Compressed Non-Asbestos Gasket Material

In the 1980's asbestos became a dirty word, and for good reason it caused cancer. The problem was the baby got thrown out with the bath water. The asbestos in asbestos gasket material was embedded in the rubber it was blended with so, unless you took a grinder to the material to separate the asbestos out and then breathed in the asbestos (which could be avoided by oiling or wetting the material first), it was not going to hurt you. Even so, the lawyers got to work on it and effectively killed the industry. The only remaining manufacturing of asbestos gasket material is off shore. Today, very few distributors in the USA will carry it (including this one) most will only sell non-asbestos gasket materials. American Seal & Packing has never sold any asbestos product and only sells non-asbestos compressed gasket materials. Below are some of the other brands we offer.

ASP General Service Gasketing | GS Green & GS Blue   Quantity Non-Asbestos Gasket Material Green GSG Cutter Grade Sheet 1/16" 60 " x 60" x 0625" $93.85   Quantity Non-Asbestos Gasket Material Green GSG Cutter Grade Sheet 1/8" 60 " x 60" x .125" $172.70 Other Sizes

Johns Manville took the biggest hit, once the largest distributor of gasket material in the Untied States (JM 60 was a standard), their liability was the worst since they also produced asbestos insulation. The asbestos fibers were easily released from insulation and easily breathed in. Johns Manville eventually declared Chapter 11 and sold off divisions. The gasket material division was later reformed as a portion of JM Clipper and no longer sold asbestos. The Gasketing division was sold off, but we still offer the new brand Leader Gasketing.

		Leader Gasket maintains the same part numbers that JM Clipper established over the years. The most common Style numbers are: NA-59 and NA60 - Both cutter grade sheets Both NBR/Armid based sheets, the difference is the temperature they will handle. 940 - A high tensile NBR Aramid sheet 960 An SBR/Aramid blend - SBR is ideal in steam and chemical applications and has excellent abrasion resistance. 978 and 978-C are NBR/Aramid sheets for hot oil, petroleum, and pulp and paper services to 700 F (Peak) 961 - An off white version of 960 to prevent color contamination. 986-A is an EPDM based compressed sheet material for more severe applications. 1080 An off-white NBR/Aramid sheet for general service applications.
JM Clipper	Leader Gasket

In the 1980's the industry was prone. The first company to come out with a quality non-asbestos substitute and to market it well was Garlock. At the time Garlock was the number two seller of compressed asbestos gasket material (number 3 was Durabla Manufacturing). Garlock came out with their "Blue Guard" line and although it was not as good as asbestos in many applications it was better than a potential law suit. Before long Garlock was number 1. U.S. Gasket material customers were afraid of purchasing any asbestos containing product. With the exception of the Oil refineries.

		Lamons Gasket Materials Include Rubber and Fiber Sheet Compressed Non-Asbestos Sheet Virgin / Glass-Filled / PTFE Gasketing Biaxially Orientated (Filled) PTFE Sheet Expanded PTFE Sheet EPTFE Joint Sealant PTFE Envelope Gaskets Flexible Graphite Sheet Mica Sheet
Lamons Gasket Handbook

The refineries took their case to the supreme court and won the right to maintain the use of asbestos gasket material since no other product at the time was proven to be as effective. It did not make sense to protect workers from asbestos but not protect them from a failed gasket which in some applications (such as a steam line) can cause death. People have been cut in half by walking past a leaking steam flange due to gasket failure. The refineries won and continued to use asbestos until they finally found non-asbestos replacements. Durabla Manufacturing's "Durabla Black" is no longer produced. Production of Durabla Black ceased in 2012. Durlon Replaced Durabla's product line with non-asbestos Gasket Materials.

		Durlon 5000 - (Light Green) This is a cutter grade sheet packing made with NBR/ and mineral fibers. Durlon 5300 (Rust) Commercial grade for moderate service Durlon 7900 - 7925 and 7950 (blue) - NBR/Aramid General service grade comparable to Garlock 3000 Rated for 500 F continuous service. Durlon 7910 (White) A general service sheet approved for NSF/ANSI 61 Certified service. Durlon 7760 - (Off-White) By combining SBR&NBR this sheet swells when exposed to oils and fuels. Durlon 8300 (Black) A premium NBR/Carbon Fiber sheet for high temperature service Durlon 8400 (Gold) is a premium grade sheet for steam, mild caustics and acids Durlon 8500 (Green) Applications include pulp and paper, food, beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, refinery, gas pipeline and general industrial applications. Durlon 8600 (White) NBR/aramid & Inorganic fiber with SBR Durlon 8700 (Blue) Used in services that require Neoprene (CR) including chemical, refrigeration, cryogenic and solvents Durlon 8900 (Black) For extremely hot applications, this is the one. Good for up to 925 F (Peak), Fire Tested to ANSI/API 607, 6th edition with zero leakage.
Durlon Gasket Material

Most of todays non-asbestos gasket materials contain either Kevlar, an aramid fiber, fiberglass, carbon, graphite or another mineral fiber. Todays major manufacturers include: Garlock, Gasket Resoures Inc., and Thermoseal (previously Klinger USA) . Most of the manufacturers are now producing off shore. Garlock produces sheet in Mexico and the USA for North American consumption. Gasket Resources Inc. produces in Canada, Thermoseal produces domestically in Ohio (USA) and Internationally. Sourcing of course is a dynamic situation and subject to change.

	ThermoSeal / Klinger C-4433 C-4430 C-4324 C-4401 (replaces 4400) C-4300 C-4201 C-4500 C-7400	Gasket Material Styles C-8200 C-5400 C-6327 C-6400 C-4439 C-4509 C-4409 C-4408
Thermoseal / Klinger

Regardless of the manufacturer, the basics are the filler and the elastomer used. While no two compounds (or the % of filler) are identical, the basic Elastomers are: NBR (Buna-N), SBR, EPDM or Neoprene. If you examine which material you need (as defined by the application) and select the non-asbestos gasket material with that elastomer you will usually do well. This method will also allow you to select a competitive brand that will serve your application. No two materials are identical so caution must always be exercised. In general the common "Binders" are:

NBR - good for oils, gas, mild chemicals and water

SBR - good for saturated Steam, mild chemicals inert gas and water

Neoprene - good for saturated steam, refrigerants, oils, fuels, mild acids and alkalies and water.

EPDM - good for saturated steam, mild chemicals and water

Other brands we offer include: Garlock, Utex, Sepco, DX Seal, Fiberflex

Each material listed regardless of manufacture will indicate the "Binder" which makes cross referencing equal materials a much easier task. You should however pay attention to Tensile strength (for pressure resistance) Temperature ratings, and Compression / Recovery ratings.

You must also consider Size, Temperature, Application, Media, Pressure, Speed (if dynamic) of your specific application. If this is for a finished gasket you will also want to consider bolt loads, the size of bolts, the number of bolts, the bolt material and the available torque.

We at American Seal & Packing can assist you with a material selection of non-asbestos gasket materials or sell to you a non-asbestos gasket material on-line at ww.sealsales.com. We can also offer a number of non-asbestos gasket manufacturers products to meet your specifications.