Inorganic fiber formed article and method for producing the same

An inorganic fiber formed article comprising a mat-like aggregate of inorganic fibers,

• wherein the article is obtained by a needling treatment wherein a needling density per unit area of a surface of a mat exceeds 50 punches/cm2, and
• wherein the article satisfies all three requirements selected from the group consisting of requirement i), requirement ii), and requirement iii) as follows:
• i) a ratio of a number NA of fiber bundles extending in a thickness direction and located in a region with a predetermined width W of section A in a predetermined direction to a number NB of fiber bundles extending in the thickness direction and located in a region with a predetermined width W of section B in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, NA/NB, is 0.5 or less;
• ii) a width of each of the fiber bundles observed in sections A and B in the thickness direction is 0.3 mm or less;
• and
• iii) a needle mark is present in any 3 mm×3 mm region on the surface of the mat.