Only a lab test can tell you for sure. Your photo helps us send the right kit.
If the lab finds asbestos, your certificate names the type. Most people have never seen these words before, and they sound alarming. This page explains what each one is, where it usually turned up in UK homes, and what the type does, and doesn't, change about what you do next.
Six types, two families
UK rules cover six kinds of asbestos. HSE's guide for analysts lists them as chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, and the asbestos forms of anthophyllite, actinolite and tremolite. It expects laboratories to keep reference samples of all six and to identify whichever is present.
They fall into two mineral families:
- Serpentine. Only one member: chrysotile, often called white asbestos. UKHSA, the UK Health Security Agency, describes its fibres as "soft, flexible and curved".
- Amphibole. All the rest, including amosite (brown asbestos) and crocidolite (blue asbestos).
The colour names are everyday names for the minerals. They don't describe the colour of the material in your home. A ceiling with crocidolite in it isn't blue.
Where each type usually turned up
This table draws on the appendix of HSE's survey guide, which lists asbestos products found in buildings and the types they usually contained. These are patterns, not rules: any product could contain a mix.
| Type | Also called | Where it was commonly used in homes | When it stopped |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrysotile | White asbestos | Textured coatings such as Artex (about 3–5%); asbestos cement sheets, soffits, gutters and tanks; vinyl and thermoplastic floor tiles; bitumen felts and adhesives; plastic cisterns and panels | The last uses were banned in 1999 |
| Amosite | Brown asbestos | Insulation board (usually 15–25%, sometimes mixed with chrysotile); some cement products between 1945 and 1980; pipe lagging, phased out during the 1970s | Insulation board manufacture ceased in 1980; imports were banned in 1985 |
| Crocidolite | Blue asbestos | Sprayed coatings (the main type until 1962); lagging until 1970; some insulation board until 1965; some cement products between 1950 and 1969 | Imports were banned in 1985 |
| Tremolite, actinolite, anthophyllite | (no common names) | Rare in UK home products |
UKHSA confirms the bans: importing blue and brown asbestos has been banned in the UK since 1985, and the ban was extended to white asbestos in 1999.
Are some types more dangerous?
Yes, and UKHSA says so plainly: "amphibole forms of asbestos (including blue and brown) are more hazardous to health than chrysotile (white)". It describes chrysotile as "far less hazardous than the amphibole type".
"Less hazardous" is not the same as harmless. All six types are asbestos, and all are handled under the same regulations. Breathing in any of them can cause serious disease, usually many years later.
What matters more than the type
For your home, three things matter more than the name of the mineral:
- The material it's in. This is what decides how it has to be handled. HSE treats most work on asbestos cement and textured coatings as non-licensed work. Most work on insulation board needs a licensed contractor. That's because of how easily the material breaks and releases fibres, not just the type of asbestos in it.
- Its condition. Sound material that's left alone is a low risk. Damaged material is a different matter, whatever the type.
- Your plans. Drilling, sanding, cutting or removing it is when the type and the material both start to matter.
What the type changes in practice
Chrysotile only, in a coating, tile or cement
This is the most common finding in UK homes. If the material is in good condition, it can often be left, covered or worked around. Work on it is usually non-licensed work for a trained tradesperson using careful methods. Don't sand, scrape or power-tool it yourself.
Amosite or crocidolite found
This usually points to insulation board, lagging, sprayed coating, or certain cement products. Insulation board, lagging and sprayed coatings need a licensed contractor for most work. Keep people away from anything damaged, and don't disturb it.
If amosite or crocidolite turns up in something you thought was cement, a surveyor can confirm what the material is. HSE's survey guide describes a further test, a water absorption test, that tells asbestos cement apart from insulation board when the analysis alone isn't conclusive.
More than one type
That's common. Insulation board, for example, often contains amosite and chrysotile together. Plan around the most hazardous type and the material it's in.
Why testing beats guessing
Here's a detail from HSE's survey guide that shows why a lab result is worth having. When surveyors haven't tested a material, and nothing else tells them otherwise, HSE tells them to assume the asbestos is crocidolite, the most hazardous type. A result replaces that worst-case assumption with a fact.
- If your result names amosite or crocidolite, don't disturb the material. Send us a photo and we'll point you to the right kind of professional: start the free photo check.
- If it names chrysotile in a coating, tile or cement, read our guides on Artex, floor tiles and cement sheets for your options.
- Only the lab can say what a material is. Kits are launching soon, and every sample will be analysed by a UKAS-accredited laboratory, named on every certificate.
Questions people ask
Will my result say which type of asbestos it is?
Yes. A UK asbestos lab names the type or types it finds, such as chrysotile, amosite or crocidolite. It won't give a percentage, because the method isn't designed to measure amounts.
How dangerous is chrysotile?
UKHSA says chrysotile is far less hazardous than the amphibole types, such as amosite and crocidolite. It is still asbestos, and breathing in its fibres can cause serious disease. The safest approach is the same: leave sound material alone and don't create dust from it.
My result says chrysotile and amosite. What does that mean?
Both types were found. That mix is typical of asbestos insulation board, though some cement products contain it too. Until a surveyor confirms which material it is, treat it as needing a licensed professional for most work, and don't drill, cut or break it.
Is white asbestos all right to leave in place?
HSE's general advice is that asbestos materials in good condition are often best left where they are and checked from time to time. That applies to white asbestos too. Keep an eye on its condition, and test or get advice before any work that would disturb it.
Can I remove white asbestos Artex myself?
UKHSA does not recommend DIY removal of asbestos without advice, and HSE says don't remove asbestos materials yourself without training. Covering it is often an option. See skim, paint or plaster over Artex.
Sources
- HSE, HSG248 Asbestos: The analysts' guide, 2nd edition 2021, Appendix 2 paras A2.3–A2.4 and Table A2.1 (the six regulated types), para A2.16 (reference samples of all six): www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg248.pdf
- HSE, HSG264 Asbestos: The survey guide, 2nd edition 2012: Appendix 2 (products, types and dates: textured coatings, cement, insulation board, lagging, sprays, flooring, bitumen), para 100 (assume crocidolite if untested), para 117 (water absorption test): www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg264.pdf
- UKHSA, Asbestos: general information (types; relative hazard; 1985 and 1999 bans), updated 15 May 2025: www.gov.uk/government/publications/asbestos-properties-incident-management-and-toxicology/asbestos-general-information
- HSE, Non-licensed work and licensable work lists, updated 2024-02-23: www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/licensing/non-licensed-work.htm
- HSE, Asbestos essentials sheet A0 (most work on textured coatings and cement is non-licensed): www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a0.pdf
- HSE, Asbestos FAQ (leave in place; no DIY removal without training), updated 2025-09-04: www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/faq.htm
- Our own research notes (B), section 4 (question 29: "Will the result say which type, and how dangerous is chrysotile?"), 22–23 Oct 2026.
Updated 23 October 2026
