Asbestos Conveyor Belt
Industrial conveyor belts reinforced with woven asbestos for heat resistance in foundries and bakeries.
Description
Asbestos conveyor belts were manufactured for industrial applications where the conveyed material or the operating environment involved high temperatures. Standard rubber conveyor belts would degrade, ignite, or fail when exposed to hot materials such as molten glass, fresh castings, baked goods, hot-pressed products, or the radiant heat of furnaces and kilns. Asbestos-reinforced belts provided a solution by incorporating woven chrysotile asbestos fabric as the structural reinforcement layer, sometimes combined with a heat-resistant rubber or silicone compound coating.
The asbestos content in these belts varied widely depending on the construction. Some belts used asbestos only in the woven reinforcement plies, with rubber covers on both surfaces, resulting in a relatively low exposure risk during normal operation. Others, designed for extreme temperature applications such as foundry casting lines or glass annealing lehrs, were constructed almost entirely from woven asbestos fabric with minimal or no rubber covering. In the latter configuration, the belt surface directly contacted the conveyed material and shed fibres through normal wear.
Major industrial belt manufacturers including Dunlop, Goodyear, Fenner, Continental, and Bridgestone produced asbestos-reinforced conveyor belts for global markets from the 1930s through the mid-1990s. These belts were installed in steel works, iron foundries, glass manufacturing plants, bakeries and food processing lines (for oven conveyors), laundries (for flatwork ironer belts), cement plants, and chemical processing facilities.
The risk from asbestos conveyor belts depends on their construction and condition. Rubber-covered belts with internal asbestos reinforcement present a low risk when the rubber cover is intact, as the asbestos fibres are fully encapsulated. However, as the belt wears, cracks, or is cut during replacement, the asbestos reinforcement is exposed. All-asbestos fabric belts shed fibres continuously during operation, creating airborne exposure in the immediate vicinity.
Modern heat-resistant conveyor belts use aramid (Kevlar) fabric, fibreglass mesh, silicone-coated polyester, or PTFE (Teflon) belting materials that provide superior heat resistance and durability without any asbestos content.
Countries where commonly found
Commercial brands
How to identify
Asbestos conveyor belts may be difficult to identify visually because the asbestos is often concealed within the belt construction. Look for belts with a woven fabric layer visible at the edges, splice points, or worn areas. The fabric may appear grey-white and fibrous. Belts operating in high-temperature environments in pre-1995 installations should be suspected. All-asbestos belts are distinctive: they appear as woven fabric with no rubber cover and feel cloth-like rather than rubber-like. Any suspect belt should be sampled and tested.
Health risk & friability
This material has a risk level of 2 out of 5.
It is classified as non-friable, meaning the asbestos fibers are tightly bound within the material matrix. When in good condition and left undisturbed, the risk of fiber release is low. However, cutting, drilling, sanding or breaking the material can release dangerous fibers.
What to do if you find this material
Do not cut, tear, or abrade a suspect conveyor belt without precautions. If replacement is planned, wet the belt surface before cutting to suppress dust. Use sharp tools for clean cuts rather than sawing or grinding which generates more dust. Remove the old belt in the longest practicable sections to minimise the number of cuts. Seal removed belt material in heavy-duty polyethylene wrapping and label as suspected asbestos waste. Have a sample tested, and dispose of confirmed asbestos belts at a licensed waste facility.
Frequently asked questions
Where were asbestos conveyor belts commonly used?
How can I tell if a conveyor belt contains asbestos?
Are bakery conveyor belts a risk?
What replaced asbestos in heat-resistant conveyor belts?
Related materials
Other asbestos-containing materials you might encounter.
Asbestos Textile / Woven Cloth
Woven chrysotile fabric used for fire blankets, insulation wraps, and protective clothing in industry.
Asbestos Gloves
Heat-resistant industrial gloves woven from chrysotile asbestos, shedding fibres during every use.
Asbestos Apron
Full-length woven asbestos protective aprons worn by foundry and furnace workers against radiant heat.
Asbestos Laboratory Bench Top
Heat-resistant work surfaces used in school and university science laboratories before the 1980s.
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