The question comes up on more surveys than almost anything else: someone’s about to lift a floor tile, take down an old garage roof, or strip a textured ceiling, and they want to know — before they touch it — whether it’s asbestos. Fair question. Chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite were used across UK construction right up until the 1999 ban, and they turn up in the ordinary places: Artex and other textured coatings, thermoplastic and vinyl floor tiles and their black bitumen adhesive, corrugated garage and shed roofing sheets, soffits and bargeboards, old boiler flues, asbestos insulating board behind fuse cupboards and in partition walls, and pipe lagging in older plant rooms. None of it looks distinctly like anything — you cannot identify asbestos type, or confirm it’s present at all, by eye. That’s what a lab test is for.
A DIY test kit is genuinely useful for exactly that question and nothing wider. You take a small sample of one specific material, following precautions that matter more than the kit itself, post it to a laboratory, and get back a certificate identifying whether asbestos was detected and which type, usually within a day or two of the sample arriving. Most of the kits below use polarised light microscopy — PLM — the standard method for bulk material identification, run by a UKAS-accredited laboratory. That’s a real, useful answer about that piece of Artex or that floor tile. It is not an answer about the loft insulation, the garage roof, or the flue three rooms away, and it is not a document that satisfies anyone’s legal duty to manage asbestos across a building.
That last point is where I see people get caught out, so it gets its own section below rather than a footnote. In short: a single-sample kit is the right tool for a homeowner who wants to know about one specific patch of Artex before they redecorate. It is the wrong tool for a landlord managing a block of flats, and it is not a substitute for the refurbishment and demolition survey the law requires before most invasive building work, whoever owns the property. Seven kits below, from a £20-ish single sample to a £90-plus multi-sample pack for testing several materials on the same job.
The one I’d buy
Asbestos Test Kit (1 Sample), Next Day UKAS Lab Result
A single-sample kit from Asbestos-Sampling.com, the longest-established and by a wide margin the most reviewed seller in this category on Amazon UK — published feedback volume here dwarfs every other kit on this list. UKAS-accredited PLM analysis, a certificate by email, and text updates when the sample arrives and when the result is sent, which matters more than it sounds when you’re waiting to know whether it’s safe to carry on with a job.
Typically £30–£45
Check price on AmazonHow I judge an asbestos test kit
Accreditation, not packaging. The only thing that actually matters is who analyses the sample and under what accreditation. UKAS — the UK Accreditation Service — is the mark to look for on a kit aimed at a UK property; it’s the standard a professional asbestos surveyor’s laboratory works to. A couple of kits sold into the UK market use US-accredited labs (AIHA or NVLAP rather than UKAS) with the same PLM method — not wrong, but worth knowing before you rely on the certificate for anything UK-specific.
What the sample actually is. These are bulk material kits — a physical scraping or offcut, not an air sample. That matches most domestic questions (is this Artex asbestos, is this floor tile asbestos) but won’t tell you about airborne fibre levels, a different and more specialist test no kit here does.
Turnaround once the lab has it. Same-day and next-day results, counted from arrival rather than posting, are standard now. The variable no kit controls is the postal leg either side.
How far one sample stretches. A single sample answers one question about one material. Artex on the ceiling, old floor tiles in the hall and a suspect garage roof is three questions, not one — and three single-sample kits usually cost more than one multi-sample kit sized to the job.
Whether PPE is actually included. Several kits ship with no PPE at all, on the basis that scraping a small sample is low-risk. I’d treat that as a marketing line rather than sampling advice — see the precautions below, which apply whether or not a mask came in the box.
The comparison
| Kit | Samples | Lab / turnaround | Typical price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asbestos Test Kit, Next Day UKAS | 1 | UKAS PLM, next day | ~£38 | Best overall — the established option | View |
| TERZETTA Asbestos Test Kit, 1 sample | 1 | UKAS PLM, next day | ~£33 | Well-reviewed single-sample alternative | View |
| Asbestos Test Kit, Same Day Postage | 1 | UKAS PLM | ~£22 | Best on a budget | View |
| TERZETTA Asbestos Test Kit, 2 samples | 2 | UKAS PLM, next day | ~£51 | Two suspect materials, one order | View |
| PRO-LAB Asbestos Test Kit, 2 samples | 2 | US-accredited PLM, ~1 week | ~£48 | Familiar test-kit brand, slower post | View |
| Full Asbestos Testing Kit, 3 samples | 3 | UKAS PLM, next day | ~£75 | A room’s worth of suspect materials | View |
| TERZETTA Asbestos Test Kit, 5 samples | 5 | UKAS PLM, next day | ~£95 | Premium — a full pre-renovation sweep | View |
The picks in detail
Asbestos Test Kit (1 Sample), Next Day UKAS Lab Result
Best overall — my top pick above
Asbestos-Sampling.com has sold into this category longer than any competitor here, and the published review volume on this listing is in a different league to everything else on this page — a strong signal that a lot of people have used it without complaint. The process is the standard one done well: sample bags and instructions in the box, a UKAS-accredited lab running PLM analysis, same-day processing on arrival with a certificate out around 5pm, and text updates at both ends. No PPE included — see the precautions below regardless.
