The Flintkote Company - Asbestos Product Manufacturers

For more than seven decades, The Flintkote Company was known as a top manufacturer of roofing materials, such as shingles, as well as a variety of additional construction materials such as siding, cement and more.

Company History

Originally founded in 1901, The Flintkote Company was incorporated in the state of Massachusetts in 1917. It began as a manufacturer of roofing shingles and, by the 1920s had already expanded to Europe, drawing on its great success in the U.S. marketplace.

In the 1930s, Flintkote added a number of products to its list, including asbestos-containing shingles, siding and cement. In the 1940s and '50s, the company diversified further, manufacturing folding boxes for packaging, gypsum, pipes, paper products and additional types of siding and cement. By 1963, The Flintkote Company was indeed global, boasting 147 plants, with 21 of those located in other countries. Construction and building materials remained the mainstay of the company, with products divided into four groups: Building Products Group, Stone Products Group, Pipe Products Group, and Packaging Products Group.

In the 1970s, Flintkote saw a marked downturn in business, complicated by a dip in the construction business, strikes by employees, and other labor-related issues. By the late 1970s and early '80s, the company also faced a new concern - asbestos lawsuits.

The Flintkote Company and Asbestos

Asbestos was an important ingredient in many of the products Flintkote manufactured, including shingles, siding, cement, gypsum and pipes. Even though records show that the dangers of asbestos inhalation were apparent as early as the 1930s and '40s, companies like Flintkote continued to use the toxic material for many decades. As a result, by the 1970s and 1980s, they were faced with lawsuits filed by employees and others who were already fighting asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma.

Though the company stayed afloat more than 20 years after the U.S. government issued warnings about the use of asbestos, Flintkote finally declared bankruptcy in May 2004. Eventually, they would face upwards of a half-million claims. These came not only from employees of the company but also others who worked in a variety of occupations that used Flintkote products, including contractors, construction workers, roofers, insulators, plumbers, pipefitters, stone workers and many others.

Though some claims have been settled, others are pending and the company has not yet emerged from bankruptcy. As is the case with many other companies in the same situation, it is expected that The Flintkote Company will be required to set up a trust fund to address the ongoing and unsettled asbestos claims against it.

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease as a result of working for The Flintkote Company or with any of the company's products and would like to learn more about treatment options or financial assistance to help pay for treatments, please fill out the form on this page to receive a comprehensive packet in the mail.