Historical insulation research
Kaylo Block Insulation History
Rigid insulation blocks, cutting, fitting and high-temperature equipment.
Blocks rather than pipe sections
Kaylo block insulation was a rigid, high-temperature insulation form. Court records describe large blocks that workers broke into smaller pieces with hammers or saws before fitting them around machinery or other surfaces. Remembering stacks of rectangular blocks, offcuts, hand tools or cleanup may help orient the history.
Equipment and surroundings
Industrial boilers, engines, hot equipment and other thermal systems often required shaped insulation around surfaces that were not straight pipes. The surrounding trade work—fabrication, installation, maintenance, demolition—can be as important to a recollection as the name on a carton.
Historical material
Judicial records describe Kaylo as calcium-silicate insulation with asbestos in the historical formulations. Reported percentages vary by time and source; the specific product and period matter when reconstructing an old work history.
Follow the record
Remembering the insulation color, shape, a shipping carton, a coworker, a boiler room or the decade can be a useful starting point. H&S can help investigate the history behind those memories.
Continue exploring
Kaylo Historical Insulation Library
The Kaylo name, makers, ownership changes, historical product forms and original records.
Explore history →Kaylo Pipe Covering History
Recognize half-round insulation sections, fitting work, hot piping and maintenance.
Explore history →Kaylo Ownership and Manufacturing Timeline
Trace Owens-Illinois, Owens Corning, manufacturing locations and dates.
Explore history →Kaylo Insulation: Trades and Workplaces
How insulators, pipefitters, mechanics, laborers and shipyard workers encountered insulation work.
Explore history →Kaylo Historical Records and Archives
Court opinions, testimony, company records and archival photographs.
Explore history →Selected source records
Maryland Court of Appeals, Owens-Illinois v. Armstrong (1992)
Illinois appellate record, Kaylo manufacturing and distribution stipulation
University of Toledo, Owens Corning corporate archives finding aid
ToxicDocs, Kaylo division testimony and manufacturing records
Start with what you remember
You do not need to know the product manufacturer before asking for help investigating a work or family exposure history.
Original historical documents
Read the Kaylo records at ToxicDocs
These source documents connect the product history to the actual historical record.
1960 · Owens-Illinois historical sales literature
Industrial Kaylo sales literature
Product literature describes Kaylo pipe insulation, calcium silicate, asbestos reinforcement and high-temperature uses.