Chemetall Introduces Boron-Free Salt Carrier to Facilitate Wire Drawing

The Gardolube SC 6226 is an Environmentally-Sound, High-Performing Alternative
to Carriers Containing Borax
PRINCETON, N.J.--(Business Wire)--
Chemetall, a unit of Rockwood Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ROC) and the leading
producer of specialty chemicals, has launched Gardolube SC 6226, the first in
what will be a comprehensive line of salt carrier coating products for wire
manufacturing that is completely free of boron. Gardolube SC 6226 is also free
of chlorides and, unlike borax-containing products, performs superlatively even
in humid environments.

Following a recent European Union investigation into the toxicity of boron, an
environmentally sound coating product for this function will be a growing
requirement in the global wire manufacturing industry.

"With the EU mandating new handling techniques and stricter environmental
regulations applied in production plants for boron-containing carriers, we saw
this as an opportunity to leverage our ongoing R&D for an environmentally sound
product line that offers comparable performance to existing coating products,"
said Dr. Peter Schubach, head of Chemetall`s global R&D efforts. "The
introduction of Gardolube 6226 demonstrates that we have flexibility to meet the
ever-changing needs in the marketplace with equally effective products that
ultimately are safer and more efficient in manufacturing processes."

In wire manufacturing, salt carriers are frequently part of the coating system,
which is applied prior to drawing. On high carbon wire, salt carriers are used
as a basis for the drawing process to efficiently separate the die and wire
while serving as an ideal transfer of lubricant into the forming die.

"While simply reducing the borax content in salt carriers below the required EU
limit was one option, we wanted to provide our customers with an effective
alternative to products containing any borax to ensure sustainability and
performance. Our company philosophy is to offer our customers products that will
enable the greatest safety and efficiency in their manufacturing process and
this is achieved through our Gardolube product range," said Dr. Schubach.

Chemetall, a unit of Rockwood Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ROC), is a global company
committed to specialty chemistry with 3,000 employees worldwide.The group's
activities focus on products and processes for the chemical treatment of metal
surfaces and plastics, as well as selected fields of fine chemistry, including
lithium and cesium compounds. For more information, please visit
www.chemetall.com.

Rockwood Holdings, Inc. is a leading global specialty chemicals and advanced
materials company. Rockwood has a worldwide employee base of approximately 9,500
people and annual net sales of approximately $3.0 billion. Rockwood focuses on
global niche segments of the specialty chemicals, pigments and additives and
advanced materials markets. For more information on Rockwood, please visit
www.rocksp.com.

The information set forth in this press release contains certain
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 concerning the business, operations and financial
condition of Rockwood Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates
("Rockwood"). Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects,"
"forecasts," "predicts" and variations of such words or expressions are intended
to identify forward-looking statements. Although Rockwood believes the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon
reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that its expectations will be
realized. "Forward-looking statements" consist of all non-historical
information, including any statements referring to the prospects and future
performance of Rockwood. Actual results could differ materially from those
projected in Rockwood's forward-looking statements due to numerous known and
unknown risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, the "Risk
Factors" described in Rockwood's 2008 Form 10-K on file with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Rockwood does not undertake any obligation to publicly
update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after
the date on which any such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events.

Rockwood Holdings, Inc.
Timothy McKenna, +1-609-734-6430
tmckenna@rocksp.com
(Investors and US media)
or
Norbert Schwinke-Kruse, ++49-(0)69-7165-2057
norbert.schwinke-kruse@chemetall.com

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