Crane Co. Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma Claims

By David Meldofsky, California-licensed attorney · Founder, Lawsuit Informer

Last updated: July 4, 2026

Crane Co. was one of the largest valve and fitting manufacturers in the United States, and its valves ran in steam systems across Navy ships, power plants, refineries, and factories for most of the twentieth century. Many of those valves were sealed with asbestos-containing gaskets and packing, and Crane also sold its own asbestos sheet gasket material under the Cranite name. Workers who maintained that equipment and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease have made Crane one of the most frequently named defendants in asbestos litigation, and the cases continue today.

Company Background

Crane Co. was founded in Chicago in 1855 by Richard Teller Crane and grew from a brass foundry into one of the country's dominant makers of valves, fittings, and steam equipment. Crane valves were standard hardware in high-temperature and high-pressure systems: ship engine rooms, power plants, refineries, chemical plants, and industrial steam distribution of every kind. The company remains in business today, and corporate restructuring in recent years means identifying the correct present-day defendant entity is part of the work counsel performs in these claims.

Two product categories drive the litigation. The first is the valves themselves, which used asbestos gaskets at bonnet and flange joints and asbestos packing around the valve stem. The second is Cranite, an asbestos sheet gasket material Crane sold for decades, from which workers cut replacement gaskets by hand.

How Asbestos Exposure Happened Around Crane Valves

As with pumps, the metal valve body was not the hazard. The asbestos was in the sealing components, and the exposure allegations center on maintenance. Rebuilding a steam valve meant scraping or wire-brushing the old baked-on gasket off the flange faces and digging worn packing rings out of the stuffing box with picks and hooks. Replacement gaskets were often cut on site from asbestos sheet material, including Cranite, with shears or a knife, and bolt holes were punched through the sheet.

Each of those steps could release fibers into the worker's breathing zone, and valve work was constant. A single plant or ship engine room contained hundreds of valves, and maintenance crews repeated the same gasket and packing work across all of them, year after year. For the broader picture of this exposure pathway, see asbestos exposure from industrial valves, pumps, and gaskets.

Jobs and Sites Often Involved

• Pipefitters and steamfitters who broke down and rebuilt valve joints
• Navy boiler technicians and machinist's mates, since Crane valves served throughout ship steam systems
• Powerhouse and boiler room workers in plants running high-pressure steam
• Refinery, chemical plant, and paper mill maintenance crews
• Millwrights and machinists who cut replacement gaskets from asbestos sheet
• Building engineers maintaining steam heating systems in large facilities

Related occupational pages include asbestos exposure among pipefitters and steamfitters, asbestos exposure in power plants and refineries, asbestos exposure in shipyards and naval service, and asbestos exposure during industrial shutdowns and turnarounds.

Crane Co. in Asbestos Litigation

Crane has been among the most frequently named solvent defendants in asbestos litigation for decades, facing claims across essentially every industrial state and a large share of Navy and maritime cases. Because the company never entered bankruptcy, there is no Crane trust fund. Claims proceed as ordinary lawsuits and resolved cases are paid through settlements and, at times, trial verdicts.

The central legal fight in Crane cases has been responsibility for asbestos components made by others. Crane argued for years that it should not be liable for gaskets and packing supplied by third parties and installed in its valves after sale. In 2016, New York's highest court rejected that position in a case brought by a Navy boiler technician, holding that Crane had a duty to warn where its valves required asbestos-containing components to function as intended in high-heat service. The United States Supreme Court adopted a similar rule for maritime cases in 2019. How the issue plays out still varies by jurisdiction, which is one reason exposure details and product identification matter so much.

A Crane lawsuit also does not exclude other recoveries. Most workers were exposed to many products over a career, and claims against bankrupt manufacturers are often pursued through asbestos trust funds in parallel with a lawsuit against solvent defendants like Crane.

Illnesses Discussed in These Cases

• Mesothelioma
• Asbestos-related lung cancer
• Asbestosis
• Other asbestos-related conditions examined in litigation

Asbestos diseases have long latency periods, often 10 to 50 years between exposure and diagnosis, which is why claims today frequently involve work performed decades ago. See how asbestos exposure is proven decades later and asbestos claim deadlines after symptoms appear.

Records That Help Support a Crane Co. Claim

Because Crane claims are litigated rather than handled through a trust process, the evidentiary record carries the case. Work history and union records, Social Security earnings statements, ship and plant records placing Crane valves or Cranite material at a site, co-worker testimony, and medical records connecting the diagnosis all play a role. Our guide to asbestos records that help support a claim walks through this in detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a Crane Co. asbestos trust fund?

No. Crane Co. has never filed for bankruptcy or established an asbestos trust fund. Claims involving Crane valves and gasket materials are pursued through the court system as lawsuits and are paid through settlements and verdicts rather than a trust claim process.

What was Cranite?

Cranite was an asbestos-containing sheet gasket material sold by Crane Co. for decades. Workers describe cutting replacement gaskets from Cranite sheet with shears or knives and punching bolt holes, work that plaintiffs allege released asbestos fibers into their breathing zone.

Can Crane be responsible for gaskets made by other companies?

That question has been heavily litigated. New York's highest court held in 2016 that Crane had a duty to warn where its valves required asbestos-containing components to function in high-heat service, and the United States Supreme Court reached a similar conclusion for maritime cases in 2019. The answer in a given case depends on the jurisdiction and the facts.

Related Asbestos Guides

About the Author

David Meldofsky is a California-licensed attorney and the founder of Lawsuit Informer, an educational platform focused on helping people understand lawsuits, consumer safety issues, and legal rights related to defective products and toxic exposures.

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Last Updated: July 4, 2026

Educational information only. Not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed.