Asbestos-containing ceiling tile manufacturer or brand identification.
Here we list known producers of various types of ceiling tiles & coverings as an aid in determining whether or not a particular ceiling covering or tile is likely to contain asbestos.
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Which ceiling tile brands are reported to have contained asbestos? Which ceiling tiles are asbestos free?
Insulating board panel and ceiling tile and panel manufacturers produced a range of products, many of which may contain asbestos, but other ceiling and wall covering & building sheathing products made of organic fibers, wood fibers, cane fibers generally do not contain asbestos.
Asbestos was used in ceiling products at least as early as the 1800's and continued into the 1980's or possibly later depending on the country of origin and their use of these products.
Our photo (just above) shows an antique plaster and lath ceiling in a pre-1900 home. If your ceiling looks like this it's not ceiling tiles, though some old plaster may also contain asbestos.
Ceiling Tile Manufacturers that DID or DID NOT produce ceiling products containing asbestos
Affa Tile Company - supplier of terra cotta ceiling tiles [24]
Armstrong: the company says their ceiling tile products never contained asbestos. See
Boise Cascade ceiling tiles & other building products - Asbestos was used in some Boise Cascade products such as gaskets and asbestos sheeting; as of 9/11/2017, we have not found an authoritative source asserting that these ceiling tiles contained asbestos
Celotex Brand ceiling tiles - [confirmation of asbestos use & dates pending - Ed.]
Asbestos was used in some Celotex products and/or may appear in some Celotex products such as cellulose-based insulating board depending on when and where the product was manufactured.
Celotex was reorganized in 1997. See BPB notes above.
Celotex continues to operate in the U.K. selling polyisocyanurate insulating wallboard, not an asbestos product.
Chicago Metallic suspended ceilings - [asbestos use not confirmed, dates pending - Ed.]
Chinese ceiling tile product manufacturers, various; - [asbestos use not confirmed, dates pending - Ed.]
Note: tracking down the manufacturer of a ceiling tile product made in China can be difficult.
Our research (6/30/12) found more than 150 companies in China listed as producing ceiling tiles & coverings for export, using a wide range of materials including aluminum, calcium silicate, fiber cement [??], magnesium oxide, plastic, PVC (most widely used), acoustic materials, gypsum, mineral fibers, plasterboard, veneer-faced OSB panels, MDF, melamine-faced medium-density fiberboard MDF, chipboard, hardboard & similar wood products, porcelain tile, polycarbonate, and more. [25]
Johns Manville Corporation Ceiling & Wall Paneling & Tiles - produced a range of products that contained asbestos; [confirmation of asbestos use & dates pending - Ed.]
National Gypsum Gold Bond - some products such as National Gypsum Gold Bond ceiling tiles packaging describe the product as "wood fiber ceiling tiles".
Not all ceiling tiles contain or ever contained asbestos. Knowing the the history of ceiling tiles and their various ingredients, combined with the size, brand (usually unknown), visual appearance and location of ceiling tiles, and adding the age of the building or of the ceiling tile installation itself can often quickly decide whether special handling or further investigation is warranted when demolishing, remodeling, or otherwise disturbing a ceiling.
Watch out: During any construction, demolition, or building remodeling project, as dust and particles from many materials, even paper and wood can be irritating or harmful to workers and occupants, prudent procedure would include appropriate dust control, personal protection equipment, and cleaning methods.
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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above
Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.
DO THESE CEILING TILES CONTAIN ASBESTOS? (you are on this page)
You can make a reasonable guess.
As a general rule of thumb, though not completely reliable, if you look at the edge of the ceiling tile and it's obviously yellow or tan woody material, it's probably not an asbestos containing product.
You can post one photo per comment but as many comments (and therefore photos) as you wish.
A clear image of the pattern as well as any of the box labelling will be helpful.
On 2022-11-11 by Paul Stein - does this production code identinfy the brand & tell me if the ceiling tile contains asbestos?
S30CT code on back of ceiling tile. Concerned it contains asbestos
On 2022-11-11
by InspectApedia (Editor) - production code doesn't answer asbestos question
@Paul Stein,
I suspect that's a production lot code or date code; it doesn't identify the product nor the manufacturer, nor answer the asbestos question, but you might want to look at the easy questions above on this page to make a reasonable guess about asbestos in that ceiling tile.
Unfortunately without more data even the code alone doesn't identify the manufacturer or brand. Look at the ceiling tiles to see if there are more imprints or codes, and look in the building to see if there is any packaging, extra ceiling tiles stored somewhere, or records of their purchase.
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Celotex ceiling products division was purchased by Ceiling Products & Gypsum Wallboard (BPB) of the U.K. beginning in 1999
Celotex roofing products division was purchased by Certainteed Corporation (Valley Forge PA) beginning in 1999
[6] Certainteed Ceilings, Adagio fiberglass/mineral fiber composite acoustical ceiling product MSDS, web search 11/22/2011, original source: certainteed.com/resources/Adagio_MSDS_2010.pdf
[7] "Board of Education for the School District of the City of Detroit v. Celotex, et al., Circuit Court of Wayne County, Michigan, No. 84-429634-ND"
[8] Armstrong Corporation, web search 6/22/12, original source: http://www.armstrong.rs/commclgeu/eu1/uk/rs/FAQ_other.html, [Copy on file as Armstrong_Ceil_Asbestos.pdf]
[19] U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USDOL) (1994). In Occupational Exposure to Asbestos:
Final Rule, FR Vol. 59, No. 153:40964–41162. Materials, Report 2OT-2003. USEPA, Washington, DC.
[20] U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(USDOL) (1986). In Occupational Exposure to Asbestos: Tremolite, Anthophyllite, and Actinolite: Final Rule, FR Vol. 51, No. 119:22631–22644.
[21] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (1990). In Environmental Asbestos Assessment Manual, Superfund Method for the Determination of Asbestos in Ambient Air, Part 2, Technical Background Document, Report EPA/540/2-90/005 b. USEPA, Washington, DC
[22] Ceiling - Frequently Asked Questions, Armstrong Corporation, web search 6/30/12, original source: https://www.armstrongflooring.com/resclgam/na/ceilings/en/us/article17697.html
[23] BPB America Inc.,
5301 West Cypress St., Suite 300,
Tampa, FL 33607,
Tel: 866-427-2872
E-mail: crc@bpb-na.com
Web: www.bpb-na.com. Acoustic ceiling tile & accessories.
[24] Affa Tile Company
No. 1116/8, Poonamalee High Road, Opposite Hotel Shan Royal, Koyambedu
Chennai, Tamil Nadu - 600 107, India, E-Mail: affatiles@gmail.com website: http://www.affatiles.com Tel:044-24757498, 044 - 24757497
[25] Made-in-China.com, online sevice to connect buyers with product suppliers in China, web search 6/30/12
[26] "Directive 2003/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 March 2003 amending Council Directive 83/477/EEC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work". Publications Office of the European Union. 27 March 2003 Web search 6/30/12, original source: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32003L0018:EN:NOT,
[27] H. M. Murray, testimony before the Departmental Committee on Compensation for Industrial Diseases "Minutes of Evidence, Appendices and Index", 1907. p. 127
[28] D. Auribault, "Note sur l'Hygiène et la Sécurité des Ouvriers dans les Filatures et Tissages d'Amianté (On hygiene and security of the workers in the spinning and weaving of asbestos)" in Le Bulletin de l'Inspection du Travail, 1906, pp 120–132.
[29] Wikipedia entry on Asbestos and various citations from that article, web search 6/30/12, original source: en.wikipedia.org "Asbestos"
In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
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