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FRF Ceiling tiles 12 x 24 inch asbestos? (C) InspectApedia SPAsbestos in FRF Ceiling Tiles
Do FRF ceiling tiles contain asbestos?

Some ceiling tiles bearing the FRF brand or stamp may contain asbestos, but to date, lab test reports found no asbestos in this product.

In this article series we discuss how to recognize & handle ceiling tiles that may contain asbestos.

We describe the appearance, ingredients, years of manufacture, history, and 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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Asbestos hazard FRF ceiling tiles?

FRF Ceiling tiles 12 x 24 inch asbestos? (C) InspectApedia SP

Reader Question: what's your opinion of the asbestos hazard in these 12" x 24" x 9/16" FRF ceiling tiles?

I posted a question about a month ago and it garnered no comments so I thought it was time to try the email approach.

I recently purchased a ranch home built in 1960. The basement has ceiling tiles that I would like to remove. Concerned about possible asbestos content.

Only visible notation is the lettering "FRF" on the back [of the ceiling tiles]

Your thoughts on the likelihood of these containing asbestos would be appreciated.

Thank you - S.P. 11/8/2014

Reply: looks like wood-cellulose, but for certainty, a lab test is needed

S.P., we're sorry that you didn't get a prompt reply to the on page comment - we are sometimes overwhelmed by comments meriting a reply.

The images of your ceiling tiles look like a wood cellulose product. There were some manufacturers (Armstrong) who say their ceilings never contained asbestos.

FRF Ceiling tiles 12 x 24 inch asbestos? (C) InspectApedia SP

The "FRF" mark on your ceiling tiles probably identifies the material as Thermafiber FRF® brand produced by USG Interiors, Inc. - see U.S. Patent "Low density non-woven material useful with acoustic ceiling tile products
US 8062565 B2"

The patent application (filed in 2009 - well after the cessation of use of asbestos in most building products in most countries) for that modern material describes it as follows:

[Note that there will most likely also be earlier versions of this product addressed by earlier patents and that the ceiling materials in your photos may indeed be older than this patent]

FRF Ceiling tiles 12 x 24 inch asbestos? (C) InspectApedia SP

A non-woven material, that can be formed into an acoustic ceiling tile, is provided. The material includes a substantially planar and self-supporting core of an inorganic base fiber and a synthetic thermal bonding fiber.

The synthetic thermal bonding fiber preferably has an increased bonding surface area that improves adhesion and porosity to provide a base mat or core with a low density to provide sound absorption required by an acoustic ceiling tile. - Cao, Bangji, Donald S. Mueller, Weixin D. Song, and Qing Yu. "Low density non-woven material useful with acoustic ceiling tile products." U.S. Patent 8,062,565, issued November 22, 2011.

The word "asbestos" never appears in this patent description. The ceiling tiles are described as an acoustic product intended for noise reduction and meeting ASTME84 (flame spread resistance) and ASTM C423 (Having a noise reduction property or coefficient (NRC) of at least 0.55).

More about the history of Thermafiber® and other applications of the material is at SHEATHING, FIBERBOARD

In general for ceiling tiles that are not identified absolutely, as we can't know an answer to the asbestos question for certain based on just these photos (without a lab test or ID of the manufacturer) and based on the age of the material it would be prudent to assume the materials are or could contain asbestos.

If you are faced with a costly or messy demolition then it's worth sending off a sample to an asbestos test lab - the cost is typically $50-$50 U.S.

See ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST

Reader Follow-up:

... I will send out a sample today and get the results back to you.

I feel very certain that these tiles are much older than 2009 as the gentlemen who owned the house has had breathing issues for many years and had done little to the house for the last 15 yrs.

He recently passed away at 82 after living in the house since building it in 1960. ...

Reply:

Yes the wood fiber version of insulating board and ceiling tiles dates back more than 50 years. However when we searched by product name suggested by the marking on your tiles, I did not (yet) find patent registration or other older data that would give a sure product name.

Most likely your ceilings don't contain asbestos but the lab report will be helpful both to protect you and to assist other readers who can recognize the same material.

Reader Follow-up:

Please find attached the [CEILING TILE ASBESTOS TEST] report [PDF] from EMSL regarding the ceiling tiles we were discussing previously.

As suspected by you from the start, they did not contain any asbestos.

Hopefully this helps someone else in the future. - S.P. 19 Nov 2014

Comments:

(Mar 13, 2015) Sergio Freddson said:
This is a very thorough article! I never realized asbestos was so common in residential homes. I guess I just always assumed it was used more often in commercial buildings. I'll have to double check a few areas in my home for asbestos tiles. Thank you for your advice!

Reply:

Generally asbestos-containing materials such as ceiling tiles are safest left alone and in-place unless the material is damaged, falling down, shedding, leaving debris that can be tracked through a home or otherwise made airborne. It's ok to paint over, encapsulate, seal, or cover-over such materials if occupants prefer. Unnecessary removal is actually more likely to be hazardous than leaving the material alone.


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