Historical insulation research
Kaylo Pipe Covering History
Recognize half-round insulation sections, fitting work, hot piping and maintenance.
What workers saw
Kaylo pipe covering was a rigid calcium-silicate thermal insulation material supplied in shaped sections for industrial hot piping. Work could involve opening cartons, carrying sections, measuring, sawing, fitting pieces around pipes, and removing older insulation during maintenance. These tasks are described in litigation testimony and historical accounts.
Places to picture
Think about steam lines, boiler rooms, engine spaces, shipboard piping, industrial utility tunnels, maintenance shops and mechanical rooms. The location of a valve, elbow, pipe rack or overhead run may be easier to remember than the product label.
Dates and packaging
Owens-Illinois manufactured Kaylo before the 1958 transfer; Owens Corning distributed it beginning in 1953 and manufactured or arranged manufacture afterward. Historical testimony describes packages bearing company names during the transition period.
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 Block Insulation History
Rigid insulation blocks, cutting, fitting and high-temperature equipment.
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Original historical documents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.