Flintkote Weld-On Cement: Product Reference

Product Description

Flintkote Weld-On Cement was a construction adhesive and bonding compound manufactured by The Flintkote Company, a building materials manufacturer that operated for much of the twentieth century. Flintkote was one of the larger producers of asbestos-containing building products in the United States, with a product line that spanned roofing materials, floor tiles, ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, cement pipe, and joint compounds. Weld-On Cement represented one entry in that broader catalog — a heavy-duty adhesive cement intended for use in industrial and commercial construction applications.

Products marketed under the Weld-On name were designed to bond, seal, or adhere construction materials in demanding environments, making them common on job sites where workers encountered the product during installation, maintenance, repair, and demolition work. Because Flintkote operated across multiple product categories simultaneously, Weld-On Cement was often used alongside other Flintkote materials, increasing the potential for cumulative exposure on any given worksite.

The Flintkote Company was eventually acquired and restructured, and its asbestos liabilities became the subject of extensive litigation and bankruptcy proceedings. Today, claims involving Flintkote products — including Weld-On Cement — are addressed through the legal and litigation framework established as a result of those proceedings.

Asbestos Content

Flintkote incorporated asbestos into a wide range of its building and construction products during the mid-twentieth century, a period when asbestos was widely used in the construction industry for its heat resistance, tensile strength, and binding properties. Cement-based adhesive products from this era frequently contained chrysotile asbestos, and in some formulations, amphibole varieties such as amosite or crocidolite, depending on the intended application and the manufacturer’s sourcing practices.

Litigation records document that plaintiffs alleged Flintkote Weld-On Cement contained asbestos as a functional component of its formulation. According to these allegations, the asbestos content was not incidental but was incorporated to improve the product’s performance characteristics — including its ability to adhere to substrates under high-temperature or high-stress conditions.

Plaintiffs further alleged that the finished product, when disturbed during normal use, could release respirable asbestos fibers into the surrounding air. Because asbestos fibers are microscopic and do not settle quickly, workers in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces would have faced prolonged exposure during product application or any activity that disturbed cured material.

The specific percentage of asbestos by weight in Weld-On Cement formulations has varied across litigation proceedings, and no single documented figure should be treated as universal across all product batches or production years. Claimants and their legal representatives should consult product testing records, safety data documentation, and deposition testimony from specific litigation files to establish asbestos content relevant to a particular exposure history.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers generally represent the primary exposed population documented in connection with Flintkote Weld-On Cement. The product’s use across multiple construction categories — including roofing, flooring, ceiling installation, pipe insulation, and cement pipe work — meant that exposure was not confined to a single trade or a single type of job site.

Application workers who mixed, troweled, or brushed Weld-On Cement directly onto surfaces faced the most direct exposure pathway. Opening containers, stirring product, and applying it by hand or tool could disturb asbestos fibers and release them into breathing zones. In enclosed industrial environments such as boiler rooms, mechanical spaces, and pipe chases, airborne fiber concentrations could accumulate without adequate ventilation.

Roofing and waterproofing workers who used cement-type adhesives to bond roofing materials, flash penetrations, or seal seams were regularly exposed to similar products in Flintkote’s line. Litigation records document that plaintiffs employed in roofing trades alleged exposure to Flintkote products during both new construction and re-roofing operations.

Floor and ceiling tile installers worked with adhesive cements as bonding agents beneath tiles, and plaintiffs alleged that Flintkote Weld-On Cement was present on job sites alongside Flintkote floor and ceiling tile products. The combination of multiple asbestos-containing materials in a single work area compounded exposure potential.

Pipe insulation and cement pipe workers — including those involved in the installation and repair of industrial piping systems — used adhesive cements to secure insulation materials and to join or seal pipe sections. Litigation records document that workers in these trades alleged repeated contact with Flintkote products throughout their careers, often in confined spaces where fiber dispersal was concentrated.

Maintenance and demolition workers faced secondary exposure when previously installed Weld-On Cement was disturbed during repair, renovation, or removal work. Friable or deteriorating asbestos-containing cement could release fibers during cutting, grinding, breaking, or abrasion — exposures that may have occurred years or decades after original installation.

Litigation records document that plaintiffs alleged Flintkote had knowledge of the health hazards associated with asbestos exposure but failed to provide adequate warnings on product labels or safety documentation distributed to workers and employers.

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.