How Long Do Fibre-Cement Slates Last?

Natural slate is the long-lived benchmark, with the roofing trade body CoRC giving 100+ years for slate that is well maintained. Clay and concrete tiles are described by Marley as lasting around 60 years, and that is described as neither a guarantee nor a warranty. Fibre-cement slates sit in a different place, as a manufactured substitute for natural slate, with a life tied to the make and to how exposed the roof is.

Each roof's own history sets its life. Exposure to wind and driven rain, moss and lichen holding water against the surface, the quality of the original fixing, and whether the battens and underlay beneath are still sound all matter. A roof can be tired at one age and fine at another, so a survey of the actual slates tells you more than a manufacturing date.

For repair work, Checkatrade's June 2026 table gives £90 to £130 per m² for fibre cement, ex VAT and up to 3 m². That is a repair figure, not a re-roof price. Our roof replacement page covers when repair stops making sense.

From the ground, look for slates that have curled up at the edges or corners, because a slate that no longer lies flat lets wind and rain get beneath it. Look for slates that have split into layers, which is delamination, with flaking or a soft, crumbling surface. Look for slipped slates, gaps in the rows, heavy moss growth and damp marks on the wall under the eaves.

Inside the loft, daylight through a slate, damp patches on the underlay or timbers, and rust on the nails or hooks suggest the roof is no longer keeping the weather out. A few failed slates can be replaced individually, in the same way as tiles, if the battens are good and a matching slate can be found. Each swap means lifting the slates above and fixing the new one with care, so ask whether the roofer has checked the nails and hooks beside it as well. Some older ranges may no longer be made, which can make matching harder.

When the failures spread across a whole slope, patching stops being a sensible use of money and a re-roof makes better sense. If tiles are replacing slates, read our answer on replacing a slate roof with tiles, which covers the weight and the pitch check.

Some older roofs are not fibre cement of the modern kind but asbestos cement. HSE's advice is to assume asbestos is in any property that dates from before 2000. You cannot tell by looking, so the safe approach is to treat an older slate roof as possibly asbestos cement until a sample has been tested.

Asbestos cement is not dangerous while it is intact and left alone. The risk comes from breaking, drilling, sawing or scrubbing it, because that is what puts fibres and dust into the air around the house and the neighbours' gardens. HSE says AC roofs are always fragile. So do not clamber across it, do not jet-wash it, and do not scrape moss off with a wire brush. Marley also advises against high-powered jet washes on slate or tile surfaces.

If you suspect asbestos, ask a roofer for a survey and sampling before any quote is agreed. Our page on an asbestos survey before re-roofing explains the steps. The price for removal follows once the material has been identified.

HSE classes asbestos cement items such as roof sheeting as non-licensed work when they are lifted off with care and not broken up, and says weathered cement that is not badly damaged is covered too. Once the sheets begin to crumble and make significant dust, the job turns into notifiable non-licensed work, and the records must be kept for 40 years. Asbestos insulating board, which can be found in soffits, is different, and most of its removal is licensed work.

On a roof that is confirmed or presumed to be asbestos cement, that means taking slates off whole, wrapping and labelling the waste, and sending it to a site that accepts it. HSE guidance says to double-wrap and label asbestos waste. A household is not exempt from the consignment rules for asbestos waste, so a consignment note goes with the load.

Ask any roofer how they will remove, wrap and dispose of the slates, and ask for the plan in writing. Share some photos of your slates and say when the house was built, and we will list what to confirm first. Read about the wider job at roof replacement.