Eternit

Eternit is a brand name for fibre-cement building products, including corrugated roofing sheets, slates and boards. It derives from the fibre-reinforced cement invented in the late nineteenth century by the Austrian Ludwig Hatschek, whose original mix was roughly 90 percent Portland cement and 10 percent asbestos fibre, formed in thin layers on a modified cardboard-making machine. The Eternit trademark is now owned by the Belgian building-materials group Etex.

Asbestos and its replacement

For much of the twentieth century asbestos-cement sheets were among the most widely used roof coverings in the world, especially on farm, industrial and low-cost housing roofs. Health risks led to asbestos being progressively prohibited from the 1970s onward in many countries, and cellulose and synthetic fibres were developed from the 1980s as replacements. Asbestos-free fibre cement is still produced, but some countries continue to permit asbestos in building materials.

Companies using the name

Because the Hatschek process was licensed widely, companies named Eternit were established in many countries, and not all of them belong to Etex:

• Eternit (Brazil), a roofing manufacturer active since 1940, makes fibre-cement roof sheets, ridge pieces and accessories, cement boards and cladding, and a concrete roof tile line called EternitMax.
• India: the company now called Everest Industries, founded in 1934 as Asbestos Cement Ltd, traded as Eternit Everest Ltd from 1990 until adopting its current name in 2003.
• In Europe, the brand is used by Etex for fibre-cement roofing and facade products in several countries.

Roofing use

Fibre-cement corrugated sheets remain common on agricultural and industrial buildings, and fibre-cement slates are used as a lighter, cheaper alternative to natural slate. Removal and disposal of old asbestos-cement roofs is regulated in many countries and generally requires specialist contractors.