Promoting asbestos-free conversion of automotive friction materials

Category Industry Insights Published 2026-04-02 Source www.boerfibre.com

Abstract

Asbestos use may harm health and the environment and fails environmental rules in China, the US, the EU and other markets, so rapid asbestos-free conversion is described as an industry necessity. The article notes that clutch facings — the fastest-converting product line — were still treated as a separate asbestos item during the 2011 GB/T 5764 drafting, and that in late March 2014 the non-standard committee's Xiaoshan meeting explicitly made 'no asbestos in disc brake pads' an important quality requirement.

On hazards: one gram of asbestos contains about one million fibrils (about 0.5 μm in diameter, under 5 μm long) that can stay suspended in air and water for weeks; the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer lists asbestos as a Group 1 carcinogen; inhalation causes lung fibrosis, asbestosis, lung cancer, pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma and gastrointestinal cancers. On bans: the US restricted asbestos in 1971 and fully banned production and use in 1992; Germany banned asbestos products from 1993, France from 1997, and the UK banned chrysotile imports in November 1999, with the EU requiring member states to legislate bans by end-2004; Japan restricted use in 1975 and fully banned asbestos product manufacture in September 2006; Australia banned asbestos products in 1991; New Zealand banned blue and brown asbestos imports in 1984 and chrysotile in 2002; China's GB 12676-1999 and GB 21670 require brake pads to contain no asbestos, the 2002 No.32 order phased out amphibole asbestos from 1 July 2002, and MIIT announcement No.122 (2010) listed asbestos-containing friction pads among obsolete products; Taiwan classified asbestos as a toxic chemical substance in 1989.

The article cites a 2012 case: Chery and Great Wall recalled over 25,000 vehicles from the Australian market because engine and exhaust gaskets contained asbestos, raising OEM attention in 2013. On substitute fibres, it lists mineral fibre, ceramic fibre, steel fibre, glass fibre, aramid and carbon fibre, names mineral-fibre suppliers on the Chinese market (LAPINUS, Qingyuan Boer, Zhoukou Qifeng, Shandong Luyang, Shenqiu Guangtong) at about 5,000–15,000 yuan per tonne, warns that hard, irregular shot in some mineral fibres is harmful in use, and notes pad economics above 15,000 yuan per tonne while fibre prices keep falling. Requirements for substitute fibres: toughness and strength, suitable length, and dispersibility.

Key facts

  • Regulatory milestones: 2011 GB/T 5764 drafting; March 2014 Xiaoshan meeting — no asbestos in disc pads as a key quality requirement
  • Hazards: about one million fibrils per gram of asbestos; IARC Group 1 carcinogen; asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma
  • Bans cited: US 1971 restriction / 1992 full ban; EU by end-2004; Japan 1975 / 2006; Australia 1991; New Zealand 1984 / 2002; China GB 12676-1999 and GB 21670, 2002 No.32 order, MIIT No.122 (2010); Taiwan 1989 toxic chemical
  • Recall case: late 2012, Chery and Great Wall recalled over 25,000 vehicles in Australia over asbestos-containing gaskets
  • Substitute fibres: mineral, ceramic, steel, glass, aramid, carbon
  • Mineral-fibre suppliers cited: LAPINUS, Qingyuan Boer, Zhoukou Qifeng, Shandong Luyang, Shenqiu Guangtong; about 5,000–15,000 yuan per tonne
  • Fibre requirements: toughness and strength, suitable length, good dispersibility; watch hard irregular shot

The original article is in Chinese; see the Chinese version for the full text. This page provides the English title, abstract and key facts only — translated and compiled from the original, without full verbatim translation.