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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED September 30, 2003

Commission file number 1-3433

THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

2030 DOW CENTER, MIDLAND, MICHIGAN 48674
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

989-636-1000
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Not applicable
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ý    No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act) Yes ý    No o

The Dow Chemical Company
Table of Contents

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PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1.    Financial Statements

The Dow Chemical Company and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Income

See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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The Dow Chemical Company and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Balance Sheets

See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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The Dow Chemical Company and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Dow Chemical Company and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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The Dow Chemical Company and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(Unaudited)

NOTE A—CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

        The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) which, in the opinion of management, are considered necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the periods covered. Certain reclassifications of prior year amounts have been made to conform to current year presentation. These statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002. Except as otherwise indicated by the context, the terms "Company" or "Dow" as used herein mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries.

NOTE B—ACCOUNTING CHANGES

        In June 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards ("SFAS") No. 141, "Business Combinations," which replaced Accounting Principles Board ("APB") Opinion No. 16, "Business Combinations." Under SFAS No. 141, all business combinations initiated after June 30, 2001 are accounted for using the purchase method. As required by SFAS No. 141, negative goodwill of $89 million associated with the acquisition of Buna Sow Leuna Olefinverbund ("BSL") in 1997 was written off and included in "Cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles" in the first quarter of 2002. The application of SFAS No. 141 did not result in the reclassification of any amounts previously recorded as goodwill or other intangible assets.

        In June 2001, the FASB issued SFAS No. 142, "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets," which replaced APB Opinion No. 17, "Intangible Assets," and established new accounting and reporting requirements for goodwill and other intangible assets, effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2001. Under this statement, goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite useful lives are not amortized, but are subject to impairment testing. Impairment testing was required at adoption and at least annually thereafter. On an ongoing basis (absent any impairment indicators), Dow performs impairment tests during the fourth quarter of each year, in conjunction with the Company's annual budgeting process. Effective January 1, 2002, Dow ceased all amortization of goodwill, which is its only intangible asset with an indefinite useful life, and tested recorded goodwill for impairment by comparing the fair value of each reporting unit, determined using a discounted cash flow method, with its carrying value.

        As a result of the Company's impairment testing, goodwill impairment losses totaling $22 million were recorded in the first quarter of 2002 and included in "Cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles." Summaries of the impairment losses are as follows:

•

The Hampshire Fine Chemicals reporting unit has experienced increased competition and the loss of several large customers. The reporting unit has revised its 10-year earnings forecast to reflect the decreased profitability outlook, and, as a result, the Company recognized a goodwill impairment loss of $18 million in the first quarter of 2002 in the Performance Chemicals segment.



•

The Rubber reporting unit has faced increased competition and rapidly rising hydrocarbon costs with a significant oversupply of natural rubber, resulting in steadily declining margins. Revisions were made to the 10-year earnings forecast to reflect these negative trends and, as a result, a goodwill impairment loss of $4 million was recognized in the first quarter of 2002 in the Plastics segment.

        As required by SFAS No. 142, the Company also reassessed the useful lives and the classification of its identifiable intangible assets and determined them to be appropriate. See Note E for disclosures related to goodwill and other intangible assets.

        In June 2001, the FASB issued SFAS No. 143, "Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations," which requires an entity to record the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation in the period in which it is incurred and a corresponding increase in the related long-lived asset. The liability is adjusted to its present value each period and the asset is depreciated over its useful life. A gain or loss may be incurred upon settlement of the liability. SFAS No. 143 was effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2002. Adoption of SFAS No. 143 on January 1, 2003 resulted in the recognition of an asset retirement obligation of $45 million and a charge of $9 million (net of tax of $5 million), which was included in "Cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles." See Note H for disclosures related to asset retirement obligations.

        In June 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 146, "Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities," which nullifies Emerging Issues Task Force ("EITF") Issue 94-3, "Liability Recognition for Certain Employee Termination Benefits and Other Costs to Exit an Activity." This statement, which was effective for exit or disposal activities initiated after December 31, 2002, will change the measurement and timing of costs associated with exit and disposal activities undertaken by the Company in the future.

