March 05, 2008 08:45 ET

Koppers Expands Carbon Testing Capabilities With Hiring of Daniel Gray

Former Owner of R & D Carbon Petrography Bolsters Microscopy Services

PITTSBURGH, PA--(Marketwire - March 5, 2008) - Koppers Inc., a subsidiary of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE: KOP), has hired Daniel P. Gray as a senior research scientist.

Gray is the former owner of R & D Carbon Petrography, a world leader in the microscopic analysis of carbon materials. With more than 25 years of petrography experience, Gray's expertise further expands Koppers capabilities in developing carbon products that meet end users' specifications and quality requirements. Gray joins other engineers and researchers at Koppers Harmarville Technical Center, a world-class research and development facility that provides essential technical support to our customers around the world.

Koppers uses the latest in chromatography, microscopy and spectroscopy equipment -- in conjunction with our considerable technical expertise -- to meet a variety of industry needs. Koppers on-site microscopy services now include quantitative and qualitative analyses of and reporting on a variety of carbon materials, including coal, metallurgical coke, petroleum coke, carbon pitch and carbon black, as well as microscopic evaluation of carbons such as electrodes, anodes, cathodes, carbon foams, mesophase pitch, carbon composites and other specialty carbon products. Through open, ongoing consultation and guidance, Koppers and our customers collaborate to achieve the highest-quality finished product. As technology advances, the importance of these collaborative efforts becomes even more important.

About Koppers

Koppers, with corporate headquarters and a research center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a global integrated producer of carbon compounds and treated wood products. Including its joint ventures, Koppers operates facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia, and China. The stock of Koppers Holdings Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "KOP." For more information, visit us on the Web: www.koppers.com. Questions concerning investor relations should be directed to Brian H. McCurrie at 412 227 2153 or Michael W. Snyder at 412 227 2131.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the company's strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures and financial results are forward-looking statements. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "intends," "projects," "indicates," and similar expressions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors, including those discussed more fully elsewhere in this release and in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Koppers, particularly its latest annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q, as well as others, could cause results to differ materially from those stated. These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in the laws, regulations, policies and economic conditions, including inflation, interest and foreign currency exchange rates, of countries in which the Company does business; competitive pressures; the loss of one or more key customer or supplier relationships; customer insolvencies; successful integration of structural changes, including restructuring plans, acquisitions, divestitures and alliances; cost and availability of raw materials; and other economic, business, competitive, regulatory and/or operational factors affecting the business of Koppers generally.