Asbestos Cement Siding History

A brief history of asbestos cement siding.

Asbestos cement siding history.

Although invented at the end of the 19th century the material rose to necessity during world war ii to make sturdy inexpensive military housing and continued to be used widely. Asbestos cement coatings also were used. Asbestos cement roofing siding history dates codes patents give a history of cement asbestos siding roofing product use. Asbestos cement first came into use as an exterior cladding after 1907 when austrian engineer ludwid hatschek came up with a way to shape the material into sheets allowing it to be manufactured as siding and shingles.

While these products were cheap to manufacture and buy their true cost emerged years later in the form of deadly asbestos related illnesses. Fiber cement siding fibre cement cladding in the uk and fibro in australia is a building material used to cover the exterior of a building in both commercial and domestic applications. For much of the 20th century asbestos cement sheets provided builders with a rugged solution for simple roofing and siding projects. Asbestos siding was very commonly used in buildings and homes from around the 1920s until the 1980s and can still be found in many older homes in the u s.

Ludwig purchased a factory for asbestos goods in upper austria in 1893. Asbestos cement genericized as fibro or fibrolite short for fibrous or fibre cement sheet and ac sheet is a building material in which asbestos fibres are used to reinforce thin rigid cement sheets. In 1900 he succeeded in the invention and factory productions of asbestos cement. Asbestos cement roofi ng and siding in the early 1900s manufacturers reinforced portland cement with asbestos fibers to create a fire resistant and durable building material.

We include research articles as well as patent citations that help trace the use of asbestos cement in and on buildings from the late 1800 s to the present. Asbestos cement was first developed in 1905 by the johns manville company who became one of the premier manufacturers of cement asbestos materials. The portland cement binds asbestos fibers into a hard mass. Asbestos siding was made by adding asbestos a naturally occurring mineral to portland cement.

Early history age of asbestos cement siding roof shingles. Asbestos shingle history begins with inventor and entrepreneur ludwig hatschek who was born in the czech republic on october 9 1856. Fiber cement is a composite material made of cement reinforced with cellulose fibers. The product first made in 1905 served as a coating for boilers steam pipes and equipment that generated heat.

The rosato text cited below and our research article and patent search on asbestos cement shingles and siding give insight into the history of and development of cement asbestos shingles siding and cement board used on and in buildings.