Flintkote Weld-On Cement

Product Description

Flintkote Weld-On Cement was a construction adhesive and bonding compound manufactured by The Flintkote Company, a large industrial materials firm that operated extensively throughout the twentieth century. The product was designed to create durable, high-strength bonds in demanding construction and industrial environments, and it was marketed for use across a broad range of applications where reliable adhesion was required under challenging conditions.

The Flintkote Company built its reputation as a diversified manufacturer of building materials, producing product lines that spanned roofing materials, flooring, insulation, pipe products, joint compounds, and specialty adhesives. Weld-On Cement fit squarely within this portfolio as a utility bonding product intended for professional contractors and industrial workers. Its applications overlapped with several construction trades, making it a product that circulated widely across job sites during the decades of its production.

Flintkote operated multiple manufacturing facilities across North America throughout its history, distributing products through supply chains that reached commercial construction, industrial plant maintenance, and infrastructure projects alike. The company’s broad manufacturing footprint meant that Flintkote-branded products, including Weld-On Cement, were present on a significant number of worksites during the mid-twentieth century, a period when asbestos use in construction materials was at its peak and regulatory oversight was largely absent.

Asbestos Content

Litigation records document that Flintkote Weld-On Cement contained asbestos as a functional component of its formulation. Plaintiffs alleged that asbestos mineral fibers were incorporated into the cement to enhance its performance characteristics—properties such as heat resistance, tensile strength, dimensional stability, and adhesion under thermal or mechanical stress were commonly cited reasons manufacturers of this era added asbestos to bonding and cement-type products.

Asbestos-containing cements and adhesives of this type typically relied on chrysotile (white asbestos) or, in some formulations, amphibole varieties such as amosite or crocidolite, depending on the intended application and the temperature thresholds the product was engineered to withstand. Litigation records document that plaintiffs raised claims specifically tied to asbestos content in Flintkote cement products, placing Weld-On Cement within the broader category of asbestos-containing construction compounds that were commonly produced and sold without adequate hazard warnings during the product’s years of manufacture.

The Flintkote Company itself became a focal point in asbestos litigation, and the volume of claims against the company across its product lines reflects the scope of asbestos use in its manufacturing operations. Court records and litigation filings establish that asbestos-containing formulations were not limited to a single Flintkote product but extended across multiple product categories the company manufactured, consistent with industry-wide practices of the period.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers generally represent the primary exposure population documented in connection with Flintkote Weld-On Cement. Because this product functioned as a bonding cement used in construction and industrial maintenance settings, it would have been handled by workers in environments where mixing, applying, cutting, sanding, or disturbing cement materials was part of routine work activity.

Litigation records document that plaintiffs alleged exposure occurred during several stages of product use. Workers who mixed the cement from dry or semi-dry formulations could generate airborne dust that contained asbestos fibers. Application of the product to surfaces—particularly in confined spaces such as mechanical rooms, pipe chases, or industrial plant interiors—could result in fiber dispersion in areas with limited ventilation. Workers who removed or disturbed previously applied cement during renovation or maintenance operations faced what plaintiffs alleged were significant secondary exposures, as dried asbestos-containing cement, when scraped, broken, or abraded, can release fibers that had been bound within the hardened matrix.

Given Flintkote’s product categories—which included roofing products, pipe insulation, floor tile, ceiling tile, joint compound, and cement pipe—it is likely that Weld-On Cement was used in proximity to other asbestos-containing materials on the same worksites. This created conditions where industrial workers could face cumulative exposures from multiple sources simultaneously. Plaintiffs in Flintkote litigation alleged that the company failed to provide adequate warnings about the health hazards associated with asbestos fiber inhalation, leaving workers without the information necessary to take protective measures.

Asbestos-related diseases documented in connection with occupational asbestos exposure include mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other pleural conditions. These diseases are characterized by latency periods that can span decades between initial exposure and clinical diagnosis, meaning workers exposed to Flintkote Weld-On Cement during mid-century construction projects may only now be receiving diagnoses.

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.