diff --git a/src/t8_cmesh.h b/src/t8_cmesh.h
index 7e89711312..a24d4dcb90 100644
--- a/src/t8_cmesh.h
+++ b/src/t8_cmesh.h
@@ -682,6 +682,18 @@ t8_locidx_t
 t8_cmesh_get_face_neighbor (const t8_cmesh_t cmesh, const t8_locidx_t ltreeid, const int face, int *dual_face,
                             int *orientation);
 
+/**
+ * Given a local tree id (of a local tree or ghost tree) and a face compute the eclass of the 
+ * tree's face neighbor.
+ * 
+ * \param [in]      cmesh   The cmesh to be considered.
+ * \param [in]      ltreeid The local id of a tree or a ghost.
+ * \param [in]      face    A face number of the tree/ghost.
+ * \return          The eclass of a neighbor tree of \a ltreeid across \a face. T8_ECLASS_INVALID if no neighbor exists.
+ */
+t8_eclass_t
+t8_cmesh_get_tree_face_neighbor_eclass (const t8_cmesh_t cmesh, const t8_locidx_t ltreeid, const int face);
+
 /** Print the collected statistics from a cmesh profile.
  * \param [in]    cmesh         The cmesh.
  *
diff --git a/src/t8_cmesh/t8_cmesh.cxx b/src/t8_cmesh/t8_cmesh.cxx
index 177a147d96..6539b71d7c 100644
--- a/src/t8_cmesh/t8_cmesh.cxx
+++ b/src/t8_cmesh/t8_cmesh.cxx
@@ -1198,6 +1198,36 @@ t8_cmesh_get_face_neighbor (const t8_cmesh_t cmesh, const t8_locidx_t ltreeid, c
   return face_neigh;
 }
 
+t8_eclass_t
+t8_cmesh_get_tree_face_neighbor_eclass (const t8_cmesh_t cmesh, const t8_locidx_t ltreeid, const int face)
+{
+  T8_ASSERT (t8_cmesh_is_committed (cmesh));
+  T8_ASSERT (t8_cmesh_treeid_is_local_tree (cmesh, ltreeid) || t8_cmesh_treeid_is_ghost (cmesh, ltreeid));
+  T8_ASSERT (0 <= face);
+
+  const t8_locidx_t neighbor_id = t8_cmesh_get_face_neighbor (cmesh, ltreeid, face, NULL, NULL);
+  if (neighbor_id < 0) {
+    // No neighbor was found.
+    return T8_ECLASS_INVALID;
+  }
+  const bool neighbor_is_ghost = t8_cmesh_treeid_is_ghost (cmesh, neighbor_id);
+  if (!neighbor_is_ghost) {
+    // Neighbor was found and is a local tree
+    return t8_cmesh_get_tree_class (cmesh, neighbor_id);
+  }
+  else {
+    // Neighbor was found and is a ghost.
+    // Translate ltreeid from range num_local_trees <= ltreeid < num_local_trees + num_ghost_trees
+    // into 0 <= lghost_id < num_ghost_trees
+    const t8_locidx_t lghost_neihgbor_id = neighbor_id - t8_cmesh_get_num_local_trees (cmesh);
+
+    t8_debugf ("in: %i out: %i, num t: %i num g: %i\n", neighbor_id, lghost_neihgbor_id,
+               t8_cmesh_get_num_local_trees (cmesh), t8_cmesh_get_num_ghosts (cmesh));
+    // Look up ghost tree class
+    return t8_cmesh_get_ghost_class (cmesh, lghost_neihgbor_id);
+  }
+}
+
 void
 t8_cmesh_print_profile (const t8_cmesh_t cmesh)
 {
diff --git a/test/t8_cmesh/t8_gtest_cmesh_face_is_boundary.cxx b/test/t8_cmesh/t8_gtest_cmesh_face_is_boundary.cxx
index 379e0e9b78..640806686c 100644
--- a/test/t8_cmesh/t8_gtest_cmesh_face_is_boundary.cxx
+++ b/test/t8_cmesh/t8_gtest_cmesh_face_is_boundary.cxx
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ TEST_P (cmesh_face_boundary_one_tree, check_face_is_boundary_one_tree)
     ASSERT_TRUE (t8_cmesh_tree_face_is_boundary (cmesh, 0, iface)) << "Face is not detected as a boundary";
     ASSERT_LT (t8_cmesh_get_face_neighbor (cmesh, 0, iface, NULL, NULL), 0)
       << "Face neighbor on boundary face detected";
+    const t8_eclass_t should_be_invalid = t8_cmesh_get_tree_face_neighbor_eclass (cmesh, 0, iface);
+    EXPECT_EQ (should_be_invalid, T8_ECLASS_INVALID)
+      << "eclass of non-existing face neighbor should be invalid but is not.";
   }
 }
 
