North American Refractories Company (NARCO): Asbestos Products and Trust Fund Information

North American Refractories Company (NARCO), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was one of the most widely used manufacturers of refractory materials in American heavy industry from its founding in 1930 through the late 1970s. NARCO’s gunning mixes, castable refractories, and insulating cements were standard materials in steel mills, coke ovens, glass plants, and aluminum smelters across the country. Many of these products contained asbestos, and workers who applied, mixed, or worked near NARCO refractories during the mid-20th century faced significant occupational asbestos exposure. NARCO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2002, and an asbestos personal injury trust — the North American Refractories Company Asbestos PI Trust — was established to compensate individuals harmed by exposure to the company’s asbestos-containing products.

Company History

North American Refractories Company was founded in 1930 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a city at the center of American steel production and the natural home for a manufacturer of high-temperature industrial materials. Refractory products are engineered to withstand extreme heat and are essential to the functioning of furnaces, kilns, boilers, and other industrial equipment that operates at temperatures far beyond the tolerance of ordinary construction materials.

Throughout the mid-20th century, NARCO supplied refractories to some of the largest industrial facilities in the United States. Its customer base included integrated steel mills, basic oxygen furnace operations, coke oven batteries, glass manufacturing plants, and aluminum smelters. These industries demanded materials that could maintain structural integrity at sustained high temperatures, and NARCO’s gunning mixes, castable refractories, and specialty cements filled that role across generations of industrial infrastructure.

Asbestos was incorporated into many NARCO refractory formulations because of its exceptional heat resistance and binding properties. The company ceased asbestos use in its products in 1977, consistent with tightening federal regulations and growing awareness of asbestos-related disease. However, asbestos-containing NARCO products installed before that date remained in service at many industrial facilities for years or decades afterward, continuing to pose exposure risks during maintenance, repair, and demolition activities.

Facing mounting asbestos personal injury litigation, NARCO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2002. As part of the bankruptcy reorganization process, the North American Refractories Company Asbestos PI Trust was established to handle asbestos personal injury and wrongful death claims against the company outside of the civil court system.

FXY Inc. served as a regional distributor of NARCO products and may appear in exposure histories for workers who did not purchase directly from NARCO. Christy Refractories Co. LLC is a related entity whose name may appear in associated corporate and litigation records.

Asbestos-Containing Products

NARCO manufactured a broad range of refractory products that contained asbestos. The following documented products were sold under the NARCO brand and are identified in product records, material safety disclosures, and asbestos litigation files:

Gunning Mixes NARCO produced multiple lines of gunning mixes — pneumatically applied refractory materials shot onto furnace linings and industrial surfaces under pressure. The following gunning mixes are documented as containing asbestos:

  • Narcogun CM-343, CR-346, MCD-344, P-340, and MC-339 (1964–1977): These numbered gunning mix formulations were used in high-temperature industrial applications and contained asbestos fiber as a component of their refractory matrix.
  • CM Gun Mix / CM-18 Gun Mix (1963–1977): Additional gunning mix products marketed for furnace lining and repair applications.
  • Aerogun Spray Refractory (1971–1979): A spray-applied refractory product used in industrial settings during the 1970s.
  • Super 505 Hot Gun C (1964–1977): A gunning mix marketed for hot application directly onto active furnace linings without requiring equipment shutdown.

The gunning process generated heavy concentrations of airborne dust. Workers operating gunning equipment, as well as those working in the same enclosed spaces, were exposed to asbestos-laden dust that could remain suspended in the air of poorly ventilated furnace rooms and boiler spaces for extended periods.

Castable and Trowelable Refractories

  • Narcocast ES Fine Trowel (1963–1977): A castable refractory product applied by trowel for lining furnace interiors and repairing refractory surfaces.
  • Narcocrete Trowel (1963–1977): A trowel-applied refractory material used in similar high-temperature applications.
  • Narcolite Insulating Castable: An insulating castable refractory containing asbestos, used where thermal insulation properties were required alongside heat resistance.

Coatings and Specialty Products

  • Anti-Erode Refractory Coating (1963–1977): A surface coating designed to extend the service life of refractory linings in environments subject to erosion from slag, molten metal, or thermal cycling.
  • BOF Cote / BOF Patch (1965–1975): Products specifically formulated for use in basic oxygen furnace applications, a process central to modern steelmaking.
  • Narco Unicote Finishing Cement: A finishing cement used as a final layer over refractory installations.
  • Staz-on Insulating Cement (1960s–1970s): An insulating cement product used to bond and seal refractory installations.

