In this guide
Asbestos switchboard backing is safe while it is left alone. It is dangerous when drilled, cut, sanded or broken, because that releases fibres.
So: do not do anything to it yourself. Do not let a handyman near it. It gets removed under licence as part of a switchboard upgrade, and until then, leaving it undisturbed is the correct action.
If your home was built or rewired between roughly the 1950s and the mid-1980s, there is a reasonable chance the panel your switchgear is mounted on contains asbestos. This is extremely common in Melbourne and it catches people by surprise, usually at the point they are getting a quote for something else entirely.
What it is and why it is there
Electrical switchgear needs to be mounted on something that will not burn and will not conduct. Asbestos-cement composites were excellent at both, cheap, and completely standard for decades. The best-known brand in Australian switchboards was Zelemite, and the name is now used loosely for the whole category. Other names you may hear include Ausbestos and Lebah.
It was used until asbestos products were phased out. A total ban on asbestos in Australia took effect at the end of 2003, but in practice switchboard backing had largely stopped being installed by the mid-1980s. Anything older than that is worth treating as suspect until confirmed.
How to recognise it
You are looking at the flat panel behind the fuses and switches, not the metal box around them.
- Colour. Typically dark brown, near-black, or a deep charcoal. Sometimes with a slight mottling.
- Finish. Matte to slightly glossy, hard, rigid. It does not look or feel like plastic and it does not look like painted metal.
- Thickness. Usually 6mm or so — noticeably chunky compared with a modern panel.
- Edges. If a corner has been chipped, the exposed edge often looks fibrous or slightly chalky rather than smooth.
- Age. The strongest clue of all. A board with ceramic rewireable fuses and a dark panel is very likely to be asbestos-backed.
Modern boards use a metal chassis or a plastic DIN rail assembly and look nothing like this. If your board is clearly modern with rows of white or grey breakers clipped onto a rail, you do not have this problem.
Visual identification tells you whether to be careful. It does not tell you definitively what the material is — only laboratory testing does that.
Which is why the correct approach is simply to treat a suspect panel as asbestos and handle it accordingly. That is what we do, and it costs nothing extra to be cautious.
Why it is not an emergency
This is the part worth getting right, because people occasionally panic and do exactly the wrong thing.
Asbestos in a switchboard is bonded — the fibres are locked into a solid, stable material. Sitting inside a closed meter box, undisturbed, it is not releasing fibres and it is not exposing your household to anything. It is not like loose-fill insulation.
The risk comes entirely from disturbance: drilling a new hole to mount something, cutting the panel to fit an extra circuit, breaking a corner off, or sanding it. Every one of those is a thing an unqualified person might reasonably do while trying to be helpful, which is why the most important advice here is simply to leave it alone and tell any tradesperson it is there.
What removal actually involves
In practice, asbestos backing is dealt with as part of a switchboard upgrade rather than as a standalone job — there is not much point removing the panel and putting the same old switchgear back on a new one.
- The supply is isolated and the area prepared so fibres cannot spread.
- The panel is removed whole wherever possible rather than broken up, because intact removal releases far less.
- It is wrapped, sealed, labelled and disposed of at a licensed facility. It cannot go in a skip or in household waste.
- The area is cleaned down properly.
- The new board is installed on a modern non-asbestos backing, with RCDs and circuit breakers on every circuit.
Asbestos removal work in Victoria is regulated and there are licensing requirements depending on the type and quantity of material. The practical point for you as a homeowner is straightforward: this is not a DIY job and it is not a job for a general handyman.
What it adds to the cost
Asbestos backing is one of the main reasons two switchboard quotes for seemingly similar houses come out differently. It adds to the job through the safe removal process, the disposal, and the extra time.
A standard domestic switchboard upgrade in Melbourne generally runs $1,200 to $3,500, and an asbestos backing panel sits within the reasons a particular job lands at the upper end of that. We identify it at quote stage and price it in, rather than raising it as a variation once the cover is off — which is a thing that happens and it is not a pleasant surprise.
What to do now
- Do not open, drill, cut, sand or clean the panel.
- Tell any electrician, solar installer or tradesperson working near your board that you suspect asbestos backing.
- If a corner is already damaged or crumbling, do not disturb it further, keep the meter box closed and get it looked at.
- Plan the upgrade rather than rushing it. Undisturbed, you have time.
For authoritative guidance on asbestos in Victoria, see asbestos.vic.gov.au, and for electrical safety, Energy Safe Victoria. For what an upgrade involves, see our switchboard upgrade guide or switchboard upgrades in Melbourne.
Common questions
Is asbestos in my switchboard dangerous?
Not while it is undisturbed. The asbestos is bonded into a solid, stable panel, and sealed inside a meter box it is not releasing fibres. The risk comes from drilling, cutting, sanding or breaking it — which is why the correct action is to leave it alone and tell any tradesperson it is there.
How do I know if my switchboard backing is asbestos?
Look at the panel behind the fuses. Dark brown or black, hard, rigid, around 6mm thick, in a board dating from the 1950s to the mid-1980s, is the classic profile — commonly the brand Zelemite. Visual identification is a strong indicator but only lab testing confirms it, so a suspect panel should simply be treated as asbestos.
Can I remove the asbestos backing myself?
No. Asbestos removal is regulated work in Victoria with licensing requirements, and disposal must go to a licensed facility — it cannot go in a skip or household waste. It is also live electrical equipment. This is not a DIY job.
Does asbestos backing mean I have to replace my switchboard immediately?
No. Undisturbed it is stable, so you have time to plan. It does mean the panel should be removed properly when the board is next worked on, and in practice that means doing it as part of a switchboard upgrade rather than as a separate job.
How much does asbestos switchboard removal cost?
It is normally priced within a switchboard upgrade rather than separately, and it is one of the main reasons a job sits at the upper end of the usual $1,200 to $3,500 range. We identify it at quote stage and include it, rather than raising it as a variation later.
When did they stop using asbestos in switchboards?
Asbestos backing had largely stopped being installed by the mid-1980s, and a total ban on asbestos in Australia took effect at the end of 2003. Boards older than the mid-1980s are worth treating as suspect until confirmed otherwise.
Written by the team at Litmec Electrical, licensed electrical contractor REC-10383, trading in Melbourne since 2007. Last reviewed 12 August 2026. General guidance only — every property is different, and our quotes are free.