Asbestos Ceiling Tile Brands / Manufacturers
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
ARMSTRONG CEILING TILES
ARMSTRONG MINATONE CEILING TILES
- 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
See BOISE CASCADE CEILING TILES
- BPB ceiling products - [asbestos use not confirmed, dates pending - Ed.] [23] BPB purchased Celotex's ceiling products and drywall (gypsum board) product operations in 2000.
- Capul Brand suspended ceilings - [asbestos use not confirmed, dates pending - Ed.]
- Carey Canada, a Celotex subsidiary, mined and processed asbestos fibers and materials for use in some Celotex products.
- Carillon: See CARILLON CEILING TILES
- 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.
See CELOTEX CEILING TILES
Also see CELOTEX ASBESTOS PRODUCTS
Also see CELOTEX CEMESTO BOARD HOMES

- 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]
- Conwed Ceiling Tile: see CONWED CEILING TILES - Simpson Forestone Ceiling Tiles
- Domtar Ceiling Tiles -
See DOMTAR CEILING TILES
- Flintkote - asbestos was used in at least some Flintkote products.
See FLINTKOTE ASBESTOS PRODUCTS GUIDE
- FRF - see FRF CEILING TILES from USG
- Gyptone brand ceiling tiles - [confirmation of asbestos use & dates pending - Ed.]
- Homart ceiling tiles: see HOMART CEILING TILES
- Johns Manville Corporation Ceiling & Wall Paneling & Tiles - produced a range of products that contained asbestos; [confirmation of asbestos use & dates pending - Ed.]
See JOHNS MANVILLE CEILING WALL PANELS
- Malaysian Ceiling Tiles - see MALAYSIAN CEILING TILES
- National Gypsum Gold Bond - some products such as National Gypsum Gold Bond ceiling tiles packaging describe the product as "wood fiber ceiling tiles".
See details at NATIONAL GYPSUM CEILING TILES
[confirmation of asbestos use & dates pending - Ed.]
- Nu-Wood Ceiling Tiles: see NU-WOOD STA-Lite CEILING TILES
- OWA ceiling products -
See our discussion of OWA ceiling tiles and panels
at OWA CEILING TILES
- Owens Corning Fiberglass Ceiling Tiles - [confirmation of asbestos use & dates pending - Ed.]
- Pinex Ceiling Tiles - see details at PINEX CEILING TILES
- Sears Roebuck Ceiling Tiles:
see SEARS ROEBUCK CEILING TILES
- Sheres Ceiling Tiles made in Canada
See our discussion of Sheres at
SHERES CEILING TILES
- Simpson Forestone Fissured Woodfiber Acoustical tile - reader correspondence with the company indicated that this product did not contain asbestos.
See SIMPSON CEILING TILES
- United States Gypsum (USG) Ceiling Tiles - contained asbestos, 1967-1976 and possibly as late as USG ceiling tiles manufactured in 1981
See details at US GYPSUM 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.
Exxon Z384 Caballero 34562 E.D. ceiling tile identification - contains asbestos?
Exxon Chemicals Esteem Ceiling Tiles. Z384 Caballero 34562 E.D. are the only markings on the box. No mention of composition of tiles

I've tried to research these to see if they are asbestos, with no luck. I've added a photo for reference. Any ideas?
by InspectApedia Publisher - do Exxon Chemicals Esteem Ceiling Tiles contain asbestos?
@Rindalnicole,
I don't know that specific pattern of ceiling tile but if you go through the six easy steps at
https://inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Asbestos_Ceiling_Tiles.php#asbmaybe
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.

I found an old box of ceiling tiles in the garage. These are the same ones in my basement.
Cross section of ceiling tile

by InspectApedia Publisher - yellow woody fibers look like a plant product not asbestos
@Rindalnicole,
Those yellow woody fibers look like a plant product.

S30CT code on back of ceiling tile. Concerned it contains asbestos
@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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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- Thermafiber, Inc. (now a division of Owens Corning®) at Thermafiber, Inc., 3711 Mill Street, Wabash, IN 46992, Tel: 888-834-2371 (U.S. & Canada) - 260-563-2111 Website: www.thermafiber.com or Thermafiber technical services at 888-834-2371 (U.S. & Canada) ; Phone: 260-569-0801, Fax: 260-563-8979 or Email: technicalservice@owenscorning.com
- 3/07: thanks to Gary Randolph, Ounce of Prevention Home Inspection, LLC Buffalo, NY, for attentive reading and editing suggestions. Mr. Randolph can be reached in Buffalo, NY, at (716) 636-3865
or email: gary@ouncehome.com
- [1] Celotex 1973 Celotex Acoustical Systems catalog, January 1973
- [2] Celotex Home Building Materials, 1947 catalog, lists: Cane fiber products: Celotex sheathing, Celotex insulating lath (board), Celotex interior finish, Celo-Siding, Celo-Rok Gypsum products [may contain asbestos]: Celo-Rok anchor lath, Celo-Rock wallboards, Celo-Rok plasters, and Other Products: Celotex rock wool, Celotex roofing, Celotex hard boards, Celotex Cemesta, Celotex Corporation, Chicago IL
- [3] Celotex Insulating Cane Board, product catalog
- [4] Celotex Building Insulating Materials, 1948 Catalog, listing: Cemesto insulation, Cemesto roof decks, Cemesto exterior wall coverings, Cemesto interior wall coverings [we believe the Cemesto lines refer to cement-asbestos products - ed. ]
- [5] Celotex Sound Conditioning, 1948 Catalog, including perforated asbestos board sheets
- 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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