Some ceiling tiles made before the late 1980s contain asbestos, a hazarous substance if the ceiling is damaged or if it is disturbed by demolition.

Here we explain how to make a reasonable guess at whether or not your ceiling tiles contain asbestos, and at the same time we emphasize that there's no reason to panic.

Asbestos is safe and legal to remain in homes or public buildings as long as the asbestos materials are in good condition and the asbestos can not be released into the air. - US EPA & Other Sources

But you should take care not to create a dusty mess, and to avoid unnecessary expense and health risks caused by removing ceilings unnecessarily.

We also include photos of ceiling tiles that can easily be identified as not containing asbestos, and we describe how to safely collect a ceiling tile sample for asbestos test lab analysis.

5 easy steps to make a guess at asbestos hazard from unknown ceiling tiles

When Was Asbestos Used in Ceiling Tiles?

In the U.S. some but not all ceiling tiles contained asbestos as late as those made in 1989.

Asbestos was used in the some (not all) ceiling tile tiles and in drop-in tiles in suspended ceilings in the tile body or in paper facing or backing on the ceiling tiles; asbestos was also a common ingredient in some mastic adhesives used for glue-up application of ceiling tiles.

5 steps that you can take to determine the chance your own ceiling tiles contain asbestos are given below on this page.

Asbestos ceiling tile risk level?

For ceilings that are undamaged and are not to be disturbed such as by demolition, sawing, chopping, etc, there is no meaningful asbestos hazard to building occupants.

That's because asbestos-containing ceiling tiles are not considered friable - not easily made into dust.

But such tiles are nevertheless soft enough that unnecessary sampling or disturbance could release asbestos dust and particles.

In addition, some ceiling tiles such as used in suspended ceilings (drop ceilings) in older buildings often hold a collection of dust and debris (from other sources) on the hidden upper side of the tile. So don't disturb your ceiling enough to create a dusty mess.

We've inspected roughly 4000 buildings for visually-obvious asbestos materials including ceiling tiles. Where justified we recommended testing of some of those ceilings for asbestos. But often you can make an intelligent first-guess at the asbestos question from just the steps below and in some cases you can immediately rule-out asbestos.

5 Steps to Check your Ceiling Tiles for Asbestos

1. VISUAL INSPECTION of YOUR CEILING TILES - can rule in or out possible asbestos
2. LOOK FOR CEILING TILE MANUFACTURER'S STAMPS or CODES
3. CHECK THE BUILDING AGE
4. CHECK THE CEILING AGE
5. PREPARE A CEILING TILE SAMPLE for ASBESTOS TESTING

We include photos of asbestos-suspect and some examples of asbestos-free ceiling tiles in the article below.

Step 1: Look at the ceiling tile material, particularly its edges and back surface

A view of the edges or back of the ceiling tile are particularly helpful in ruling in or out asbestos, but don't create a dusty mess just to get a look.

Signs that the ceiling tile may contain asbestos

If an edge-view of your ceiling tiles is grey-white or simply gray like the photo above, they could contain asbestos - though not always. Other gray ceiling tiles are simply paper-based. For tiles like those in this photo, I'd recommend having a sample tested.

Signs that the ceiling tile is not at all likely to contain asbestos

On the other hand, by mere visual inspection, it is possible to identify some materials that are definitely not asbestos.

Example: ceiling tiles or suspended ceiling drop-in panels made of fiberglass are easy to identify simply by visual inspection. Notice the yellow or tan fine, coarse fibers in the photos below.

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Fiberglass, like that in our photos above and below is not an asbestos product. If your ceiling tile is homogeneous fiberglass it is not at all likely to contain asbestos unless by cross-contamination from another asbestos source.

More examples of asbestos-free ceiling materials are at

PHOTOS of ASBESTOS-FREE CEILING TILES

Step 2: look for manufacturer's stamps or data on the ceiling tile or its packaging

Look for any evidence of the manufacturer's name: a stamp on the back of a tile, packaging left-over, records of the installation.

Often one can infer the date of manufacture of a product by ancillary stamps or statements such as compliance with laws or standards whose initial date is known.