Occupational Exposure

Workers who installed, repaired, or demolished NARCO refractory products were among those at highest risk for asbestos exposure. The nature of refractory work — mixing dry powders, gunning materials onto hot surfaces, chipping out old linings, and troweling fresh material into place — created conditions in which asbestos fibers were routinely released into the breathing zone.

Occupations with documented exposure to NARCO refractory products include:

  • Refractory workers and bricklayers who mixed and applied gunning mixes and castables in furnace interiors
  • Ironworkers and steelworkers employed at integrated steel mills where NARCO products were used to line converters, ladles, and soaking pits
  • Boilermakers who repaired and maintained industrial boilers lined with NARCO refractories
  • Furnace operators and helpers who worked in or adjacent to spaces where NARCO materials were applied or disturbed
  • Maintenance workers at glass plants, aluminum smelters, and coke oven batteries who performed routine repairs on refractory-lined equipment
  • Pipefitters and insulators who worked alongside refractory crews in shared industrial spaces

Gunning operations were particularly hazardous. When refractory mixes were pneumatically applied in enclosed furnace interiors, visible clouds of dust were generated. In facilities without adequate ventilation or respiratory protection — conditions that were common through much of the period when NARCO products were in widespread use — workers inhaled asbestos fibers with each breath.

Exposure did not end when the material was installed. Asbestos-containing NARCO refractories that had been in service for years or decades became brittle and friable over time. During maintenance shutdowns, workers who chipped out old lining material before relining operations disturbed material that released asbestos into the air at potentially high concentrations.

Diseases associated with asbestos exposure include mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related cancers. These conditions typically have latency periods of 20 to 50 years between initial exposure and diagnosis, which means that workers exposed to NARCO products during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s may only now be receiving diagnoses.

North American Refractories Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002. As part of the plan of reorganization confirmed by the bankruptcy court, the North American Refractories Company Asbestos PI Trust was established to resolve asbestos personal injury and wrongful death claims against NARCO.

The NARCO Asbestos PI Trust operates as a claims resolution facility. Individuals who were diagnosed with a qualifying asbestos-related disease and can document occupational exposure to NARCO products are eligible to file a claim with the trust. Claims are processed according to Trust Distribution Procedures (TDP) that set out the types of compensable diseases, documentation requirements, and payment levels for each category.

Qualifying disease categories typically include:

  • Mesothelioma
  • Lung cancer (with confirmed asbestos exposure history)
  • Asbestosis and other non-malignant asbestos-related diseases
  • Other asbestos-related cancers

Documentation that supports a NARCO trust claim generally includes:

  • Medical records confirming an asbestos-related diagnosis
  • Employment records, union records, or affidavits documenting work at a facility where NARCO products were used
  • Product identification evidence — such as work orders, plant records, co-worker testimony, or purchasing records — identifying specific NARCO products by name
  • Social Security records or other employment history documentation

Workers who used NARCO gunning mixes, castables, or cements at any point from the 1930s through 1977 — or who worked in spaces where these materials were applied or disturbed — may have a valid claim against the NARCO trust. Family members of deceased workers who died from mesothelioma or another qualifying asbestos-related disease may file wrongful death claims.

Filing a claim against the NARCO Asbestos PI Trust does not preclude filing claims against other asbestos trust funds. Many workers in the steel, glass, and aluminum industries were exposed to asbestos-containing products from multiple manufacturers, and an experienced asbestos attorney can identify all applicable trust fund claims.

Summary for Workers and Families

If you or a family member worked at a steel mill, coke oven, glass plant, or aluminum smelter and were exposed to NARCO gunning mixes, castable refractories, or specialty cements, you may be eligible to file a claim with the North American Refractories Company Asbestos PI Trust. This trust was established specifically to compensate people harmed by NARCO asbestos-containing products and operates independently of the civil court system. Claims require medical documentation of an asbestos-related diagnosis and evidence of exposure to a NARCO product. An attorney who handles asbestos trust fund claims can assist with identifying all applicable trusts, gathering supporting documentation, and submitting a complete claim on your behalf.