Northwest Pipe Company's Tubular Products Group to Upgrade Mill in Houston, Texas

VANCOUVER, WA--(Marketwire - February 8, 2011) - Northwest Pipe Company (NASDAQ: NWPX), an industry leader of engineered welded steel pipe, will expand its Houston, Texas mill in response to customer demands for greater product offering. The Houston mill, which has traditionally produced only mechanical tubing products, began to produce green tube for OCTG in 2010. The mill upgrade will build on the OCTG green tube and other products already being produced on-site by adding production of 2 3/8 and 2 7/8 inch tubing with physical properties suitable for heat treating.

"We believe the Houston mill expansion represents an attractive growth opportunity for our Tubular Products business," said Rich Roman, CEO Northwest Pipe Company.

About Northwest Pipe Company's Tubular Products Group
Headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, Northwest Pipe Company's Tubular Products Group operates three ERW (Electric Resistance Weld) mill facilities in the United States. Tubular's products serve a wide-range of applications including: energy, oil and gas, structural, industrial, fire protection, low pressure and agricultural.

About Northwest Pipe Company
Northwest Pipe Company is comprised of two business groups. Its Water Transmission Group is the leading supplier of large diameter, high-pressure steel pipe products used primarily for water transportation infrastructure. Its Tubular Products Group manufactures smaller diameter steel pipe for many applications including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, traffic and other commercial and industrial uses. The Company is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington and has manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico.

For more information, visit www.nwpipe.com.

Contact Information:

Contact:
Yvonne Green
(360) 397-6279