More detailed help is at

ASBESTOS CEILING TILE MANUFACTURERS

If you can identify the manufacturer of your ceiling tiles, also see this list of

ASBESTOS PRODUCING COMPANIES & TRUSTS

Some Manufacturers specifically say their ceiling tiles never contained asbestos

If the ceiling is made by one of the manufacturers who assert their products never contained asbestos or who give specific dates after which production of asbestos-containing ceiling tiles ceased that can answer the asbestos question for your home.

Step 3: Check the Age of Building - is it newer than when asbestos was in use?

Next consider the age of the home as a floor under the maximum age of the ceiling. If the building age is newer than the last date of use of asbestos in your country that can provide a credible "no asbestos" conclusion for the material in question.

For the U.S. that's 1989.

For the last-sale date for asbestos in other countries, see

HISTORY & DATES OF ASBESTOS CONTAINING MATERIAL BANS & REGULATIONS

Step 4: Check the Age of the Ceiling Tile Installation Itself

Next consider the age of the ceiling, e.g. dates or records of renovations - for the same reason given in the question above.

Date threshold: If the ceiling was installed in the U.S. after the mid-1980's and more certainly after 1989, it's not at all likely to contain asbestos.

In other countries, the last date at which asbestos products including asbestos ceiling tiles were sold will differ.

For more detail

see

ASBESTOS CEILING HISTORY / DATES

and also

ASBESTOS MATERIAL REGULATIONS - where we provide asbestos last used, last sold or last imported dates for most countries.

Keep in mind that a ceiling installed shortly after that production date could still contain asbestos if new old stock asbestos-containing ceiling tiles were used.

Step 5: Test the Ceiling Tile for Asbestos

If you know nothing about the ceiling and can not remove it without making a dusty (and potentially hazardous) mess, then you may want to have a sample tested.

If you have extra ceiling tiles that were not installed, collect your sample from one of those.

If you have to remove part or all of installed ceiling tiles,

see

• CEILING TILE REMOVAL PROCEDURES
• CEILINGS, DROP or SUSPENDED PANEL

See

ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST - certified asbestos testing labs

Watch out: when collecting a sample of ceiling tile for asbestos testing, you should be sure to collect the full thickness of the tile, as asbestos may have been used in only the ceiling tile core, or in some products, as a layer of asbestos paper on a surface.

Watch out: use a sharp utility knife or "box knife" to make a thin clean cut in a ceiling tile to be tested, or send an entire intact ceiling tile to your lab. Do not break the tile and don't try cutting it with a saw - we want to avoid unnecessary dust creation.

Make your cut over spread newspaper, then when your sample is complete and has been bagged in a zip-lok type clear plastic bag for labeling, fold up the newspaper for disposal. Use damp wiping and HEPA vacuuming to clean up any dust.

Forms of Asbestos used in Ceiling Tiles

If your lab test finds that asbestos was used in your ceiling tiles, usually it's a small percent of the total ceiling tile volume, and it will be one of the following forms:

Amosite asbestos, a widely used form of asbestos, was used in some ceiling tiles as well as in roof and floor tiles.

Chrysotile asbestos, one of the most commonly used asbestos fibers, was used in production of some ceiling materials.

Crocidolite asbestos was also used in ceiling tile production.

Tremolite asbestos (shown above): ceilings in areas where fire risk was a particular concern were sometimes covered with nearly pure tremolite asbestos board or, alternatively by cement-asbestos products. You'll find these as a fire barrier in boiler rooms and similar locations..

Our photo shows tremolite asbestos panels glued to the ceiling over a basement of a commercial building in White Plains, New York.

Dates of Ceiling Tiles: age, appearance, types, materials, manufacturers help ID use of Asbestos

This discussion has moved

to ASBESTOS CEILING HISTORY / DATES

Which ceiling tile brands are reported to have contained asbestos? Which ceiling tiles are asbestos free?

This topic moved

to ASBESTOS CEILING TILE MANUFACTURERS

This article series assists building buyers, owners or inspectors who need to identify asbestos materials (or probable-asbestos) in buildings by simple visual inspection.

