Flintkote Asbestos Cement Board

Product Description

Asbestos cement board was a rigid, flat-sheeting material manufactured for use across a broad range of commercial, industrial, and residential construction applications. Flintkote Company, a major building materials producer active throughout much of the twentieth century, produced asbestos cement board as part of an extensive product line that included roofing products, floor tile, ceiling tile, joint compound, cement pipe, and pipe insulation components.

Asbestos cement board was valued by the construction industry primarily for its durability, fire resistance, dimensional stability, and resistance to moisture. These properties made it a practical choice for applications where conventional wood-based sheet products would fail under heat, humidity, or mechanical stress. Flintkote distributed its building materials products widely through regional supply chains, and asbestos cement board produced under the Flintkote name reached job sites across the United States during the decades when asbestos-containing building materials were standard industry practice.

Flintkote Company operated as a diversified manufacturer and held significant market presence in the mid-twentieth-century building products industry. The company’s product catalog spanned multiple categories in which asbestos was routinely incorporated as a functional ingredient, and asbestos cement board represented one of the most widely used rigid sheeting products of that era.

Asbestos Content

Asbestos cement board manufactured during the period when asbestos was routinely used in construction products was produced using a Portland cement matrix reinforced with asbestos fibers. The manufacturing process involved combining hydraulic cement slurry with asbestos fiber stock, pressing the mixture under pressure into flat or corrugated sheets, and curing the finished boards to achieve the compressive strength and fire-resistance characteristics required for structural and finish applications.

Chrysotile asbestos was the most commonly used fiber type in cement board production during this era, though crocidolite and amosite fibers were also incorporated into certain cement-based building products manufactured and distributed during the mid-twentieth century. The binding of asbestos fibers within the cement matrix was intended to make the material stable during normal use; however, litigation records document that cutting, drilling, sanding, and breaking asbestos cement board releases respirable asbestos fibers that present serious inhalation hazards.

Asbestos cement board fell within the scope of building materials regulated under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), which directed schools and other facilities to identify and manage asbestos-containing building materials, including rigid asbestos cement products. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) asbestos standards, codified at 29 C.F.R. § 1926.1101 for construction work and 29 C.F.R. § 1910.1001 for general industry, establish permissible exposure limits and work practice requirements that apply to disturbance of products such as asbestos cement board.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers and construction tradespeople encountered asbestos cement board at multiple points in the product lifecycle, from initial fabrication through installation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. Litigation records document that workers who cut, scored, snapped, drilled, or ground asbestos cement board generated visible dust clouds and airborne fiber concentrations that exceeded safe exposure thresholds.

Plaintiffs alleged that industrial workers employed in facilities where asbestos cement board was installed as fire barriers, wall panels, ceiling backing, or equipment enclosures were subjected to repeated incidental exposure during routine plant operations, as well as concentrated exposure during repair and maintenance activities that disturbed the installed board.

Because Flintkote’s product line extended across multiple building product categories — including ceiling tile, floor tile, roofing products, joint compound, pipe insulation, and cement pipe — workers at industrial sites often encountered Flintkote asbestos-containing products across multiple trades and tasks simultaneously. Plaintiffs alleged that this multi-product exposure compounded the total fiber burden experienced over a working career.

Specific work activities associated with elevated asbestos exposure from cement board products included:

  • Sawing and cutting boards to fit framing or equipment enclosures, generating fine airborne dust
  • Drilling and fastening through board surfaces during installation
  • Breaking or demolishing installed board during renovation or facility modification
  • Sanding and finishing board edges or surfaces to achieve fit tolerances
  • Debris cleanup and housekeeping in areas where board cutting had occurred without adequate dust controls

Workers in industrial maintenance roles, facilities management, and general construction — the categories most frequently identified in litigation involving Flintkote building products — were among those with the longest and most intensive exposure histories. Plaintiffs alleged that adequate warnings about the fiber-release hazards of cutting and disturbing asbestos cement board were not provided to workers at the time of product use.

Asbestos-related diseases documented in connection with occupational asbestos exposure include mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, pleural plaques, and other pleural diseases. These conditions typically have latency periods of ten to fifty years between first exposure and clinical diagnosis, meaning that workers exposed to Flintkote asbestos cement board during peak production decades may only recently be receiving diagnoses.

This article is provided for informational and legal reference purposes. Nothing in this content constitutes legal advice. Individuals with potential asbestos exposure claims should consult a licensed attorney.

Documented Product Identification

The following details are drawn from public asbestos litigation records, manufacturer catalog pages, technical manuals, and corporate history materials. Each item reflects the product as documented in those sources.

Documented asbestos-use period: 1940-1982

Corporate context: Flintkote Company was a manufacturer of building materials, roofing products, coatings, and industrial cements. The company produced asbestos-containing products and also purchased and resold asbestos products from other manufacturers.

Brand identification: Products branded under names including Fibrex, Thermalkote, Rexalt, Decoralt, Decocolor, Decobase, Decoturf, Van Packer, Unimastic, Spraykote, Nu-static, Steadfast, Viskalt, Weldon, Skykote, Super Stakool, Flintdek

Documented asbestos components: cement, coating, mastic, felt, board, pipe, siding, shingles, floor tile, chimney components, deadener, sealer, adhesive, putty.

Industries served: Railroad, Roofing, Construction, Automotive, Flooring, Tennis court surfacing, Residential building, Commercial building.

Documented product lines:

  • R.R. Car Cement (1940s-pre 1968). Railroad car cements and sealants produced for various railroad companies including NYC R.R., IC, L&N, Missouri-Pacific, Southern Railway, and Pullman — asbestos components: cement.
  • Plastic Cement (Early 1940s-1982). Roofing plastic cement also known as Viskalt Flashing Cement — asbestos components: cement.
  • Fiber Roof Coating (FRC) (1945-1982). Fibrated roof coating for roofing applications — asbestos components: coating.
  • Fibrex Cement (Early 1940s-1982). Fibrated cement product also known as Fibrex I — asbestos components: cement.
  • GP-8 Tile Cement (Early 1940s-1982). Tile adhesive cement also known as R-14-C — asbestos components: cement.
  • Thermalkote (Late 1940s-1982). Insulating coating product also known as Filler Coat Binder — asbestos components: coating.
  • Asbestos Cement Board (1950-1970). Building board material containing asbestos fibers — asbestos components: board.
  • Asbestos Cement Pipe (1962-1977). Pipe products made with asbestos cement — asbestos components: pipe.

Flintkote manufactured numerous asbestos-containing cements, coatings, and mastics with asbestos content ranging from 1% to 65%. The company also purchased and resold asbestos products from other manufacturers including joint treatment compound, spray texture paint, and ceiling tile.