Is Hardiflex Asbestos?

The short answer

It depends on when it was made. "Hardiflex" is a long-running trade name for thin, flat fibre cement sheeting — the kind used for eaves, soffits and wall linings in houses all over Australia. For much of the twentieth century, fibre cement sheeting like this was reinforced with asbestos. During the 1980s, manufacturers replaced the asbestos with cellulose (wood pulp) fibre.

So:

• Sheeting made before the change may contain asbestos.
• Sheeting made after the change does not.
• The two look almost identical.

That is why the sensible answer to "is my Hardiflex asbestos?" is: if it was installed before about 1990, assume it might be until a test says otherwise.

Why the name does not settle it

The same product names were used before and after asbestos was phased out. People often find a brand name printed on the back of a sheet and assume that proves it is modern, or that it proves it contains asbestos. It proves neither. Sheeting from different eras can carry similar markings, and many older sheets have no legible marking at all.

The same applies to other flat sheet products from the same period. The question is never the name. It is the age of the sheet, and the only certain answer comes from a laboratory.

How to judge the age

You can get a strong indication before anyone takes a sample.

When was the house built? A house built well after 1990 is unlikely to contain asbestos sheeting. A house built before about 1990 very likely contains some asbestos product somewhere.

When were the eaves, linings or extensions added? A 1995 extension on a 1970s house has sheeting from two eras. A 1960s house with eaves relined in the 2000s may have modern sheeting on the outside and asbestos sheeting inside.

Is there paperwork? Building approvals, renovation invoices or a previous asbestos report can date the work.

What do the surrounding materials suggest? Old sheeting often sits alongside timber cover strips, older paint systems and fixings typical of its time. This is a clue, not proof.

Situation	Reasonable assumption
House and sheeting installed before about 1990	May contain asbestos — test before disturbing
House built before 1990, sheeting replaced later	Check records; test if unsure
House and sheeting installed well after 1990	Unlikely to contain asbestos
No idea of the dates	Treat as possibly asbestos until tested

Where older flat sheeting is usually found

• Eaves and soffits — the most common place, including on brick and brick-veneer houses.
• Gable ends and infill panels under windows and between posts.
• Carport, porch and verandah ceilings.
• Bathroom and laundry walls, behind tiles or as a painted lining.
• Internal linings in extensions, sleep-outs and enclosed verandahs.
• Outbuildings — sheds, garages, old outdoor toilets and pump sheds.

What you cannot tell by looking

It is tempting to rely on a rule of thumb — thickness, colour, the sound it makes when tapped, whether it has a dimpled back. None of these are reliable. Asbestos and non-asbestos fibre cement can match on all of them.

What you can see is condition. Sheeting that is cracked, broken, crumbling at the edges, heavily weathered or fire-damaged is a higher risk if it does contain asbestos, and should be left alone until it has been tested.

How to find out for certain

1. Get a sample tested. A licensed asbestos assessor or other competent person takes a small sample using controls that limit fibre release, and sends it to a laboratory accredited for asbestos identification. The report says whether asbestos was detected and, if so, which type.

2. Test each era of sheeting. One negative result applies only to that sheet. If the eaves, the bathroom and the extension were done at different times, each needs its own sample.

3. For renovation or demolition, get a survey. An asbestos survey covers the whole building, including areas that are hard to reach, and produces a register of what is present, where and how much.

Some laboratories accept samples taken by homeowners. If you are considering that, read SafeWork NSW's current guidance first — sampling means deliberately breaking off a piece of material that may contain asbestos.

If it does contain asbestos

Left alone, in good condition, asbestos cement sheeting is generally considered low risk. There is no requirement to remove it simply because it is there. Record where it is and tell anyone who works on the house.

Before any work that disturbs it — drilling, cutting, sanding, removing, or demolishing — it needs to be dealt with properly:

• Do not cut it with power tools, sand it, or water-blast it.
• Do not break it up or put it in a skip or general waste.
• Do use a licensed asbestos removalist for removal beyond the small quantities a homeowner is permitted to handle. Friable or badly damaged material always needs a Class A licensed removalist.
• Do make sure it goes to a facility licensed to accept asbestos waste.

The rules on what a homeowner may remove, and how it must be wrapped, transported and disposed of, are specific. Check with SafeWork NSW or your council before touching anything yourself, rather than relying on a general summary.

What it means for demolition

On a house built before about 1990, the eaves are one of the first places an asbestos survey looks. If the sheeting contains asbestos, it is removed by a separately licensed removalist and the area is cleared before any demolition starts. A demolition licence does not cover asbestos removal.

Skipping this step is how a routine demolition turns into a contaminated site. Broken asbestos sheeting spread across a block is far more expensive to clean up than intact sheets removed properly.

If you're in the Illawarra, we can arrange the survey, licensed removal and demolition in the right order, and quote it after a site assessment.

Where to go next

• Asbestos and demolition — how asbestos is surveyed, removed by licensed removalists and cleared before demolition.
• House demolition — the full process from approvals to a level block.
• Demolition cost guide — rough bands, with asbestos priced as its own line.