F35 Service Ceiling

The Exterior Service Ceiling

The service ceiling, or standard interior ceiling in a new construction home/apartment building, consists of an interlocking panel of steel placed between the front-loading beam studs and the ceiling joists above. The ceiling panels are usually of light steel grade A1 or 0-0-B steel for more strength and durability, but they are usually made of light machine-grade mild steel, or some type of aluminum.

Stem Style Ceilings

Standard homes in the U.S. use standard styles for their service ceilings, mainly A-1 and B-1. These types of ceiling panels are rated according to their thickness, stiffness and the number of exterior air-conditioning fans that can be installed on them at any one time. More specifically, they are rated for air handling, the distance between the air heaters and the heating and cooling vents, and the height above the floor for each fan; the air conditioner's minimum torque; and the voltage and temperature of the fan. A more detailed listing of common ceiling styles for a typical American home can be found on these pages.

The service ceiling in a typical home/apartment is designed to allow approximately 80 square inches of air to flow without contact with the tiles or other interior facing components. In other words, they are designed to prevent from the cool air from dissipating before it enters the room. They are also designed to provide adequate space in the room to hang items that you or the occupants usually move. They are not designed to allow for efficient air flow through the walls, to allow for air to come in contact with the wall, even if it is solid and non-porous; and they are not designed to store a large amount of air infiltration or infiltration as a part of a design, which can create a nuisance problem for any builder. However, in the occasional home/apartment where the ceiling is also used to carry heating and air conditioning or electric cords, it is not unusual to see a service ceiling installment that is large—at least as much as the area covered by the fascia separating the vertical beams and the ceiling rafters.

If you have thoughts about the service ceiling size and location, we’d like to hear from you. Please notify us of any problems you may have with your ceiling.