If your commercial or industrial building went up before the mid-1990s, there’s a real chance the roof contains asbestos. It’s more common than most business owners realise across Melbourne’s older industrial stock, and it’s rarely something to panic about. Visual signs can point you in the right direction, but they’re not proof on their own. Here’s what to look for, why looks can be deceiving, and what to do next if you suspect your asbestos roofing needs a closer look.
Visual Clues (and Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Them Alone)
A trained eye can often make an educated guess about asbestos cement roofing just by looking at it, but a guess is all it is.
Corrugated cement sheeting profile. The classic giveaway is a corrugated, grey or cream cement sheet with a slightly rougher, more brittle texture than modern metal roofing. This profile was standard on Australian commercial and industrial buildings for decades. If your building falls into that older bracket, our guide on the year-based rule of thumb breaks down exactly which build periods carry the highest risk.
Why a newer-looking roof isn’t automatically safe. In our experience, plenty of buildings have had asbestos sheeting painted over or clad with a newer roofing layer on top. It looks modern from the ground, but the original sheeting is often still there underneath. Overcladding hides the problem rather than solving it.
Sampling and testing is the only certain answer. No amount of visual inspection replaces a proper sample taken by a licensed assessor and tested in an accredited lab. If there’s any doubt, testing is the only way to know for sure what you’re dealing with.
Common locations beyond the roof sheeting. Asbestos on older industrial buildings isn’t limited to the main roof sheets. We regularly find it in eaves linings, gutters, and the flashing details around penetrations and roof edges, areas that are easy to overlook if you’re only looking at the main roof plane.
Why DIY identification guides can mislead you. A lot of the visual-identification content online is generic, outdated, or written for a different regulatory environment altogether. Melbourne’s building stock and Victorian regulations have their own quirks, so a national or overseas guide can point you in the wrong direction entirely.
What to Do If You Suspect Asbestos
Suspecting asbestos is not an emergency, but how you handle it from here matters.
- Don’t drill, cut, pressure-wash, or otherwise disturb the sheeting in any way.
- Commission a licensed asbestos assessment before any roof work goes ahead, including minor repairs.
- Understand what an asbestos register and management plan involves once presence is confirmed. Victorian workplace laws require these documents to be kept on site and made available to anyone working on or near the material.
- Inform staff and contractors on site so nobody accidentally drills, walks on, or disturbs the material without knowing what it is.
- Once asbestos is confirmed, you’ll generally have three paths forward: repair, encapsulate, or remove. Which one makes sense depends on the material’s condition and your plans for the building, and it’s worth working through that decision properly before committing to a direction.
Undisturbed asbestos in good condition is manageable. The risk comes from disturbing it without the right precautions in place, which is exactly what an assessment is designed to prevent.
Book an Asbestos Assessment Before You Touch the Roof
Getting this wrong carries real consequences, from workplace safety breaches to costly remediation down the track if fibres are released during unplanned work. Before you schedule any roof repairs or upgrades, get a proper assessment from a team that knows Melbourne’s older industrial buildings inside out. We’ve been managing commercial and industrial roofing across Greater Melbourne for over 50 years, and we can turn around a quote within 48 hours. Book an asbestos assessment with our team before any work goes ahead.
What year were commercial roofs built with asbestos in Australia?
Asbestos cement roofing was common in Australian commercial buildings up until the early 1990s. For a detailed year-by-year breakdown, see our full guide on identifying asbestos by building age.
Can I test for asbestos myself?
No. Asbestos can only be confirmed through sampling by a licensed assessor and testing at an accredited laboratory. DIY test kits and visual guesswork aren’t reliable enough to base a decision on.
Is it dangerous to have asbestos roofing if it's not disturbed?
Generally, intact and undisturbed asbestos poses a lower risk, as fibres are only released when the material is damaged, cut, or deteriorating. Regular condition monitoring is still recommended.
What does asbestos cement roofing look like?
Typically a corrugated grey or cream cement sheet with a slightly rough, brittle texture, differing from the smoother finish of modern metal roofing profiles used today.
Do I have to disclose asbestos when leasing a commercial building?
In most cases, yes, some form of disclosure applies. Requirements vary by lease type and jurisdiction, so get advice from your property manager or a commercial lawyer before signing.
