Updated: August 2025
As one of the South Coast’s leading asbestos experts, we sometimes find it difficult to identify asbestos in garage roofs, meaning you’ll find it near impossible without some tell-tale signs – in fact, if you laid a corrugated asbestos sheet next to a standard cement fibre sheet, they would appear identical.
It’s important that you know if your garage roof contains asbestos or not as the risks to your health can be severe in some cases. In this guide, we outline how you can identify asbestos in your garage or shed roof, what the risks are if asbestos is present and what you should do if you suspect asbestos is in your roof.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is an umbrella term for a group of naturally occurring minerals composed of microscopic, flexible fibres that are found near the Earth’s surface. To extract asbestos, it is mined by removing the top layer of the earth to mine ore at the surface.
Asbestos was commonly used in construction for flooring, roofing and insulation up until 1999 when its ban was introduced. There were a number of benefits of using asbestos due to it being heat, fire and chemical resistant as well as unlikely to biologically degrade and would not dissolve in water, however, these didn’t outweigh a major drawback that exposure to asbestos caused serious health problems.
To find out more information on what asbestos is, see our in-depth guide.
How to tell if my garage roof is asbestos
What does an asbestos roof look like?
It’s likely you wouldn’t be able to tell that your garage roof contains asbestos just from sight alone as they look almost identical to garage roofs not containing asbestos.
So how do you tell if you have a garage roof with asbestos? Our tips below will help you determine if your garage roof contains asbestos.
There are typically three methods by which you can identify an asbestos garage roof. Although you can carry out these checks by yourself, it is always recommended to get a professional to test a sample as the three methods aren’t always 100% reliable and safe.
The garage was built before 2000
All asbestos-containing materials (ACM) have been banned in the UK since November 1999, meaning any domestic or commercial buildings built or renovated before this time could contain asbestos. If you have moved into a property that was built in 2000 or after, your garage roof should be safe, however, if it was constructed in 1999 or before, you should follow the next steps.
Batch codes
A common feature of asbestos roofing sheets is that manufacturers used to print batch codes on the underside of the panels. Whilst it was fairly common practice to do this, not all manufacturers followed suit which leads to uncertainty among homeowners.
The batch code that identifies asbestos is “AC” and cement fibres being “CE” or “C”.
Structure of the panels
If your garage roof does contain asbestos it’s highly likely the panels will snap rather than crumble under any type of pressure. Whilst this is something you should NOT do, hypothetically that would be the result. If your garage roof is breaking apart or suffering from cracks, that too could be a warning sign that asbestos is present.
Whilst these are signs to look out for asbestos, you should always contact a professional to carry out an asbestos survey or asbestos test.
Are asbestos garage roofs dangerous?
Asbestos garage roofs can pose minimal risk if left undisturbed and in good condition.
You should contact a professional to carry out an asbestos test to be sure before making a decision on the risk posed, these surveys should be carried out yearly.
If disturbed or damaged, your garage roof containing asbestos will release minuscule fibres into the air and if these fibres are inhaled they can cause serious diseases. Although these diseases won’t immediately affect your health, exposure over time can lead to irreversible changes in the longer term.
To find out more on how asbestos can cause damage to your health, see our health and safety guide.
What to do if your garage roof contains asbestos
It is recommended that you leave the asbestos garage roof alone and contact a certified professional as soon as you can. Its removal should be handled by a licensed contractor and any Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) should be disposed of correctly by a licensed disposal site.
Further information on removing your asbestos garage roof.
If you have already damaged or disturbed asbestos through decorating or DIY work, don’t try to clean it up yourself. Attempting to clean the affected area will cause the microscopic fibres to flow into the air, spreading the asbestos even more.
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