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GAF Corporation is one of the largest building projects manufacturers in North America, offering not only residential and commercial roofing, but also decking, railings, decorative stone, ductwork and specialty fabrics. The company is known for producing asbestos-containing products.

GAF was originally established in 1929 as an American arm of the German chemicals trust I.G. Farben-Industrie, known throughout the world as I.G. Dyes. The company later known as GAF (originally named American I.G.) was set up to provide competition for other American chemical firms. Best known for its process for the hydrogenation of coal, the company also manufactured dyestuffs, pharmaceuticals, solvents, lacquers, photographic products and films, synthetic silk and other fabrics, a wide range of nitrogen products (including chemical fertilizers), and many other organic and inorganic chemicals.

The name of the company was changed in 1939 to General Aniline and Film Corporation, having acquired all the assets of General Aniline Works and merging with Agfa-Ansco Corporation, a photographic supply business. Due to World War II, the company was seized in 1942 because of its German interests. From that time until 1965, GAF was managed by government-appointed directors. This caused much stagnation in its growth during a time when competitors like Kodak, Xerox and DuPont were growing quickly.

In 1965, government control ended and the company was sold to the public. In 1967, the company acquired the Ruberoid Corporation, which added roofing and related products to its product line. This was the forerunner of what is now known as the GAF Materials Corporation. Ruberoid was originally founded in 1886 in Bound Brook, New Jersey as the Standard Paint Company. The new name, GAF Corporation, was officially adopted in 1968.

The company struggled with mismanagement through the 1970s and early 1980s, with business finally picking up in the mid-80s and into the '90s when the housing boom was prompting the need for the type of materials GAF Corporation produced. The company entered the new millennium exclusively as a roofing supplies manufacturer, having divested all of its other interests.

When GAF purchased the Ruberoid Corporation, they added to their menu a line of items that contained large amounts of asbestos. These included insulation, roofing shingles, siding and a variety of other construction products. They also assumed ownership of a Virginia-based asbestos mine and became the No. 1 supplier of asbestos in the state. The mine was closed in 1975, but not before a number of workers acquired enough exposure to contract asbestos-related ailments, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Faced by myriad lawsuits due to the use of asbestos in its products and its ownership of the asbestos mine, GAF Corporation declared bankruptcy in 2001. The company was reorganized and was ordered to establish an asbestos trust fund to address unsettled and ongoing asbestos claims. Despite bankruptcy and excessive asbestos debt, GAF Corporation continues to be a successful and viable company.---Source: asbestos.com