Nl Industries, Inc. Announces Increased Dividend

HOUSTON, TEXAS - October 25, 2000 - NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) announced that its Board of Directors has approved an increase in its regular quarterly dividend on its common stock to twenty cents per share, payable December 27, 2000 to shareholders of record December 13, 2000. Mr. J. Landis Martin, NL’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said today, “We are pleased that the strong performance by our operations allows us to increase our quarterly dividend to $.20 a share. This increase, together with our ongoing share repurchase program, is part of our continued commitment to return value to our shareholders.”

NL Industries, Inc. is a major international producer of titanium dioxide pigments.