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Border Force finds asbestos in an imported prefabricated building
| Period | July 2025 – June 2026[1] |
|---|---|
| Border tests for asbestos | 916[1] |
| Detections | 43, including one prefabricated building (January 2026)[1] |
| Legal position | Importing goods containing asbestos is prohibited unless a permission or exception applies[2] |
| Accepted evidence | Accredited laboratory test certificate; a declaration on its own is not evidence[2][3] |
| Prefab building imports | A$326.4 million in the year to November 2025, 66.1% from mainland China — homes not separated from other buildings[4] |
Border Force tested goods for asbestos 916 times between July 2025 and June 2026 and recorded 43 detections; one, in January 2026, was a prefabricated building, and several others were building products.[1] Importing goods that contain asbestos is prohibited, a supplier's "asbestos free" label or declaration is not accepted as proof on its own, and the evidence Border Force accepts is a test certificate from an accredited laboratory.[2][3] Prefabricated building imports reached a record A$326.4 million in the year to November 2025, two-thirds from mainland China, but those figures do not show how many were homes.[4]
This entry is not about a new rule. Australia's asbestos ban has been in place since 2003.[2] It records new official data on what is being found at the border, because it bears directly on anyone buying a factory-built home, kit or granny flat made overseas. The national asbestos agency warned in 2024 of an increase in imported prefabricated buildings containing asbestos entering the housing and construction market.[5] The 2025–26 figures show the problem has not gone away.
What the 2025–26 border data shows §
The figures come from the Australian Border Force and were published by the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency on 2 September 2026.[1]
| Measure, July 2025 – June 2026 | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Border tests for asbestos | 916 | ASEA / ABF[1] |
| Detections (several in one consignment count as one) | 43 | ASEA / ABF[1] |
| Chrysotile / tremolite / unspecified | 37 / 5 / 1 | ASEA / ABF[1] |
| Months with a building-product detection | Jul, Sep, Dec 2025; Apr 2026 | ASEA / ABF[1] |
| Month with a prefabricated-building detection | Jan 2026 | ASEA / ABF[1] |
Vehicles and vehicle parts appear in most months of the period; buildings are a small part of the list.[1] The data does not give the source country, the supplier or what part of the prefabricated building contained asbestos.[1] A single detection is a single detection; it is not a measure of how often imported homes contain asbestos.
Why prefabricated buildings are on the watch list §
Border Force publishes a list of goods that may contain asbestos. It includes components of prefabricated housing, and cement sheeting and panels — the list names sandwich panels, cement fibre board, calcium silicate board and similar boards used in roofs, floors, ceilings and walls.[6] Those are the materials many factory-built dwellings are made from.
The underlying reason is that rules differ between countries. Border Force says local standards in many places allow low levels of some types of asbestos, so a product can be labelled "asbestos free" where it was made and still be prohibited here.[2] Enforcement turns on whether asbestos is present at all, not on how much or how risky it is judged to be.[2]
What Border Force accepts as proof §
An asbestos-free declaration — from the importer, the manufacturer or any other supplier — is not evidence on its own.[2] Border Force accepts a test certificate showing no asbestos, from representative samples tested by a laboratory in Australia or an accredited laboratory in the country of origin, using a recognised microscopy method.[3] Readings from hand-held or portable analysers are not accepted.[3]
Responsibility sits with the importer, who is expected to know what the goods are made of and to have the evidence ready.[2][7] Border Force also flags goods labelled non-asbestos but made in a factory that also produces asbestos-containing products as a risk that will attract intervention.[7] Who counts as the importer in a particular purchase depends on how it is arranged; customs entry rules are not covered here.
What the trade figures show — and what they do not §
An analysis of ABS trade data, published by the timber industry body Forest & Wood Products Australia, put prefabricated building imports at a record A$326.4 million (FOB) in the year to November 2025.[4] Mainland China supplied 66.1%. Steel and other non-wood buildings made up A$227.3 million; wooden prefabricated buildings were A$23.3 million, sourced mainly from China, Estonia and Latvia.[4]
The trade categories cover commercial and industrial prefabricated buildings as well as dwellings, and do not separate them.[4] So the figures show that imported prefabricated buildings are a large and growing flow. They do not show how many imported homes Australians are buying, and this page does not estimate it.
What this means before you buy an imported home §
The border rules translate into a few concrete things to ask for:
- A laboratory test certificate, not a declaration, covering representative samples of the building's materials — boards, panels, sealants and similar components.[2][3][6]
- Whether the factory also makes products that contain asbestos.[7]
- Who will be the importer for the purchase, and therefore who carries the obligation to produce that evidence at the border.[2][7]
The wider compliance picture for an imported kit — plumbing, electrical and structural certification — is covered in imported prefab kits: what compliance requires. For questions to ask any builder, see choosing a prefab builder.
What is not covered here §
Not covered by the sources compiled here: the source countries or suppliers behind the 2025–26 detections; what happened to the prefabricated building detected in January 2026; how often imported homes contain asbestos; what to do if asbestos is suspected in a building already installed, which is a matter for the state or territory work health and safety regulator; removal and its cost; laboratory testing costs; and import duties, anti-dumping measures or other trade rules. The ABS trade tables were not reviewed directly; the figures here are as published in the industry analysis cited. None of this is legal advice.
Related guides:
- Imported prefab kits — what compliance requires
- Shipping container conversions as dwellings
- Container home or modular home — what's the real difference?
- Checking a prefab builder's licence and insurance
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References §
- Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency (data from the Australian Border Force) — Asbestos detections at the border, July 2025 – June 2026, published 2 September 2026. 916 tests and 43 detections (multiple detections in one consignment count as one); 37 chrysotile, 5 tremolite and 1 unspecified. Product types with detections include building products (July, September and December 2025, April 2026) and a prefabricated building (January 2026). Source countries are not stated. asbestossafety.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-09/Asbestos_Detections_at_the_Border_2025_26.pdf
- Australian Border Force — Asbestos — overview and information for importers, page last updated 23 September 2026. All types of asbestos banned in Australia since 2003; importing asbestos or goods containing it is prohibited under Regulation 4C of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 unless a permission is granted or an exception applies. Goods made overseas may be labelled asbestos free yet contain low levels allowed under local standards, and are not allowed in. Enforcement turns on whether asbestos is present, not on perceived risk to the end user. Importers must know what their goods are made of and be ready to give documentary evidence; an asbestos-free declaration from the importer, manufacturer or supplier is not evidence on its own. abf.gov.au/importing-exporting-and-manufacturing/prohibited-goods/asbestos
- Australian Border Force — Sampling and testing for asbestos. Evidence can be supported by representative sampling and testing by a laboratory in Australia or an accredited laboratory in the country of origin before import; the assurance must be a test certificate (laboratory report) showing no asbestos; only accredited testing using a recognised method of scientific microscopy is accepted; results from portable devices such as hand-held analysers are not. abf.gov.au/importing-exporting-and-manufacturing/prohibited-goods/asbestos/sampling-and-testing-for-asbestos
- Forest & Wood Products Australia, analysis of ABS trade data by IndustryEdge — News item, 26 February 2026. Prefabricated building imports reached a record A$326.4 million (FOB) in the year to November 2025, with mainland China supplying 66.1% (A$215.9 million). Steel and other non-wood prefabricated buildings were A$227.3 million, up 28.9%; wooden prefabricated buildings A$23.3 million, up 31.0%, sourced 43.0% from China, 20.7% from Estonia and 9.5% from Latvia. The data does not separate industrial and commercial buildings from dwellings. A timber-industry body reporting third-party analysis of official statistics. fwpa.com.au/news/steel-and-other-non-wood-prefabricated-buildings-dominate-imports
- Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency — Safety information sheet — Asbestos in prefabricated buildings, May 2024. Addresses an increase in imports of prefabricated buildings containing asbestos into the Australian housing and construction market, and is directed at importers, customs brokers, freight forwarders, domestic suppliers, hire operators and consumers. asbestossafety.gov.au/safety-information-sheet-asbestos-prefabricated-buildings
- Australian Border Force — Goods that might contain asbestos. The list includes components of prefabricated housing, and cement flat sheeting or panels — described as sandwich panels, cement panels, lightweight panels, cement fibre board, calcium silicate board, composite board and density board — used in roofing, flooring, ceilings and walls. abf.gov.au/importing-exporting-and-manufacturing/prohibited-goods/asbestos/goods-that-might-contain-asbestos
- Australian Border Force — Ensuring the goods do not contain asbestos. It is the importer's responsibility not to import prohibited goods; importers should check with overseas suppliers about any use of asbestos at the point of manufacture; goods labelled non-asbestos but made in a factory that also produces asbestos-containing goods are a risk and will receive intervention at the border. abf.gov.au/importing-exporting-and-manufacturing/prohibited-goods/asbestos/ensuring-the-goods-do-not-contain-asbestos
Figures are as published by the sources above at their respective dates and are paraphrased summaries, not verbatim reproductions. Verify current pricing and rules directly with builders, lenders and planning authorities.