In Queensland apartments, the “front door” is usually a fire door set. Some fire doors — including doors installed in buildings constructed before 1990, doors from a recalled supply window in 1993–1998, and doors installed as recently as 2025 — can involve asbestos risk if the core is disturbed.

So when a locksmith says, “I’m not drilling that until we check,” it’s not being difficult — it’s a risk control decision. Drilling, boring, morticing, enlarging holes, or cutting into a fire door can create two separate problems:

• Health / contamination risk if asbestos fibres are released
• Fire door compliance risk — fire doors are certified systems; uncontrolled penetrations can compromise performance

This article clarifies: the three confirmed risk windows, what your locksmith is looking for, what white dust does and does not mean, what Queensland guidance says, and what the safest next step usually is.

For the broader picture on fire door compliance and smart lock upgrades, see our companion guides: Apartment Fire Doors on the Gold Coast: What Locks Are Actually Compliant? and Secondary Locks & the One-Penetration Principle.

This guide was reviewed and updated in May 2026. Regulatory information reflects guidance available as at April 2026.

Why your unit entry door is usually a fire door

In all Queensland apartment buildings (Class 2 buildings under the NCC), each unit must be fire-separated from the common corridor. That almost always means the main unit entrance is a fire resistant door set — not just a standard door leaf.

Fire door set = system. It’s the door leaf + frame + approved hardware (closer, hinges, latching hardware, seals). Changes to one part can affect the whole certified assembly.

That’s why locksmiths take a fundamentally different approach on apartment doors than they would on a typical internal door. See: Chapter 05 — Fire Door Smart Locks in the Smart Lock Buyer’s Guide.

What your locksmith is worried about

The core may be asbestos-containing. Some fire doors historically used asbestos-containing core/insulation materials. There are now three confirmed risk windows covering installations from before 1990 through to mid-2025 — including a current active alert covering Pyropanel-branded doors from a recent Chinese supply chain.

Critical point: An asbestos door can be low risk when intact and undisturbed, but become a higher-risk job the moment you drill, cut, rout, or expose the core. Many lock installations require exactly those actions.

Your locksmith is trying to prevent an “easy lock job” becoming an asbestos disturbance event and/or a non-compliant fire door modification.

The three confirmed risk windows

There is a common misconception that asbestos in fire doors is only a problem in older buildings. There are now three confirmed risk windows — one historical, one from a 1990s government recall, and one currently active. The door tag date is your first clue as to which window applies.

Risk Window 3 — ACTIVE ALERT (Multiple Regulators)

2021 to May 2025 — Pyropanel FRB contamination (Assa Abloy / Firemex)

This is a current and active alert co-issued by: WorkSafe QLD, WorkSafe Victoria, WorkSafe WA, the Australian Border Force (ABF), SafeWork NSW, SafeWork SA, NT WorkSafe, WorkSafe New Zealand, the ACCC, and the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency, through the Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities (HWSA).

The Australian Border Force detected chrysotile asbestos within Fire Rated Boards (FRBs) branded Pyropanel, imported by ASSA ABLOY Australia from China. These FRBs were imported into Australia between 2021 and May 2025, and on-supplied to New Zealand up to August 2025. The FRBs were then supplied to Australian and New Zealand customers for use as the internal core material in the manufacture of fire doors.

The asbestos was not present by design. This is a contamination event in the overseas raw material supply chain. The contamination was non-uniform — not all doors in the affected window are confirmed to be contaminated. However, because there is no reliable visual method of distinguishing affected from unaffected doors, the official regulatory position is: treat any Pyropanel FRB door from this supply period as containing asbestos until confirmed otherwise by NATA-accredited laboratory testing.

Asbestos type detected

Chrysotile (white asbestos)

Detected by

Australian Border Force (ABF)

Supply window

2021 to May 2025 (Australia)
up to August 2025 (New Zealand)

Importer (Australia)

ASSA ABLOY Australia (Pyropanel brand); also Firemex Pty Ltd

Critical distinction: FRB vs FR Board

AFFECTED — Pyropanel FRB

Fire Rated Board (FRB). Used as internal door core material. Prohibited from new installation. Affected installed doors must be placed on asbestos register.

