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Insutape (Unarco)

Insutape was a wrap-on pipe insulation sold by Union Asbestos & Rubber Company (Unarco).1,2 In sworn answers in two lawsuits in 1969 and 1970, Unarco described it as "a wrap-on or spiral applied insulation medium, composed of a woven asbestos tubular jacket filled with asbestos rovings," supplied with or without a Neoprene coating.3,4 The company's trade-mark application, published in Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, in 1933, was for "asbestos steam pipe covering comprising a woven asbestos sheath and an asbestos fiber filler."5

Insutape was an established product by 1926, when the magazine reported the completion of Unarco's new plant at Cicero, Illinois, where, it said, the company made "the large variety of asbestos products bearing the well known Unarco trade-mark—the popular Insutape and Super-Insutape."6

The sources disagree on how long it was made: an insurance company's 1981 list of asbestos products, compiled from other companies' answers in lawsuits, gives it as made from 1948 to 1960.1 Unarco's 1970 answers list it among materials "manufactured previous to 1940 and ... continued through the present dates," and in December 1969 Unarco answered that it was still making Insutape.3,4 Unarco advertised Insutape spiral pipe insulation in 1948, and listed it as "wrap-on" among its flexible insulations in 1957.2,7 A June 1962 purchase agreement between Pittsburgh Corning and Unarco lists Insutape among the "insulating and packing products, containing asbestos, which UNION sells," and acknowledges that Unarco would go on selling them.8

See also: Insubestos, Wovenstone, Insutube.

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What each document says

Every statement about Insutape (Unarco) in the documents, in each document's own words.

The Travelers Insurance Company's Product Information Booklet for Its Asbestos Seminar (1980–1981)

  • Made from: “48”, p. 61
  • Made until: “60”, p. 61
  • Form: “WRAP ON INSULATION”, p. 61

Asbestos Magazine, 1957, January 1957

  • Form: “Insutape—wrap-on (under FLEXIBLES)”, p. 332

The Potter v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to plaintiff's interrogatories

  • Description: “a wrap-on or spiral applied insulation medium, composed of a woven asbestos tubular jacket filled with asbestos rovings”, p. 23
  • Made until: “At the present time, this Defendant manufactures ... in this classification is our insutube and insutape” (as of 1969-12-01), p. 123

The Borel v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to interrogatories

  • Made from: “manufactured previous to 1940 and were continued through the present dates unless otherwise noted”, p. 14
  • Asbestos content: “a woven asbestos tubular jacket filled with asbestos rovings”, p. 24
  • Ingredient: “Neoprene coating (optional)”, p. 24
  • Made until: “continued through the present dates” (as of 1970-04-01), p. 14
  • Description: “a wrap-on or spiral applied insulation medium, composed of a woven asbestos tubular jacket filled with asbestos rovings; supplied with or without a Neoprene coating”, p. 24

Asbestos Magazine, 1933, August 1933

  • Description: “For asbestos steam pipe covering comprising a woven asbestos sheath and an asbestos fiber filler”, said by Union Asbestos & Rubber Co., as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), Trade Marks column, p. 375

Asbestos Magazine, 1926, July 1926

  • Made at: “new Unarco plant at Cicero, Illinois” (at Cicero) (the plant: Cicero, Illinois), p. 236
  • Description: “the popular Insutape and Super-Insutape”, p. 236

Asbestos Magazine, 1948, February 1948

  • Form: “Insutape spiral pipe insulation”, p. 197

The Tomplait v. Combustion Engineering Case File (1962-1969), Answers to plaintiff's third interrogatories with exhibits

  • Asbestos content: “insulating and packing products, containing asbestos, which UNION sells” (as of 1962-06-30), said by Pittsburgh Corning Corp. and Union Asbestos and Rubber Co. (Agreement of Purchase), as recorded by Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (exhibit to interrogatory answers, Tomplait), p. 188
  • Sold until: “lines ... which UNION sells (continuation of sales permitted after the sale to PC)” (as of 1962-06-30), said by Pittsburgh Corning Corp. and Union Asbestos and Rubber Co. (Agreement of Purchase), as recorded by Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (exhibit to interrogatory answers, Tomplait), p. 188

USPTO trademark case files (Trademark Full Text XML Data, Annual Applications, 2025 edition)

  • Sold from: “first used in commerce 1920-05-01”, said by UNARCO INDUSTRIES, INC., as recorded by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office9
  • Description: “ASBESTOS STEAM PIPE COVERING, COMPRISING A WOVEN ASBESTOS SHEATH AND AN ASBESTOS FIBER FILLER”, said by UNARCO INDUSTRIES, INC., as recorded by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office9

Union Carbide Chemicals Company: Thermal Insulation and Accessories Manual (1962)

  • Form: “Tape”, p. 8310
  • Asbestos content: “Asbestos, Wrap.”, p. 8310
  • Temperature limit: “Atmos to 500”, p. 8310
  • Description: “Long-fibered asbestos rovings enclosed within a tubular, woven asbestos jacket. Outer surface coated. For spiral wrapping of lines.”, p. 8310
  • Description: “tape, fabric tube, jacket & soft roving stuffer” (as of developed 1922), p. 8611

Kind of product

We list Insutape (Unarco) with pipe covering and block insulation and cloth, tape and other textiles, from how the documents describe its form. Those pages explain how such products exposed workers.