For
- By far the most established option here, on published review volume
- UKAS-accredited PLM lab with same-day processing on arrival
- Text notifications at both ends of the process
Against
- No PPE included
- One sample, one material — buy multiples for more than one suspect area
Typically £30–£45
Check price on AmazonTERZETTA Asbestos Test Kit (1 Sample)
Well-reviewed single-sample alternative
TERZETTA’s single-sample kit undercuts the top pick slightly on price and carries strong published feedback of its own — a smaller but still substantial review base, and a rating that holds up well against the rest of the category. Same fundamentals: UKAS-accredited PLM analysis, next-day result once the lab has the sample, prepaid return envelope, clear instructions. The listing states plainly that PPE isn’t included, which at least sets expectations honestly.
For
- Strong published review base and rating
- UKAS-accredited PLM, next-day turnaround
- Slightly cheaper than the top pick
Against
- No PPE, stated plainly on the listing
- Not suitable for soil samples on this seller’s own note
Typically £28–£40
Check price on AmazonAsbestos Test Kit (1 Sample), Same Day Postage
Best on a budget
The cheapest genuinely credible kit here, and the one to buy for a single, straightforward sample where a big-name seller’s reputation isn’t the deciding factor. Same core promise as the others — UKAS-accredited lab, written report, easy instructions — at a lower price and, at the time of writing, a much shorter published review history than the top two picks. Not a red flag on its own, but worth weighing if it’s only a few pounds cheaper.
For
- Cheapest credible single-sample kit here
- UKAS-accredited lab, detailed written report
Against
- Much shorter published track record than the top two picks
- No PPE included
Typically £18–£28
Check price on AmazonTERZETTA Asbestos Test Kit (2 Samples)
Two suspect materials, one order
The two-sample step up from TERZETTA’s single kit, and the sensible buy once there’s more than one thing to check — Artex on the ceiling and a suspect floor tile underneath it, a common combination on a pre-1980s house. Same UKAS PLM lab and next-day turnaround, at a per-sample cost below buying two separate single kits.
For
- Covers two materials for less than two single kits
- Same UKAS lab and next-day turnaround as the 1-sample version
Against
- No PPE included
- Still not enough for a whole-room or whole-house check
Typically £45–£58
Check price on AmazonPRO-LAB Asbestos Test Kit (2 Samples)
A familiar test-kit brand, worth knowing the caveat
PRO-LAB turns up elsewhere on this site’s mould test kit guide, and their asbestos kit follows the same house style: two bulk samples, lab fee and return post included. The caveat worth knowing before ordering is the lab itself — PRO-LAB’s asbestos testing runs through its own US-accredited laboratory rather than a UKAS one, and turnaround is quoted at around a week, longer than the next-day UK-lab kits above. Same PLM method either way; it’s the accreditation body and postal distance that differ.
For
- Established international test-kit brand
- Two samples, lab fee and return postage included
Against
- US-based lab and accreditation, not UKAS
- Slower turnaround than the UK-lab kits on this list
Typically £42–£55
Check price on AmazonFull Asbestos Testing Kit (3 Samples)
A room’s worth of suspect materials
Three samples from the same seller behind the top pick, for a short list of suspects rather than one obvious candidate — the Artex, the floor tile under the carpet, the odd-looking board behind the fuse cupboard, tested together rather than across three separate orders. Same UKAS-accredited lab and next-day-on-arrival service, just sized for a room rather than one material.
For
- Three materials tested for less than three single kits
- Same established seller and UKAS lab as the top pick
Against
- Overkill if there’s genuinely only one suspect material
- No PPE included
Typically £65–£85
Check price on AmazonTERZETTA Asbestos Test Kit (5 Samples)
Premium pick — a full pre-renovation sweep
Five samples work through a proper suspect list before a renovation starts — ceiling coating, two flooring areas, a soffit or garage panel, one in reserve — at a meaningfully lower cost per sample than buying single kits separately. Same UKAS-accredited PLM lab and next-day turnaround as TERZETTA’s smaller kits. Worth being clear what it still isn’t: five samples chosen by eye is not a refurbishment and demolition survey, and won’t find asbestos you didn’t think to sample — behind a chimney breast, inside a void, under a later floor covering. It tests everything you can see and reach; it doesn’t replace a surveyor opening up what you can’t.
For
- Lowest cost per sample of any kit here
- Enough samples for a genuine pre-renovation sweep
- Same UKAS lab and next-day service as the smaller TERZETTA kits
Against
- Only tests what you choose to sample — not a survey of hidden areas
- No PPE included despite handling five separate materials
Typically £85–£105
Check price on AmazonTaking the sample without breathing anything you shouldn’t
Every kit here relies on you disturbing a small piece of a material that might contain asbestos, and the precautions matter more than which kit you buy. Dampen the area first with a plant spray or a wet cloth — a wetted fibre is far less likely to become airborne than a dry one. Never use a power tool, sander or drill; a hand scraper, a sharp blade, or breaking off a small offcut by hand is the right approach for everything on this list. Wear disposable gloves and a properly fitted FFP3 respirator, not an ordinary dust mask — fit matters as much as filter rating. Take the smallest sample that will do the job, seal it, then double-bag it before it goes near the post. Wipe the area afterwards with a damp cloth rather than a dry brush or household vacuum, which just redistributes anything disturbed. Wash your hands before anything else. None of this is included in most of the kits above — it’s worth doing regardless of what came in the box.
What a kit can’t do — and when the law actually requires a survey
A kit tests a material. A survey assesses a building. This is the whole point of this guide, so it’s worth stating plainly. A test kit gives you a yes-or-no answer, and which fibre type, for the one piece of material you sampled. It says nothing about the rest of the house, doesn’t assess condition or risk of disturbance across a building, and isn’t signed off by anyone accountable for the judgement of where to look. A survey does all three.
The duty to manage, and who it binds. Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, Regulation 4 places a “duty to manage” asbestos on whoever is responsible for non-domestic premises, and separately on the common parts of residential buildings — shared hallways, stairwells, roof voids and plant rooms of a block of flats or sheltered housing, not the inside of an individual flat. In practice this means identifying, recording and managing asbestos-containing materials, which is why a management survey, carried out by a competent surveyor to HSE guidance, exists as a distinct product from a DIY kit. A homeowner sampling their own garage roof isn’t bound by Regulation 4 the way a landlord managing a shared building is.
The refurbishment and demolition survey is the one that catches homeowners out. Regardless of who owns the property, suitable arrangements must be in place before construction, refurbishment or demolition work disturbs the fabric of a pre-2000 building — in practice a refurbishment and demolition (R&D) survey by a competent surveyor before work starts, not a homeowner’s own sample from the one area they thought to check. An R&D survey is intrusive by design: it opens voids, lifts flooring, and looks behind finishes a DIY kit can only sample where already exposed. If a contractor is coming in to do invasive work on a pre-2000 property, that’s the point to commission a proper survey rather than rely on a kit result from elsewhere in the house. The asbestos survey cost guide sets out what each survey type typically costs and which one a job needs.
Visual identification is not a substitute for either. Chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite — white, brown and blue asbestos — cannot reliably be identified by looking at a piece of Artex, board or floor tile. All three are treated identically under UK regulation regardless of colour; the only way to tell which, if any, is present is the lab test. Assuming “it’s probably fine, it doesn’t look like the photos” is the most common way people end up disturbing something they shouldn’t have.
Questions I get asked
Is a DIY asbestos test kit result legally valid? The lab result is a genuine, accredited analysis of the sample sent — that part is real. It isn’t a survey document. For a landlord, managing agent or duty-holder under Regulation 4, or anyone about to carry out refurbishment or demolition work, a kit result doesn’t satisfy the requirement for a proper survey by a competent surveyor — it’s evidence about one material, not the record a duty-holder needs to keep.
What materials in a UK home are worth testing? Artex and other textured coatings applied before 2000, vinyl or thermoplastic floor tiles and their black adhesive, corrugated cement roofing sheets on garages and sheds, soffits and bargeboards, asbestos insulating board around old fuse cupboards, and lagging on older pipework and boiler flues are the ones I flag most on survey. Loose-fill loft insulation is a rarer case needing specialist handling rather than a postal kit — if suspected, don’t disturb it and get advice first.
Can I just assume Artex has asbestos and skip the test? Treating any pre-2000 textured coating as if it contains asbestos until proven otherwise is a reasonable default. But assuming it’s fine because it doesn’t look like the photos is the risky version of the same shortcut — a £20–£40 test removes the guesswork either way before deciding whether a job is DIY or a licensed contractor’s.
What happens if a sample comes back positive? Nothing that was there before has changed — a confirmed result just means you now know to manage it rather than guess. Undisturbed, sound material in good condition is often safely left in place and monitored. Damaged or friable material, or anything about to be disturbed by planned work, is a job for a licensed or suitably trained contractor to remove, not DIY regardless of how the sample was taken. If the result changes the scope of planned work, that’s the point to bring in a survey rather than proceed on one sample.
If a test result — or the prospect of renovation work on an older property — has raised the bigger question of what else might be in a building, that’s the day job. The practice carries out building surveys across Sussex, Kent and the South East, and I’ll tell you plainly whether a job needs a management survey, a refurbishment and demolition survey, or neither — get in touch. For what each type of survey typically costs, see the asbestos survey cost guide. And for the rest of the kit worth carrying on a job like this, there are more field-kit guides.
Small print. This guide is general information, not a survey of your property or a substitute for professional advice on managing or removing asbestos-containing materials; if in doubt, don’t disturb the material and seek a proper survey first. Prices are indicative, move constantly and were checked at the time of writing; the linked page always shows the current price. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.