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2024-01-22 by JCD - was asbestos ever mixed with cellulose based ceiling tile products?

Hello - I've noticed some references throughout this website that imply that a cellulose based product might be expected to be mixed with asbestos:

"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" - source: CELOTEX ASBESTOS PRODUCTS

"But usually the yellow papery like material such as shown in your photo of the ceiling tile edge is cellulose - a wood product.

Making trouble for that assumption is the fact that there were some similar-looking ceiling tiles that did include asbestos, as we describe separately."

Based on many conversations with asbestos experts, I've never really heard of a purely wood-based ceiling tile or wood based board deliberately containing asbestos, except in the glue or adhesive holding the tile up to the ceiling (this is common) or in the paint on the tile surface, or a similar coating (this is very rare and many people have never seen it even over decades of experience).

Just wondering if you have come across a concrete example of a wood/cellulose ceiling tile containing asbestos within the tile material itself, or it's just a theoretical possibility (i.e., cross-contamination is possible). I haven't been able to find more concrete information on this website other than the references above which imply that a wood-based tile might contain asbestos.

On 2024-01-22 by InspectApedia Publisher (mod) - No, Asbestos is not found in plant-based (cellulose) ceiling tiles nor in cellulose-based fiberboard - with rare exceptions

@JCD,

Bottom line:

Asbestos is not found in plant-based (cellulose) ceiling tiles nor in cellulose-based fiberboard - with rare exceptions of cross-contamination or in one report by Kollman cited here.

The yellow-tan wood fiber based ceiling tile fragment shown above atop a silver-painted steel post is not likely to contain asbestos except by cross-contamination.

Details:

Thank you, this is an important question; to clarify: in our article series on ceiling tiles and also fiberboard products we report that while cellulose products are generally a plant product and do not contain asbestos, there was at least one instance of reported cross-contamination when these plant-based (cellulose) products were manufactured at the same site where asbestos-based products were also being produced.

And of course given the wide range of human behaviour it's possible, if unlikely, that someone might mixed asbestos with othe4r insulating material such as cellulose or wood fiber even though as a commercial product for general sale that would be unusual.

At SHEATHING, FIBERBOARD ASBESTOS CONTENT
we state

The history of fiberboard insulating products is interesting in that while the product itself is not an asbestos-based material, there were some questions of cross contamination with asbestos because of the manufacturing location of some brands.

Fiberboard is basically a plant-fiber based product.

and later on that same page:

There were reports of asbestos cross contamination in fiberboard made at the same site where asbestos containing products were made. Since Johns Manville produced a wide range of other products, some of which contained asbestos, you could see why or how the question arose.

However to date, except for Kollman (1975) I have not found scholarly studies nor other information that confirmed that wood fiberboard based insulating board did actually contain asbestos.

Also see FIBERBOARD SHEATHING IDENTIFICATION https://inspectapedia.com/structure/Fiberboard-Sheathing-Identification-Key.php

Concluding:

In my OPINION even in that case of asbestos cross-contamination into non-asbestos products like ceiling tiles or fiberboard, the level of asbestos in such products is most likely very low, and in all events, if these products are not being made into dust such as by demolition, sanding, chopping, sawing, the level of such asbestos is most-likely below the limits of detection and so not hazardous.


Citation:

• Kollmann, Franz FP, Edward W. Kuenzi, and Alfred J. Stamm. "Fiberboard." In Principles of Wood Science and Technology, pp. 551-672. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1975. [Significantly this article refers to the occasional blending of asbestos with wood fiber products.] Lundgren, S. Ake. "Hardboard as construction material—a viscoelastic substance." Holz als Roh-und Werkstoff 15, no. 1 (1957): 19-23.
  
  [ cf p. 551 - This book is available from Utah State University, Springer and also online via Google Books and other sources - Ed.]

Here is the excerpt from Kollman p. 551

Perhaps, the best factor for classifying fiberboard is the density. This is internationally recognized. There is a rather simple difference between pressed and not pressed sheets hut the range of qualities is wide and there is an overlapping.

