Westinghouse Electric Corporation manufactured the Micarta™ brand of phenolic-resin composite materials for electrical insulation, structural components, and industrial tooling applications. Micarta was produced in both laminated sheet and molded forms. Publicly filed trial records in asbestos litigation have identified specific Micarta grades that used asbestos fiber as a filler or reinforcement material, distinguishing them from grades reinforced with paper, cotton, glass, or linen.

Asbestos use period

Micarta was produced across multiple product forms and reinforcement types. Asbestos-containing grades are documented in trial records through the 1970s. The product line included a range of reinforcement materials — and not all Micarta grades contained asbestos — making grade-level identification critical for exposure evaluation.

Asbestos-containing grades identified in litigation records

Trial exhibit records and expert testimony in publicly filed asbestos cases have identified the following specific Micarta grades as containing asbestos:

Molded grades:

  • Grade 102 Molded Micarta — described in trial records as “the only asbestos-containing molded Micarta product manufactured after 1949.” Grade 102 contained asbestos fiber mixed with phenolic resin.
  • Moldarta 162, 170, and 180 — testimony documents these grades as using “short asbestos fiber as the filler material bound in phenolic resin.”
  • Moldarta 164 and 166 — described as similar in construction to grade 102.

Sheet and tubing grades:

  • Westinghouse internal product files document Micarta Sheet Asbestos Phenolic under file/material numbers 44141 AA-AE and 44141 AF-AK. Micarta tubing under the same asbestos-phenolic designation appears under file 44141 PA. A related Westinghouse Material Card is identified in trial records as 42331 AA-AC Rev 2 / 2118.

These file numbers appear in publicly filed trial exhibits as documentary evidence of a distinct asbestos-filled Micarta product series maintained by Westinghouse.

Plants

Westinghouse produced Micarta at multiple manufacturing facilities. The Micarta laminate operation was located at Westinghouse’s Hampton, South Carolina plant, among other locations. Production continued through corporate restructuring across the asbestos era.

Corporate succession

The current litigation defendant for Micarta asbestos claims is Paramount Global (formerly known as Westinghouse Electric Corporation through a series of corporate name changes and restructurings). Paramount Global appears in current asbestos case defendant lists as responsible for Micarta laminate claims alongside other legacy Westinghouse asbestos-containing products.

Litigation history

Westinghouse/Paramount Global has been a named defendant in asbestos litigation involving Micarta-exposure workers. Publicly filed case records include trial exhibits and expert testimony establishing the grade-level asbestos content described above. Claims have involved both workers at Westinghouse’s own Micarta manufacturing facilities and downstream workers at fabricating shops who cut, drilled, machined, sanded, or finished Micarta sheet stock or molded components.

Worker exposure pathways

At Westinghouse Micarta manufacturing plants: Workers handling raw asbestos fiber, mixing asbestos fiber with phenolic resin, pressing laminates, demolding, and finishing Micarta components were exposed to airborne asbestos fiber during production. Maintenance workers and laboratory personnel in proximity to Micarta production areas had bystander exposure.

At downstream fabricating shops and industrial plants: Micarta sheet, rod, and tube stock was sold to manufacturers, machine shops, and industrial customers who cut it to shape, drilled it, turned it on lathes, sanded it, and machined it. These secondary operations generated asbestos-containing dust at customer facilities far removed from Westinghouse’s own plants.

If you worked with Westinghouse Micarta products

Workers who machined, cut, drilled, or sanded Micarta sheet or molded components — or who manufactured those components at a Westinghouse facility — and can document employment or product use during the asbestos era may have viable claims.

Grade identification matters: if you can identify specific Micarta grade numbers (102, Moldarta 162/170/180/164/166) or product file numbers (44141) from material records, purchase orders, or product specification sheets, that documentation strengthens a claim significantly.

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References to manufacturers, products, litigation records, and trial evidence reflect what has been alleged or documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation, trial exhibits, and industry archives. This information does not constitute a finding of fact or liability. This site does not provide legal or medical advice.