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        In the first quarter of 2003, Dow adopted the fair value provisions of SFAS No. 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation," for new grants of equity instruments (which include stock options, deferred stock grants, and subscriptions to purchase shares under the Company's Employees' Stock Purchase Plan) to employees. Dow expects the incremental after-tax expense associated with awards of stock options to be approximately $0.02 per share in 2003, growing to approximately $0.06 per share in 2005. These estimates were based on the terms of Dow's stock option plans and current assumptions for stock option grants and valuation, which may change when stock options are granted in the future. See Note I for disclosures required by SFAS No. 148, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure."

        In November 2002, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation ("FIN") No. 45, "Guarantor's Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others." FIN No. 45 clarifies the requirements of SFAS No. 5, "Accounting for Contingencies," relating to the guarantor's accounting for and disclosures of certain guarantees issued. The initial recognition and measurement provisions of the interpretation are applicable on a prospective basis to guarantees issued or modified after December 31, 2002, irrespective of the guarantor's fiscal year-end. The disclosure requirements of the interpretation were effective for financial statements of interim or annual periods ending after December 15, 2002. The Company's disclosures related to guarantees can be found in Note F.

        In January 2003, the FASB issued FIN No. 46, "Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities." FIN No. 46 clarifies the application of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51, "Consolidated Financial Statements," to certain entities in which equity investors do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or in which equity investors do not bear the residual economic risks. The interpretation was immediately applicable to variable interest entities ("VIEs") created after January 31, 2003, and to VIEs in which an enterprise obtains an interest after that date. As originally issued, it applied in the fiscal year or interim period beginning after June 15, 2003, to VIEs in which an enterprise holds a variable interest that was acquired before February 1, 2003. In October 2003, the FASB issued FASB Staff Position No. 46-6, which defers the effective date for FIN No. 46 to the first interim or annual period ending after December 15, 2003 for VIEs created before February 1, 2003. See Note G for disclosures regarding the Company's VIEs, and the expected impact of adoption in the fourth quarter of 2003.

        In May 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 150, "Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity." SFAS No. 150 requires the classification of certain financial instruments that embody obligations for the issuer as liabilities (or assets in some circumstances). SFAS No. 150 was effective for financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003, and otherwise was effective at the beginning of the first interim period beginning after June 15, 2003. The Company evaluated the preferred securities previously issued by two consolidated subsidiaries and concluded that the $500 million of preferred securities issued by Hobbes Capital S.A. is outside of the scope of the standard and will continue to be classified as "Preferred Securities of Subsidiaries." The $500 million of preferred partnership units issued by Tornado Finance V.O.F. ("Tornado") is within the scope of the standard and was classified as a liability of the Company upon adoption of SFAS No. 150 on July 1, 2003. The rights of the holders of Tornado's preferred partnership units were subsequently modified to eliminate the unconditional mandatory redemption feature; therefore, the preferred partnership units were classified as "Preferred Securities of Subsidiaries" in the consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2003. See Note P to the Consolidated Financial Statements in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002 for additional information.

NOTE C—MERGER-RELATED EXPENSES AND RESTRUCTURING

Merger-Related Expenses and Restructuring

        On February 6, 2001, the merger of Union Carbide Corporation ("Union Carbide") with a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company was completed, and Union Carbide became a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow. Following the completion of the Union Carbide merger, Dow's management made certain decisions relative to employment levels, duplicate assets and facilities and excess capacity resulting from the merger. These decisions resulted in a pretax special charge in the first quarter of 2001 of $1.4 billion. The planned merger-related program was substantially completed in the third quarter of 2002. Complete disclosures relative to the program and the activity in the merger-related special charge reserve can be found in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002.

        In conjunction with this program, merger-related expenses of $50 million (including $21 million of severance), exclusively related to the merger, were recorded in the first nine months of 2002. In the third quarter of 2002, the Company also recorded severance of $5 million related to a workforce reduction program at Dow AgroSciences.

        During the fourth quarter of 2002, an additional charge of $34 million was recorded for merger-related severance. Under this revised severance program, $62 million was paid to 746 former employees in the first quarter of 2003.

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Other Restructuring

        In late 2002, immediately following the appointment of a new President and CEO, management began a series of studies to determine potential actions relative to under-performing assets and employment levels. Prior to the end of 2002, certain studies were completed and management made