Gold Bond Hexagonal Shingles

Product Description

Gold Bond Hexagonal Shingles were a roofing and exterior surface product manufactured by National Gypsum Company under the Gold Bond brand name. National Gypsum built the Gold Bond line into one of the most recognized product families in American building materials, spanning a wide range of construction applications including wallboard, joint compounds, ceiling tiles, and roofing products. The hexagonal shingle design was a distinctive format common in mid-twentieth century residential and commercial construction, offering a decorative geometric profile intended to provide both weather protection and visual appeal.

National Gypsum Company operated manufacturing facilities across the United States and supplied building materials to contractors, builders, and industrial customers throughout much of the twentieth century. The Gold Bond brand represented the company’s commitment to a broad product portfolio, and hexagonal shingles were part of a lineup that addressed demand for durable exterior cladding and roofing solutions. These products were widely distributed through building supply chains and were installed in residential homes, commercial properties, and industrial facilities during their years of production.

Hexagonal shingles of this era were typically applied in overlapping courses on roofing surfaces, and they were handled directly by installers, roofers, and construction workers involved in both new construction and renovation projects. The product’s durability claims made it an attractive choice for builders who prioritized weather resistance and longevity.

Asbestos Content

Gold Bond Hexagonal Shingles fall within a category of roofing and exterior surface materials that litigation records document as having contained asbestos during periods of production in the mid-to-late twentieth century. Asbestos was incorporated into many shingle and exterior panel products of this era because of its well-established properties as a fire retardant, binder, and reinforcing agent. Chrysotile asbestos, and in some formulations amphibole fiber types, were commonly used in cement-based and composite shingle products to improve tensile strength, increase resistance to heat and weathering, and extend product service life.

Plaintiffs alleged that Gold Bond Hexagonal Shingles, as manufactured by National Gypsum Company, contained asbestos fiber as a component of their composition during relevant production periods. Because National Gypsum’s Gold Bond line spanned multiple product categories — including joint compounds, ceiling tiles, pipe insulation materials, and refractory products — the company’s overall manufacturing history has been extensively examined in asbestos litigation. The specific asbestos content of individual Gold Bond products, including hexagonal shingles, has been addressed in this broader litigation context.

Documentation in asbestos litigation proceedings has associated National Gypsum’s manufacturing operations with the use of asbestos-containing raw materials supplied to various product lines. The presence of asbestos in roofing and exterior shingle products manufactured during the relevant era was consistent with industry-wide practices that persisted until regulatory action by the Environmental Protection Agency and increased awareness of asbestos health hazards prompted reformulation or discontinuation of such products.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers and tradespeople involved in the manufacture, distribution, installation, and removal of Gold Bond Hexagonal Shingles faced potential occupational asbestos exposure through several documented pathways.

Manufacturing workers at National Gypsum production facilities where asbestos-containing shingle products were produced were exposed to raw asbestos fiber during mixing, pressing, cutting, and finishing operations. Litigation records document that manufacturing environments of this type generated significant airborne fiber concentrations before adequate engineering controls and respiratory protection requirements were established.

Roofers and installation contractors who handled hexagonal shingles on job sites were exposed during cutting, trimming, and fitting operations. Shingles required cutting to fit around roof edges, penetrations, valleys, and irregular surfaces. Cutting asbestos-containing shingles with saws, snips, or scoring tools released respirable fibers into the breathing zone of workers performing this work. Plaintiffs alleged that such exposures occurred without adequate warnings from National Gypsum Company regarding the hazardous nature of fiber release during routine installation activities.

Renovation and demolition workers faced potentially significant exposures during the removal of aging Gold Bond Hexagonal Shingles from existing structures. Weathered asbestos-containing shingles that had become brittle or fractured could release fiber more readily during disturbance. Tear-off operations, whether performed by professional roofers or general laborers, generated dust and debris that litigation records document as a source of asbestos fiber exposure in renovation contexts.

General industrial workers who worked in buildings or facilities where these shingles were installed, and who were present during repair or renovation work, could have experienced bystander exposures. The nature of construction and industrial environments meant that asbestos-related work in one area of a facility could affect workers in adjacent areas who had no direct involvement with the shingle product itself.

Exposure risk was compounded by the widespread industry practice of not providing hazard warnings on product packaging or installation materials during much of the period these products were in use. Plaintiffs in litigation have alleged that National Gypsum Company was aware, or should have been aware, of the health hazards associated with asbestos fiber inhalation and failed to adequately communicate those hazards to end users.