Raybestos-Manhattan / Raymark Industries

Company History & Friction Products

The story of Raybestos-Manhattan begins in the early years of the twentieth century, when a small Connecticut company recognized an emerging market created by the rapid growth of the American automobile. As cars and trucks replaced horses, vehicle manufacturers needed reliable, consistent friction materials to make their braking systems work — and the Raybestos Company was among the first firms to supply asbestos-based brake linings on a commercial scale.

Founded in Bridgeport, Connecticut in the early 1900s, the company initially operated as Raybestos Company before merging with Manhattan Rubber Manufacturing Company in the late 1920s to form Raybestos-Manhattan Incorporated. The combined entity had manufacturing capacity, raw material supply chains, and customer relationships that made it one of the dominant players in the U.S. friction products market. The Stratford, Connecticut plant — located just across the Housatonic River from Bridgeport — became the company's primary production hub and the center of its asbestos operations for decades.

By mid-century, Raybestos-Manhattan brake linings were installed in millions of American vehicles. The company supplied original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as well as the aftermarket, meaning mechanics across the country handled Raybestos brake shoes and pads on a daily basis. Internal documents produced in litigation later revealed that the company's own scientists had identified the health hazards of asbestos dust as early as the 1930s and 1940s, yet the company did not warn workers, mechanics, or consumers of the danger.

The corporate structure changed significantly in the late twentieth century as asbestos litigation mounted. Raybestos-Manhattan rebranded as Raymark Industries Incorporated in an attempt to distance the company from its asbestos legacy. That gambit failed to insulate it from liability, and Raymark filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Out of that reorganization emerged Raytech Corporation, which today administers the asbestos trust established to compensate victims. Throughout all of these corporate name changes, the fundamental liability remained the same: decades of selling asbestos-laden products with knowledge of the harm they caused.

Products & Asbestos Exposure

Raybestos-Manhattan's product line was centered almost entirely on friction materials — products that rely on controlled resistance and heat dissipation. Asbestos was considered ideal for these applications because it was heat-resistant, durable, and inexpensive. For most of the company's history, asbestos content in brake linings ranged from 35% to over 50% by weight. Every product listed below was manufactured with chrysotile or other asbestos fiber types throughout much of the twentieth century.

What distinguishes Raybestos-Manhattan from many other asbestos defendants is the sheer ubiquity of its products in everyday automotive repair. Every gas station, every independent garage, and every dealership service department in the country used Raybestos brake linings. The exposure was not limited to shipyard workers or insulation installers — it touched millions of ordinary Americans who simply changed their own brake pads or brought their car in for a routine brake job.

Manufacturing Facilities & Superfund Sites

Raybestos-Manhattan operated manufacturing plants across multiple states. The Stratford and Trumbull, Connecticut sites are the most significant from an environmental and public health standpoint, having been designated EPA Superfund sites due to decades of improper asbestos waste disposal.