James Hardie
James Hardie is Australia's largest fibre cement manufacturer (Scyon, HardieFlex, Villaboard). Its products are asbestos-free; the company ceased asbestos in 1987.
Ask Chalkline about this →James Hardie is Australia’s largest fibre cement manufacturer and the dominant brand in residential cladding and lining. Its current products are asbestos-free cellulose-fibre-reinforced cement made to AS/NZS 2908.2.
The product range
James Hardie’s catalogue spans most of a build’s sheet and cladding needs:
- Scyon range: the engineered cladding line, including Linea (splayed weatherboard), Stria (horizontal groove), Axon (vertical groove), and Matrix (panel).
- HardieFlex: general internal/external flat sheet.
- Villaboard: the wet-area lining sheet.
- HardieWrap: the pliable building membrane (wall wrap).
- HardieCavity: the cavity system for drained-cavity cladding.
Installation guides and CodeMark certificates are published in the company’s Technical Library, and they are the authoritative source for fixing each product.
The asbestos legacy
James Hardie has a significant history a builder should understand. From 1917 to 1987 it was the largest manufacturer of asbestos-cement building products in Australia. It ceased all asbestos manufacturing in 1987, replacing it with the asbestos-free fibre cement still made today (verified 2026-05-25, James Hardie / public record). The Asbestos Injuries Compensation Fund (AICF) was established in 2006 to compensate victims of the company’s former asbestos products.
The practical takeaway: current James Hardie products contain no asbestos, but “fibro” sheet in a pre-1990 building may. When you cut into old sheet, treat it as potential asbestos and follow the identification and removal rules, regardless of who made it.
Also known as: Hardies, James Hardie Industries.
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Last updated: 2026-05-25. Verified: 2026-05-25. Quarterly review for currency.