Abatibi Price® Hardboard siding failures & class action settlement information:

Abitibi™ (Abitibi-Price) siding was the subject of a class action suit associated with siding product failures.

This building siding material is a hardboard siding wood product that deteriorates when exposed to weather, de-laminating and swelling. Repair of other than the most trivial damage of Abatibi hardboard siding is not feasible and siding replacement is generally in order.

Common Causes of Abatibi Price and other Hardboard Building Siding Failures

Abatibi Price™ hardboard siding is similar to products sold by Masonite Corp., Boise Cascade, and Georgia Pacific Corp,all of which experience failures of delamination, swelling, softening, and general deterioration when exposed to water and weather.

Our own field observations show that the siding material deteriorates fastest and most severely where:

• The Abatibi hardboard siding (and similar products) has not been kept perfectly sealed and coated against water intrusion
• The Abatibi hardboard siding has been damaged by cuts, nicks, or by counter-sunk siding nails that penetrated its top skin and were not kept perfectly sealed
• The Abatibi hardboard siding has been exposed to high amounts of rain (weather side of buildings), or where it is exposed to roof spillage splash-up against siding, for example where building gutters and leaders are not installed or are not properly maintained
• The end butt-joints of the siding were not kept sealed where exposed to weather
• Water penetrates the siding and building wall at poorly-flashed or poorly-installed windows, doors, or other wall penetrations

How to Identify ABITIBI or other Hardboard Siding Products

Watch out: several hardboard siding products look alot alike from their exterior side, especially smooth products without a distinctive embossed pattern. To reliably identify the brand and manufacture date of a siding product you'll need historical data, bills and receipts, or you'll need to examine the reverse side of the siding for identifying markings such as those shown below at ABITIBI Siding Product Identification - Stamps & Markings.

Also see ABITIBI® Siding Back Codes below for help in dating the materials.

Attorney contact information for siding failures class action lawsuit

The law firm handling the case is Ezell & Sharbrough, P.O. 996, Mobile, AL 36601-0996 Phone: (334) 432-5297

If you have additional product failure examples you are welcome to contact us to provide additional field photos or information that may assist others in identifying and repairing siding failures.

ABTCO®/ABITIBI Abiti-Price Hardboard Siding Customer Support Information - Product Identification & Claims Information

Quoting from ABTCO/ABITIBI

Release No. 001-10-2000
ABTco contact
Gerry Soud: 704-948-1453

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 8, 2000

ABTco, Inc. Reaches Preliminary Settlement On Hardboard Siding Class Action Lawsuit 

Charlotte, N.C. - ABTco, Inc. announced today that it has reached a tentative settlement agreement with plaintiffs in a class action suit regarding siding that it sold under the names Abitibi lap or panel siding and/or ABTco lap or panel siding.

ABTco has entered into this agreement with the primary goal of servicing its customers' concerns quickly and appropriately. A key provision of the settlement is a program to allow eligible claimants to recover the costs of repair or replacement of damaged hardboard siding.

"The program reflects the confidence of ABTco that its siding products will perform," said Joe Kastelic, president of ABTco Building Products. "If the product fails to perform, the purchasers will be compensated for repairs or replacement of damaged product, including both labor and materials, subject to agreed upon exclusions and deductions."

The Court has preliminarily approved the settlement; and it will hold a formal hearing on September 21, 2000 to consider whether the settlement should be given final approval as fair, reasonable and adequate. Class members who do not wish to participate in the settlement may opt-out by notifying class counsel and the notice administrator by July 31, 2000.

"Even though the overwhelming majority of product is performing, the settlement represents a statement of confidence that ABTco can and will stand behind all siding products that the company has sold," said Kastelic.

Homeowners, who believe they have damaged Abitibi/ABTco siding, or who have questions concerning the program details, are encouraged to contact the Abitibi/ABTco Customer Support Office at 800-549-4465. Customers can also visit the website at www.abtcoclaims.com.

Final ABITIBI Court Order Text

Readers wishing to read the 25 May 2000 final court order involving this case can see Thomas A. Fostger and Linda E. Foster, et al., v. ABTco, Inc. ABT Building Products Corp., ABITIBI-PRICE, Inc., and ABITIBI-PRICE Corp. Civil Action No. CV95-151-M entered in the Circuit Court of Choctaw County, Alabama - [large slow loading PDF file]

ABITIBI Siding Product Identification - Stamps & Markings

Below are images provided by ABTCO® to assist in identifying ABITBI building siding by noting the stamped or dot-matrix printed markings on the back side of the materials. Also see ABITIBI® Siding Back Codes below for help in dating the materials. Enlarged versions of these images can be seen by clicking on our copies below,

Enlarged versions of these images can be seen also by visiting the ABTCO/ABTIBI website.

ABITIBI® Siding Back Codes

How to translate older back codes on Abitibi Siding

Letter to represent the month -2 digit for the day -(in 70's,1 digit for the year) -1 digit for shift -R (in 80's, 2 digits for the year)

• Example #1: A 01 51R -represents January 1, 1975 1st shift at Roaring River
• Example #2: B 02 62R -represents February 2, 1976 2nd shift at Roaring River
• Example #3: C 03 87 3 R -represents March 3, 1987 3rd shift at Roaring River

How to translate the Modern Dot Matrix Code Printed on Abitibi Siding

• 2 digits or one alphabetic character for month (see table below)
• 2 digits for day
• 2 digits for year
• 1 digit for shift
• Plant ID, e.g. R = Roaring River Plant

Example: 05 20 971 R - represents May 20, 1997 1 st shift at Roaring River

Where

Abitibi Dot Matrix Back-Printed Code Letter-to-Number Conversion Key

Abatibi-Price Siding Class Action Status

• Claim can be filed up to twenty-five years after the date of installation for siding that was installed between 15 May 1975 and 15 May 2000.
• Law Firm: Ezell & Sharbrough, P.O. 996, Mobile, AL 36601-0996
• Claim Administrator: (800) 549-4465
• ABTCO®/ABITIBI Abiti-Price Hardboard Siding Customer Support Information, web search 09/14/2010, original source: http://www.abtcoclaims.com/
• ABTCO®/ABITIBI Abiti-Price Hardboard Siding Final Court Order, web search 09/14/2010, original source: http://www.abtcoclaims.com/images/abtcoorder.pdf
• MASONITE WOODRUF® ROOFING OR MASONITE OMNIWOOD® SIDING LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT NOTICE - PDF file

Reader Question: What are my options regarding Abitibi Masonite Hardboard Siding?

(Sept 1, 2015) rondyredd@cox.net said:

I have a 24x56 Horton Home purchased in May 1981 from Horton Manufactured Homes In Eatonton,Ga.

The exterior siding was installed with Abitibi Masonite Siding. The siding is deteriorating, its swelling up, pealing, cracking and etc.

Please advised me on what my options are regarding this matter. I have heard that there is a recall on this abitibi Masonite hardboard. Please advise Rondy Redd

Reply:

Claim can be filed up to twenty-five years after the date of installation for siding that was installed between 15 May 1975 and 15 May 2000.

Homeowners, who believe they have damaged Abitibi/ABTco siding, or who have questions concerning the program details, are encouraged to contact the Abitibi/ABTco Customer Support Office at 800-549-4465. Customers can also visit the website at www.abtcoclaims.com.

...

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• SIDING, ASBESTOS CEMENT
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• TRIM, EXTERIOR CHOICES, INSTALLATION - hardboard and other types of exterior trim.

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