NOT AFFECTED — Pyropanel FR Board

FR Board is a separate Pyropanel product. It has not been found to contain asbestos and is not part of this alert.

Risk during normal use: Very low to negligible when the door is intact and the FRB is not exposed. Risk increases significantly when work must be undertaken on the fire door that disturbs the FRB — such as replacing hardware or installing a smart lock. This is precisely the situation a locksmith faces.

Required actions for affected doors (per HWSA, WHSQ and WorkSafe regulators):

• Affected FRBs not yet installed: Prohibited from installation. Must be disposed of as asbestos waste.
• Affected doors already installed: Record on the building’s asbestos register. Implement asbestos management plan. Dispose of as asbestos waste once compliant replacement fire doors are available — do not remove before replacements are ready as this would compromise fire integrity.
• Do not disturb: If the door is intact and the FRB is not exposed, leave it in place and record it. Do not drill or undertake hardware work until the door has been assessed.
• Contact your supplier: Commercial customers of Assa Abloy who believe they received an affected FRB delivery should contact their Assa Abloy sales representative. If your door was supplied by Firemex Pty Ltd between 2021 and 2025, contact Firemex directly.

New Zealand voluntary recall (Pacific Door Systems / PDS)

In New Zealand, Pacific Door Systems Limited (PDS) issued a voluntary recall of Pyropanel-brand fire doors with an FRB core, sold or supplied from 1 March 2021 to 11 August 2025. Affected product codes: VP120, VP180, and VP240. NZ Product Safety recall notice →

Official government sources — Risk Window 3:

• Workplace Health and Safety Queensland — Update on asbestos in fire doors
• WHSQ Alert — Imported asbestos fire door core (Firemex)
• WorkSafe Victoria — Safety Alert: Asbestos-containing fire rated boards
• WorkSafe WA — Imported asbestos fire door core
• HWSA Safety Alert — Asbestos in fire rated boards (Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency)
• HWSA Safety Alert (full PDF)
• OHS Reps — HWSA Safety Alert in full (readable format)
• Pyropanel / ASSA ABLOY — Important Notification FRB (manufacturer notice, updated 28 October 2025)
• Asbestos Queensland — Update on asbestos in fire doors

Risk Window	Date Range	Product / Manufacturer	Status
Window 1 — Historical asbestos core	Before January 1990	Various manufacturers. Asbestos thermal insulation in core.	Established guidance
Window 2 — Korab / Pyrokor recall	1 Jan 1993 to 3 Sep 1998	Theo Holdings / Barok Industries (Korab / Pyrokor). Failed fire resistance rating and contained asbestos. Federal recall 1999.	Recalled 1999 — may still be in place
Window 3 — Pyropanel FRB contamination	2021 to May 2025	Pyropanel FRB (ASSA ABLOY import, Firemex supply). Chrysotile asbestos contamination in Chinese-sourced FRB board. Not present by design.	ACTIVE ALERT — April 2026

Telltale signs locksmiths check first (without drilling)

Important: there is no reliable visual confirmation of asbestos. These checks are about risk ranking before anyone disturbs the door.

1) The fire door tag / plate

A compliant fire door set is usually tagged. Your locksmith will photograph the tag because it can show the manufacturer, door rating details, and often the year of manufacture. A missing or illegible tag is a major red flag. The tag date is the primary indicator for all three risk windows:

• Pre-1990: Risk Window 1 — historical asbestos core possible.
• 1993–1998, Korab or Pyrokor brand: Risk Window 2 — subject to 1999 federal recall.
• 2021–2025, Pyropanel brand: Risk Window 3 — active alert, treat as asbestos until NATA lab confirmed.

2) The top edge of the door (the sandwich panel clue)

Many fire doors are built with a skin–core–skin construction. If the top edge shows a sandwich structure and the core is visible, that can raise suspicion — especially if the core looks board-like or crumbly.

Do not misread this: sandwich construction is not proof of asbestos. Many non-asbestos fire cores also look like a sandwich. The point is that visible core increases the need for caution — particularly combined with a tag date in one of the three risk windows.

Sandwich panel example: The top edge of this apartment fire door shows a visible skin–core–skin construction. When asbestos-based core material is disturbed by drilling or enlarging hardware cut-outs, it can create airborne fibre risk.

