSULATION MATERIALS
ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN buildings
Asbestos Risk Assessment
Asbestos in Good Condition
Asbestos in Poor Condition
ASBESTOS REMOVAL, Amateur, Incomplete
Asbestos Removal, Certification
Asbestos Foamed-Over
Asbestos Air Ducts
Asbestos Air Duct Vibration Dampers
Asbestos Pipe Insulation
Asbestos Roofing Materials
Asbestos in unusual places
Carbon Nanotube Materials
CEILING TILES - Asbestos-Containing
Fireproofing containing Asbestos
ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION
Paper Duct Insulation Containing Asbestos
TRANSITE PIPE AIR DUCTS
Transite Pipe Chimneys & Flues
Transite Pipe Water Supply Piping
Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI
VERMICULITE INSULATION
ASBESTOS Photo Guide to Materials / Products
ASBESTOS REMOVAL, Wetting Guidelines
Asbestos Under the Microscope
MOLD in FOAM INSULATION, RESISTANCE
ASBESTOS-FREE INSULATION MATERIALS

INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
Asbestos-Free Insulation Materials

ASBESTOS CEMENT & FIBER CEMENT ROOFING
  Asphalt-asbestos Roofing Materials
  Cement-asbestos roof shingles
  Environmental Issues - Asbestos Roofing/Siding
  Wear Signs on Cement Asbestos Shingles
  Maintenance Tips for Asbestos Cement Shingles
  Replacements for Asbestos Cement Shingles
  Corrugated Cement-Asbestos Roofing
  Asbestos Roof Power Washing
  Asphalt-asbestos Paints & sealants
ASBESTOS MATERIAL REGULATIONS
ASBESTOS REGULATION Update
Asbestos in unusual places
ASBESTOS-FREE INSULATION MATERIALS
INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
  Asbestos-Free Insulation Materials

ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR
CERTIFICATIONS for ROOFING CONTRACTORS
CHOOSING A ROOFING CONTRACTOR
ASBESTOS CEMENT & FIBER CEMENT ROOFING
ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLES
CHIMNEY INSPECTION & REPAIRS
FIRE RATINGS for ROOF SURFACES
FIRE RETARDANT PLYWOOD
ROOF CLEANING RECOMMENDATIONS
ROOF INSPECTION SAFETY & LIMITS
SLATE ROOF INSPECTION & REPAIR
STANDARDS for ROOFING
WALK-ON ROOF SURFACES
WARRANTIES for ROOF SHINGLES
WORKMANSHIP & WIND DAMAGE
ZINC METAL ROOFING

• Environmental Health & Investigation Bibliography - our own technical library on indoor air quality inspection, testing, laboratory procedures, forensic microscopy, etc.
• ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN buildings How to find and recognize asbestos in buildings - visual inspection methods, list of common asbestos-containing materials
• Asbestos Identification and Testing References
• Asbestos Identification, Walter C.McCrone, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, IL.1987 ISBN 0-904962-11-3. Dr. McCrone literally "wrote the book" on asbestos identification procedures which formed the basis for current work by asbestos identification laboratories.
• Stanton, .F., et al., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506: 143-151
• Pott, F., Staub-Reinhalf Luft 38, 486-490 (1978) cited by McCrone
• Asbestos in Good Condition
• Asbestos in Good Condition
• Asbestos in Your Home U.S. EPA, Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460
• Asbestos HVAC Ducts and Flues field identification photos and guide
• Asbestos NESHAP Adequately Wet Guidance, EPA340/1-90-019, December 1990, U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Stationary Source Compliance Division, Washington, DC 20460,original web source: http://www.epa.gov/region04/air/asbestos/awet.htm
• Asbestos paper duct wrap
• Asbestos products and their history and use in various building materials such as asphalt and vinyl flooring includes discussion which draws on Asbestos, Its Industrial Applications, D.V. Rosato, engineering consultant, Newton, MA, Reinhold Publishing, 1959 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 59-12535 (out of print, text and images available at InspectAPedia.com).
• Asbestos Transite Chimneys, Flues, & Pipes in buildings
• Asbestos under the microscope
• Asbestos Vibration Dampers & Asbestos in the Air Handler
• Ceiling tiles: How to recognize ceiling tiles that may contain asbestos
• Examples of unusual uses of asbestos in buildings
• Fiberglass: Indoor Air Quality Investigations: Health Concerns About Airborne Fiberglass: Fiberglass in Indoor Air from HVAC ducts, and Building Insulation
• Enviro-Scare: Electric Power Lines, Electromagnetic Fields, Cancer Risk, & "Enviro-Scare" - The Normal Curve Cycle of Public Fear of Environmental Issues
• Dust from the World Trade Center collapse following the 9/11/01 attack: the lower floors of this building contained spray-on fire-proofing asbestos materials.
• Asbestos Information Links: Asbestos Detection, Testing, Recognition, Hazards, Field Photos, and Information Sources, including health-related links such as legal services and information about mesothelioma and other cancers.
• "Handling Asbestos-Containing roofing material - an update", Carl Good, NRCA Associate Executive Director, Professional Roofing, February 1992, p. 38-43
• EPA Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Materials in buildings, NIAST, National Institute on Abatement Sciences & Technology, [republishing EPA public documents] 1985 ed., Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460