Trades that worked with products like it: Insulators and Insulation Workers, Pipefitters and Plumbers.

Other pipe covering and block insulation by Unarco (8)

Wovenstone · Insutube · Calcium Silicate · Super Insutape · Super Unibestos · Unibestos 1200 · Unibestos 750 · New Improved Insutape

Pipe covering and block insulation by other makers (268)

Thermobestos · Superex (Johns-Manville) · Careytemp (Philip Carey) · Kaylo (Owens-Corning) · Unibestos (Union Asbestos & Rubber Co.) · Hy-temp (Nicolet) · Hylo (Eagle-Picher) · Imperial (GAF) · Imperial Pipe Covering (Ruberoid) · Impervo (Philip Carey) · Indented (Johns-Manville) · Insulation Seal 820 (Philip Carey) · Insutape (Union Asbestos & Rubber Co.) · Johns-Manville Jm (Johns-Manville) · Johns-Manville Transite Asbestos Wood (Johns-Manville) · Jurid (Kirchbach'Sche Werke Kirchbach & Co.) · K & M (Keasbey & Mattison) · K & M Aircell (Keasbey & Mattison) · K&M Best in Asbestos (Keasbey & Mattison) · K-12 Cal Sil (Combustion Engineering) · and 248 more: all pipe covering and block insulation

Other cloth, tape and other textiles by Unarco (11)

810 · 848 · Unarco · Unarco Asbestos Tape · Unarco Asbestos Tubing or Sleeving · Unarco Asbestos Yarn · Unarco Brand Asbestos Cloth · Unarco Brand Asbestos Rope · Amosite Cloth · Superinsutape · Unarco Type SF

Cloth, tape and other textiles by other makers (290)

Min-k (Johns-Manville) · Pyrotex (Raybestos-Manhattan) · Thermobestos pipe covering · Novabestos (Raybestos-Manhattan) · Sal-mo (Nicolet) · Hooperwood (Wm. E. Hooper & Sons) · Hyco (U.S. Asbestos) · Hycoe brake lining (Manhattan Rubber) · Industrial No. 200-14 (Industrial Glove) · Industrial No. 225-14 (Industrial Glove) · Inslgard (H. K. Porter) · Insulag (Quigley) · Jaxcolite (Jackson, Gordon C.) · JB 1000A (Elliot Glove) · Jewett (Johns-Manville) · John Bull (Elliott Glove) · Johns-Manville Jm (Johns-Manville) · K&M Best in Asbestos (Keasbey & Mattison) · Kamklad (Keasbey & Mattison) · Karnak (Lewis Asphalt Engineering) · and 270 more: all cloth, tape and other textiles

See also

  • Unarco: the company's history, documents, people, products and plants
  • Unarco on our products page: what the documents say about the company's asbestos products, with sources

References

  1. The Travelers Insurance Company's Product Information Booklet for Its Asbestos Seminar (1980–1981) (April 30, 1981), p. 6.
  2. Asbestos Magazine, 1957, January 1957 (January 1, 1957), p. 33.
  3. The Potter v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to plaintiff's interrogatories (December 1, 1969), pp. 2, 12.
  4. The Borel v. Fibreboard Case File (1969-1972), Answers to interrogatories (April 1, 1970), pp. 1–2.
  5. Asbestos Magazine, 1933, August 1933 (August 1, 1933), p. 37.
  6. Asbestos Magazine, 1926, July 1926 (July 1, 1926), p. 23.
  7. Asbestos Magazine, 1948, February 1948 (February 1, 1948), p. 19.
  8. The Tomplait v. Combustion Engineering Case File (1962-1969), Answers to plaintiff's third interrogatories with exhibits (June 30, 1962), p. 18.
  9. USPTO trademark case files (Trademark Full Text XML Data, Annual Applications, 2025 edition) (September 17, 1962). Not yet published in our library.
  10. Union Carbide Chemicals Company: Thermal Insulation and Accessories Manual (October 1, 1962), p. 83.
  11. Sourcebook on Asbestos Diseases: Medical, Legal, and Engineering Aspects, Volume Two (1986), p. 86. Not yet published in our library.

Cite this page

“Insutape (Unarco).” AsbestosClaims.Law Library. https://asbestosclaims.law/library/products/unarco-insutape.

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This page is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Every asbestos case turns on its own facts, exposure history, diagnosis, deadlines, available evidence, and applicable law. Reviewing this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, call 833-4-ASBESTOS for a free case review.