What is asbestos cement?
Asbestos cement is a mixture of cement and asbestos fibres – most often chrysotile (white asbestos) – that was prized for being durable, fire resistant and cheap. In New Zealand it was manufactured into corrugated “Super Six” roofing, flat building sheets, fence panels, downpipes, water tanks and pipes until the 1980s.
Because the fibres are bonded into cement, asbestos cement is classed as non-friable. That makes it lower risk than friable materials while it is intact, but decades of sun, rain and moss break down the surface, and any cutting, drilling, breaking or water-blasting releases fibres.
Common asbestos cement products we remove
- Super Six and Super 8 roofing on houses, garages, sheds and commercial buildings
- Fences – asbestos cement fence panels and posts
- Flat sheets used for cladding, soffits, wet-area linings and fire walls
- Downpipes, spouting components and vent pipes
- Water tanks – old cement tanks that may also be shedding fibres into stored water
- Stormwater and sewer pipes, removed in partnership with your drainlayer
How it’s removed
We wet the material to suppress dust, remove fixings so pieces come out whole, avoid power tools on the asbestos, and wrap everything in heavy-duty plastic on site. Waste goes to a licensed landfill in a covered vehicle, and you receive the disposal documentation.
