Berndt Friberg initially learned his craft between 1915 and 1918 at the Hoganas-Billesholms factory. Between 1918 and 1934 he worked for various ceramic studios in Denmark and Sweden. From 1934 -1944 he worked as a thrower for one of the most prominent Swedish potters, Wilhelm Kage, at the Gustavsberg Pottery. From 1944 until his death, Friberg produced pottery for the Gustavsberg Studio, the workshop reserved for the production of art pieces at the factory. He is unusual in that he not only designed his pieces but also threw and glazed each one.

Friberg ceramics are delicately glazed, undecorated, and sensitively formed. His work is strongly inspired by the Asian traditions in ceramics and bronze.

His many awards include gold medals at the Milan Triennale of 1948, 1951 and 1954. He was honored with a number of one-man shows during his lifetime. His work is included in the permanent collections of the National Museum at Stockholm, The Danish Museum of Decorative Arts in Copenhagen and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.