Rockwood Press Release

Southern Clay Products Announces
North American Price Increase
for Claytone^® and Tixogel^® Additives
and Y-Type Anti-settling Agents

Gonzales, TX USA (August 18, 2006) – Effective September 1, or as contracts allow, Southern Clay Products, Inc. (SCP) is increasing the price of Claytone^® and Tixogel^® organoclay products by an average of 3% within the NAFTA region.  In addition, the company is increasing the price of Y-Type Anti-settling Agents by an average of $.10-$.12 per pound in the same market.

Don Poucher, vice president of sales and marketing for SCP, explained, “Meeting our customers’ needs for product quality and delivery remains our first priority.  As such, we must adjust our pricing to keep pace with increasing raw material and logistics costs. Price increases in several key raw materials, such as xylene and polyethylene, have had a significant impact on our overall cost of manufacturing.”

Claytone and Tixogel rheological additives are “organically modified” clays that are produced by reacting organic cations, such as a quaternary ammonium chloride, with carefully selected natural sodium bentonite. The reaction changes the nature of the clay from hydrophilic to oleophilic. These additives are used to provide various rheological characteristics to solvent-based or oil-based formulations, including inks, paints, greases, consumer care products, sealants and adhesives.

Y-Type Antisettling Agents are wax dispersions in xylene that are engineered to control sag, settling and leveling properties in industrial solvent borne coatings. 

SCP is a subsidiary of Rockwood Holdings, Inc. and a leading supplier of functional additives to several markets.  The company's complete line of water- and solvent-based rheological additives includes Permont^®, Garamite^®, Optibent^®, Optiflo^®, Optigel^®, Bentolite^®, Mineral Colloid^®, Cloisite^®, Nanothix^®, Gelwhite^® and Laponite^® rheological additives.  For more information on the full range of products, please visit the company’s newly redesigned web site at www.scprod.com.

Rockwood Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ROC) is a leading global specialty chemicals and advanced materials company. Rockwood has a worldwide employee base of approximately 10,800 people and net sales of $3.1 billion in 2005. The company focuses on global niche segments of the specialty chemicals and advanced materials markets, including specialty chemicals, performance additives, titanium dioxide pigments, advanced ceramics, custom synthesis, specialty compounds and electronics. For more information on Rockwood, please visit www.rocksp.com.