3) Exposed core at common failure points

Your locksmith will look (without scraping or sanding) for core exposure at:

• Top edge (especially if the door has been planed or trimmed)
• Bottom edge (damage, swelling, wear)
• Existing lock cavity / latch area (previous hardware changes can expose core)
• Overpanels above the door (sometimes fire-rated too, sometimes overlooked)

4) Door brand, model and tag date — now more important than ever

Building age alone is no longer sufficient. The Pyropanel FRB contamination event means that doors installed as recently as mid-2025 in brand-new buildings may be affected. A competent locksmith will check the tag date and brand regardless of whether the building looks new.

“If it makes white powder, does that mean it’s asbestos?”

No. Dust colour is not a reliable test. Many non-asbestos fire-rated core materials — including calcium silicate and some FRB formulations — can also produce pale dust.

What actually confirms asbestos: Proper sampling and analysis by a NATA-accredited laboratory. Queensland guidance also notes that handheld near-infrared tools are not an appropriate test method for identifying asbestos-containing materials. NATA accreditation is the only legally recognised standard for asbestos analysis in Australia.

If drilling has already occurred: Stop work. Don’t enlarge the hole, don’t “clean it up” with household vacuuming, and don’t keep machining the door. Treat as suspect until competent assessment advises otherwise.

The material locksmiths worry about most: Low Density Asbestos Fibre Board (LDB)

Technical detail (Risk Window 1 — pre-1990 doors): Queensland asbestos guidance describes LDB as containing up to 70% asbestos by volume and notes it is softer than asbestos cement sheeting and can break up more easily when disturbed, increasing the likelihood of airborne fibre exposure. It is classified as friable asbestos-containing material and is generally handled under stricter controls. Asbestos Queensland — LDB information →

Risk Window 3 note (Pyropanel FRB): The FRB contamination event involves chrysotile asbestos in a composite cement-type board. The HWSA safety alert notes the risk is very low to negligible when the door is intact. However, the risk increases significantly when work must be undertaken that disturbs the FRB — such as replacing hardware. A lock installation is exactly this scenario.

This is why a locksmith may refuse to proceed without confirmation — especially when the tag date falls in any of the three risk windows.

“Why doesn’t the building have an asbestos register?”

This is one of the most common frustrations for trades. In Queensland, asbestos register requirements are clear in workplace contexts — but strata is often messy in practice, and the right documents aren’t always available on the day.

Practical takeaway: If asbestos information is not available and the door has risk indicators (pre-1990 build, Korab brand, or Pyropanel tag from 2021–2025), the safest approach is to pause work until the door is properly assessed. “No register” does not equal “no asbestos”.

Do not push trades to “just do it”. If your locksmith is warning you about asbestos risk, pushing them to proceed shifts the risk onto occupants, cleaners, and future trades — not just the person holding the drill.

Following the Pyropanel FRB contamination alert, any installed Pyropanel FRB door from the 2021–2025 supply window must be added to the building’s asbestos register, even if the building was constructed after the 2003 asbestos ban.

What an asbestos register typically includes:

• Location of identified material (e.g. “Unit entry fire door – Level 3”)
• Material description (e.g. fire rated board / door core)
• Condition assessment (good, damaged, deteriorating)
• Risk classification and recommended control measures
• Date of inspection and review cycle

Important: If your locksmith requests access to the asbestos register before drilling a fire door, this is standard due-diligence practice. Absence of a register does not confirm absence of asbestos. Asbestos Queensland — asbestos registers and access for trades →

Are doors installed after 1990 asbestos-free?

No — not necessarily. The 2021–2025 Pyropanel FRB alert has changed the answer to this question. Before this alert, the general guidance was that fire doors from 1990 onward were unlikely to contain asbestos. That guidance was accurate for its time. It is no longer sufficient on its own.

There are now three risk windows — and Risk Window 3 covers doors installed in brand-new buildings as recently as mid-2025. The national asbestos ban has been in place since 31 December 2003. The Pyropanel FRB contamination demonstrates that this ban can be circumvented when overseas suppliers use asbestos-containing raw materials misclassified as asbestos-free.