@@ -162,6 +165,12 @@ TEST_P (cmesh_face_boundary_two_trees, check_face_is_boundary_two_trees)
           << "Face neighbor on boundary face detected. Tree 0 face " << checkface << ".";
         ASSERT_LT (t8_cmesh_get_face_neighbor (cmesh, 1, checkface, NULL, NULL), 0)
           << "Face neighbor on boundary face detected. Tree 1 face " << checkface << ".";
+        const t8_eclass_t should_be_invalid_tree0 = t8_cmesh_get_tree_face_neighbor_eclass (cmesh, 0, checkface);
+        EXPECT_EQ (should_be_invalid_tree0, T8_ECLASS_INVALID)
+          << "eclass of non-existing face neighbor should be invalid but is not.";
+        const t8_eclass_t should_be_invalid_tree1 = t8_cmesh_get_tree_face_neighbor_eclass (cmesh, 1, checkface);
+        EXPECT_EQ (should_be_invalid_tree1, T8_ECLASS_INVALID)
+          << "eclass of non-existing face neighbor should be invalid but is not.";
       }
       else {
         /* checkface == iface 
@@ -178,6 +187,9 @@ TEST_P (cmesh_face_boundary_two_trees, check_face_is_boundary_two_trees)
         ASSERT_TRUE (face_neighbor) << "Wrong face neighbor computed. Expected 1 got" << face_neighbor << ".";
         ASSERT_EQ (dual_face, checkface) << "Wrong dual face. Expected " << checkface << " got " << dual_face << ".";
         ASSERT_EQ (orientation, 0) << "Wrong orientation. Expected 0 got " << orientation << ".";
+        // Check t8_cmesh_get_tree_face_neighbor_eclass
+        const t8_eclass_t neighbor_class_tree0 = t8_cmesh_get_tree_face_neighbor_eclass (cmesh, 0, iface);
+        EXPECT_EQ (neighbor_class_tree0, eclass) << "Wrong eclass of face neighbor computed.";
         /* Check that tree 1 face is not a boundary */
         ASSERT_FALSE (t8_cmesh_tree_face_is_boundary (cmesh, 1, checkface))
           << "Face is wrongly detected as a boundary.";
@@ -191,6 +203,9 @@ TEST_P (cmesh_face_boundary_two_trees, check_face_is_boundary_two_trees)
         ASSERT_EQ (face_neighbor, 0) << "Wrong face neighbor computed. Expected 0 got " << face_neighbor << ".";
         ASSERT_EQ (dual_face, checkface) << "Wrong dual face. Expected " << checkface << " got " << dual_face << ".";
         ASSERT_EQ (orientation, 0) << "Wrong orientation. Expected 0 got " << orientation << ".";
+        // Check t8_cmesh_get_tree_face_neighbor_eclass
+        const t8_eclass_t neighbor_class_tree1 = t8_cmesh_get_tree_face_neighbor_eclass (cmesh, 1, checkface);
+        EXPECT_EQ (neighbor_class_tree1, eclass) << "Wrong eclass of face neighbor computed.";
       }
     }
     t8_cmesh_destroy (&cmesh);
diff --git a/test/t8_cmesh/t8_gtest_cmesh_readmshfile.cxx b/test/t8_cmesh/t8_gtest_cmesh_readmshfile.cxx
index 12ae892bd2..52a41b3f16 100644
--- a/test/t8_cmesh/t8_gtest_cmesh_readmshfile.cxx
+++ b/test/t8_cmesh/t8_gtest_cmesh_readmshfile.cxx
@@ -83,6 +83,11 @@ t8_supported_msh_file (t8_cmesh_t cmesh)
       ltree_id = t8_cmesh_get_face_neighbor (cmesh, ltree_it, i, NULL, NULL);
       ASSERT_EQ (ltree_id, face_neigh_elem[ltree_it][i])
         << "The face neighbor element in the example test file was not read correctly.";
+      const t8_eclass_t neighbor_eclass = t8_cmesh_get_tree_face_neighbor_eclass (cmesh, ltree_it, i);
+      // If a face neighbor exists, the return value must match the element type, otherwise it must
+      // be T8_ECLASS_INVALID
+      const t8_eclass_t reference_value = face_neigh_elem[ltree_it][i] == -1 ? T8_ECLASS_INVALID : elem_type;
+      EXPECT_EQ (neighbor_eclass, reference_value) << "mismatch in face neighbor eclass.";
     }
   }
 }