Another point which should be taken into consideration is the fact that wood fibers are blended occassionally with mineral fibers (such as asbestos), plastics and with other chemical additives.

Some half-hard fiberboard contain no less than 20% of thermoplastic bonding agents.

And thank you. That you took the time to post a question helps us see where we need to add or clarify information - workinig together helps us both.

On 2024-01-22 by JCD - this website is a tremendous resource

@InspectApedia Publisher, thanks for the thorough response. This is really a tremendous resource for people who are planning home renovations to understand the precise nature of potential risks!

On 2023-10-30 by Anonymous - do ceiling tiles with small holes contain asbestos?

Are ceiling tiles that we see often has small holes on it, and usually very white contain asbestos?

On 2023-10-31 by InspectApedia Publisher - not necessarily; small holes in ceiling tiles just mean it's an acoustic tile

@Anonymous,

The small holes in ceiling tiles (shown in ouir photo above) are usually simply an indicator that it's an acoustic ceiling tile.

That means it's intended to reduce building noise level.

It has nothing to do with whether or not it would contain asbestos.

Our best information on how to make a reasonable guess or to actually determine if ceiling tiles contain asbestos is in the article above.

Please take a look and let me know if any of that is unclear.

On 2022-11-24 by JC - asbestos in 1978 gray-white material making up drop ceiling tiles?

Hello - home built in 1978 with drop ceiling in the basement. There are no markings on the back. I was talking the tile Down and got concerned with the dust and found this site. Any help greatly appreciated. Seems to be standard acoustic tile?

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On 2022-11-24 by InspectApedia (Editor) - gray or white ceiling tile may contain some asbestos

@JC,

If you think the ceiling is of similar age as the house and particularly if in cross-section it appears to be gray or white, it may be a product that contains some asbestos. If it's clearly a brown fiber or fiberglass material that's not likely to be asbestos.

Of course for an absolute answer you'd have to have a sample tested. Keep in mind that if you're not grinding or chopping or making a dusting mess it's not likely that there's a hazard and the safest thing is to leave most asbestos materials or asbestos suspect materials alone or to cover them over.

Without a test I can't assert that that material in your photo contains asbestos but I can say that it's not the color or appearance of brown wood or plant fiber material that would have made asbestos very unlikely..

You should avoid creating a Dusty mess and if that's not avoidable it would be appropriate to have a sample tested for asbestos content.

If you decide to do that keep me posted

...

Continue reading at ASBESTOS-FREE CEILING TILES, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see ASBESTOS CEILING TILE FAQs - questions and answers posted originally at the bottom of this page. Or see ASBESTOS CEILING TILE FAQs-7 where other recent Q&A are posted.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• ASBESTOS CEILING TILE IDENTIFICATION - 5 Easy Steps to tell if CEILING TILES are likely to contain asbestos -
  • ASBESTOS-FREE CEILING TILES
  • ASBESTOS CEILING TILE ID REQUESTS
  • ASBESTOS CEILING TILE REMOVAL PROCEDURES
  • ASBESTOS-SUSPECT CEILING COVEROVER
  • ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST - certified asbestos testing labs
  • CEILING TILE HISTORY / DATES - asbestos ceiling tile history & Dates
  • CEILING TILE MANUFACTURERS - list of asbestos ceiling tile brands & how to identify them
  • CEILING TILE INGREDIENTS
  • CEILING TILE REMOVAL PROCEDURES
  • CEILINGS, DROP or SUSPENDED PANEL
• CEILING FINISHES INTERIOR
• CEILING PAINT TEXTURED / POPCORN ASBESTOS
• CEILINGS, DROP or SUSPENDED PANEL
• FIBERGLASS ASBESTOS COMBINATIONS
• HAZARD vs RISK - what's the difference, why you should care
• HISTORY & DATES OF ASBESTOS CONTAINING MATERIAL BANS & REGULATIONS

• 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
  
  CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.

Suggested citation for this web page

ASBESTOS CEILING TILE IDENTIFICATION at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to ASBESTOS HAZARDS

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