About USG and Its Asbestos Products
United States Gypsum Company (USG) is one of the largest manufacturers of wallboard, joint compound, ceiling tile, and related construction products in the world. Founded in 1901 and headquartered in Chicago, USG dominated the drywall construction market for most of the twentieth century. Its products were used in virtually every commercial building and residence constructed or renovated in the United States.
Prior to the mid-1970s, USG’s joint compound products — used by drywall finishers to tape seams and coat surfaces before painting — contained chrysotile asbestos. During the sanding process that follows application of joint compound, workers generated clouds of fine dust containing asbestos fibers. Studies of drywall finishers have consistently shown elevated rates of mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer as a result of this exposure.
USG also manufactured asbestos-containing ceiling tiles, plaster products, and other gypsum construction materials. These products were used in schools, hospitals, office buildings, and homes across the country. Workers who cut, installed, or removed these products were exposed to asbestos fibers.
Facing mounting asbestos personal injury liability, USG established an asbestos settlement trust to compensate victims. The trust operates with a current payment percentage of 11% and is administered independently to compensate all past, present, and future claimants.
Trust Fund Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Trust Name | United States Gypsum Asbestos Settlement Trust |
| Predecessor Company | United States Gypsum Company (USG Corp.) |
| Payment Percentage | 11% |
| Mesothelioma Scheduled Value | ~$90,000 (actual payment ~$9,900 at 11%) |
| Key Products | Joint compound (taping compound), drywall, plaster, acoustic ceiling tile |
| Primary Exposure Scenario | Sanding USG joint compound during drywall finishing |
| Claim Types Accepted | Mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural disease |
The USG Trust’s scheduled values are lower than those of some industrial insulation trusts, reflecting that USG joint compound exposure, while significant, typically involved lower fiber concentrations than heavy industrial insulation work. Nevertheless, drywall finishers often spent entire careers sanding joint compound, resulting in cumulative exposures that caused mesothelioma in many workers.
Who Is Eligible to File with the USG Trust?
Eligibility requires documented exposure to USG asbestos-containing joint compound, plaster, ceiling tile, or other USG gypsum products, combined with a qualifying medical diagnosis.
Eligible occupations:
- Drywall finishers and tapers who applied and sanded USG joint compound
- Plasterers who worked with USG plaster products
- Ceiling tile installers who cut or worked with USG acoustic ceiling tile
- Painters who prepared surfaces finished with USG joint compound
- Carpenters who worked around drywall finishing operations
- Construction superintendents and supervisors present during drywall finishing operations
- Renovation and demolition workers who disturbed existing USG drywall or ceiling systems
- School maintenance workers who worked with USG ceiling tiles
Exposure period: USG joint compound and related products containing asbestos were manufactured and sold primarily through the mid-1970s. However, USG products installed before that cutoff remained in buildings for decades and continued to expose workers during renovation, repair, and demolition projects well into the 1990s and beyond.
How to File a USG Trust Claim
- Retain a mesothelioma attorney: Your attorney will assess whether your work history supports a USG joint compound or other USG product exposure claim.
- Document work history: Identify specific job sites and time periods where you used or worked near USG joint compound. Pay stubs, union records, co-worker affidavits, and contractor records can all support this documentation.
- Compile medical records: Your pathology report, oncology records, and diagnostic imaging are assembled to establish the qualifying diagnosis.
- Submit claim package: Your attorney submits the completed claim form and all documentation to the USG Trust administrator.
- Review and payment: The trust reviews your claim and pays at 11% of the applicable scheduled value upon approval.
Drywall finishers who used both USG and National Gypsum Gold Bond joint compound may be eligible to file with both the USG Trust and the NGC Bodily Injury Trust simultaneously. Your attorney will identify all applicable trusts.
Can You File Other Claims at the Same Time?
Yes. Drywall finishers and construction workers who used USG joint compound typically also worked with products from other manufacturers, including National Gypsum (Gold Bond), Bondex joint compound, and other brands. Claims against all applicable trusts can be filed simultaneously. Construction workers may also have claims arising from other asbestos products used at their job sites — insulation, floor tile, ceiling tile from other manufacturers — that are covered by separate trusts.
You may also pursue a lawsuit against solvent defendants simultaneously with your trust fund claims. Trust fund recoveries and lawsuit recoveries are independent and do not offset each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
The USG Trust currently pays at approximately 11% of the scheduled disease value. For mesothelioma, with a scheduled value of approximately $90,000, the actual payment is about $9,900 before attorney fees. While lower than some industrial trusts, this payment is typically filed alongside claims with other trusts covering different products used at the same job sites.
USG’s joint compound (taping compound), ready-mix compound, and dry-mix compound products manufactured before approximately 1977 contained chrysotile asbestos. USG also manufactured asbestos-containing ceiling tile, plaster products, and insulating board. The most hazardous exposure scenario was sanding dried joint compound, which released fine asbestos-containing dust at high concentrations.
No. USG (United States Gypsum) and National Gypsum Company are separate companies with separate asbestos trusts. National Gypsum’s Gold Bond brand joint compound was a direct competitor to USG products, and both were widely used by drywall finishers. Workers who used products from both companies may be eligible to file with both the USG Trust and the NGC Bodily Injury Trust simultaneously.
If you worked as a professional contractor performing drywall work in residential settings, you may qualify. The trust primarily covers occupational exposures. Homeowner DIY exposure may be evaluated differently — your attorney can assess the strength of a claim based on the specifics of your exposure history and diagnosis.