Updated practical approach:

• Pre-1990 doors: Risk Window 1 applies. Assume asbestos until NATA lab confirmed.
• 1993–1998 Korab/Pyrokor doors: Risk Window 2 applies. Federal recall. Confirm with building manager before any work.
• 2021–2025 Pyropanel FRB doors: Risk Window 3 — active alert. Treat as asbestos until NATA lab confirmed. This applies regardless of building age.
• All other periods: Lower risk, but visible core exposure, missing fire tags, damaged panels, or unknown supply history still justify pausing and seeking assessment before drilling.

A cautious assessment before any penetration is far safer than assuming compliance based on building age alone.

What to do next (if your locksmith raised an asbestos concern)

1. Confirm whether it’s a fire door set. Look for a fire door tag/plate. Photograph it. Note the date and brand.
2. Check which risk window applies. Pre-1990 = Window 1. Tag date 1993–1998, Korab/Pyrokor brand = Window 2 (recalled 1999). Tag date 2021–2025, Pyropanel brand = Window 3 (active alert 2025–2026).
3. Do not drill “to check”. If the core is suspect, drilling is the disturbance event.
4. Ask strata/building management for asbestos information. If it exists, it should be shared with trades before work starts. For Risk Window 3 (Pyropanel FRB), ask whether the building has received any notification from ASSA ABLOY, Firemex, or WorkSafe.
5. If the door is damaged and loose material is exposed, stop. Queensland fire door guidance indicates damaged doors exposing loose asbestos material require removal by certified asbestos removalists.
6. Arrange competent assessment/testing if needed. Proper sampling and NATA-accredited lab analysis is the only legally defensible pathway. Cost is typically $100–$300 per sample.
7. For Risk Window 3 specifically: Commercial customers of Assa Abloy who believe they received an affected FRB delivery should contact their Assa Abloy sales representative directly. If the door was supplied by Firemex Pty Ltd between 2021 and 2025, contact Firemex to confirm.

Hardware installation warning (applies to any lock install on an at-risk door): If your installation requires new holes (through-bolts, new spindle holes, larger morticing, new cable pass-throughs), asbestos risk must be resolved first. If existing holes can be reused exactly, disturbance risk is significantly reduced — but assessment should still confirm whether the door falls in a risk window.

Official references (updated April 2026)

Queensland and national regulators:

• Queensland Fire Department – Fire Doors information sheet (PDF) — includes Korab/Pyrokor recall details
• Workplace Health and Safety Queensland – Update on asbestos in fire doors
• WHSQ Alert – Imported asbestos fire door core (Firemex Pty Ltd)
• Asbestos Queensland – Update on asbestos in fire doors
• Asbestos Queensland – Low density asbestos fibre board (LDB)
• Asbestos Queensland – Asbestos registers, access for trades, and testing guidance

National safety alert — Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities (HWSA):

• HWSA – Safety alert: asbestos in fire rated boards used in manufacture of certain fire doors
• HWSA Safety Alert — Full PDF
• OHS Reps — HWSA Safety Alert in full (readable format)

Other state regulators:

• WorkSafe Victoria – Safety Alert: Asbestos-containing fire rated boards
• WorkSafe WA – Imported asbestos fire door core

Manufacturer notification and product recall:

• Pyropanel (ASSA ABLOY) – Important Notification FRB (updated 28 October 2025)
• Product Safety New Zealand – Voluntary recall: Pacific Door Systems Ltd (PDS) Pyropanel fire doors

Korab / Pyrokor recall (1999):

• Commonwealth Government – Hockey orders fire door recall, 8 June 1999
• Queensland Fire Department Information Sheet – includes Korab/Pyrokor recall FAQ

Related Guides

Want a Second Opinion Before Anyone Drills?

If you’re on the Gold Coast and your locksmith has raised an asbestos concern, we can help you risk-rank the door before work proceeds.

Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not asbestos removal advice. The three risk windows described reflect information available from Australian and Queensland regulators as at April 2026 and may be updated as investigations continue. Asbestos identification requires competent assessment and/or NATA-accredited laboratory testing. If you suspect asbestos, do not disturb the material and follow Queensland regulator guidance and site-specific procedures. Information about the Pyropanel FRB contamination event is evolving — check the official government sources linked above for the latest guidance.