Question

If asbestos is an insulator then why asbestos wire gauge is used in heating chemicals?

Answer 1

Actually the wire gauze is a mesh (like a net) made up from a metal which has a circular asbestos imprinted on it. The vessel to be heated is placed on the circular asbestos patch to prevent it from direct contact with the flame and to spread the heat uniformly over the surface

Every chemistry lab has such wire gauze.