"Uralita" is the brand name almost everyone in Spain uses for fibre-cement, but not all fibre-cement contains asbestos. Here's how to tell the difference and what to do if you suspect yours might have it.
Uralita is a fibre-cement brand — a mix of cement and fibres — that became so popular it ended up used as the generic name for the material, the same way other brands became everyday words. Not every grey corrugated sheet is necessarily the Uralita brand, but colloquially it's almost always called that.
No. Asbestos was one of the fibres used to make fibre-cement until its use was banned in Spain in 2002. Fibre-cement installed before that date usually contains asbestos; material made after doesn't. The installation date is the first clue to consider.
Look out for these signs, though none of them alone is a confirmation:
A visual inspection identifies materials that may contain asbestos — which is what Law 8/2026 requires for the sale or rental certificate — but it isn't a 100% scientific confirmation. Only an accredited laboratory, analysing a sample taken from the material, can certify with certainty whether it contains asbestos.
For the vast majority of sales or rentals, the visual inspection and the certificate are enough. A laboratory analysis makes sense as an extra step when there's a reasonable doubt about one specific material, or before works that will directly disturb it.
If you're selling or renting, what you need is the certificate based on a visual inspection: I'll confirm which elements are present, their condition and the risk they pose, with no need for works or samples. I can visit within 24–48h.
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