EXHIBIT 99.1

Quanex Building Products Corporation Fiscal 2010 Fourth Quarter and Annual Results

2010 Earnings from Continuing Operations were $0.64 per Diluted Share

Fourth Quarter Earnings from Continuing Operations were $0.22 per Diluted Share

2010 Cash Provided by Operating Activities from Continuing Operations of $90 million

$187 Million Cash and Equivalents at Year End

Repurchased $2.1 million of Common Stock in the Quarter

HOUSTON, Dec. 2, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quanex Building Products Corporation (NYSE:NX) today released fiscal 2010 fourth quarter and annual results for the period ending October 31, 2010. The company's 2010 sales and operating income at its two business segments - Engineered Products and Aluminum Sheet Products - were both substantially better than 2009 results. Engineered Products benefitted from new products, customer-driven market share gains, and price realization. Aluminum Sheet Products benefitted from a recovery in demand and market share gains, an improved aluminum spread (sales less material costs) and industry-wide capacity reductions. Quanex outperformed its end markets (residential remodeling activity and housing starts) in 2010.

In the fourth quarter 2010 versus the year ago quarter, Quanex's sales were up, primarily at Aluminum Sheet Products, while its operating income was down, primarily due to lower profitability at Engineered Products, in part the result of higher material costs and product mix issues, and higher corporate expenses.

2010 net sales were $798.3 million compared to $585.0 million a year ago; fourth quarter net sales were $222.3 million compared to $194.9 million in the year ago quarter. 2010 income from continuing operations was $24.2 million versus a 2009 loss from continuing operations of $136.1 million; fourth quarter 2010 income from continuing operations was $8.3 million compared to fourth quarter 2009 income from continuing operations of $15.8 million. 

Highlights

• 2010 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $0.64 which included $0.06 of LIFO expense, compared to a 2009 loss of $3.64 per diluted share from continuing operations which included $3.79 of impairment charges and $0.13 of LIFO income.
• 2010 capital expenditures were $14.7 million compared to $15.7 million in 2009.
• 2010 cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations was $89.6 million compared to $61.3 million in 2009.
• Cash and equivalents at year end totaled $187.2 million.
• Fourth quarter earnings per diluted share from continuing operations were $0.22 which included $0.03 of LIFO expense, compared to $0.42 in the year ago quarter which included $0.02 of LIFO income.
• Fourth quarter operating margins at Engineered Products and Aluminum Sheet Products were 11.1% and 8.5%, respectively.
• Repurchased 125,000 common shares ($2.1 million) in the fourth quarter for a total of 250,000 common shares ($4.3 million) in 2010.

Segment Commentary

Engineered Products is focused on providing OEM window and door customers with value-added fenestration components, products, and systems. Key markets are residential remodeling activity (approx. 60% of sales) and housing starts (approx. 40% of sales).

"We outperformed the market for the year with sales for fiscal 2010 of $361 million, up 12% over last year, while our blended market was relatively flat. For the fourth quarter, our market drivers were estimated to be up 9% on a blended basis compared to a year ago, most of that on the reported strength in R&R activity, while Engineered Products sales were up 2% over the same period," said David D. Petratis, president and chief executive officer of Quanex Building Products. "On slightly higher fourth quarter sales, operating income was down 27% over the year ago quarter, which reflected product mix changes and higher material costs at our sealant business. In response to these higher costs, we announced a price increase effective November 15, 2010. Operating income was also impacted by costs associated with building consolidations at our vinyl extrusion business, and segment expenses associated with the launch of Nexus," Petratis added.

"Our Nexus leadership team is now in place, including key sales and marketing leaders. Twenty nine of our planned thirty one professionals are in place, incentivized, and are working to drive organic growth," said Petratis.

Aluminum Sheet Products is a leading provider of common alloy aluminum sheet through its Nichols Aluminum operation and primarily serves residential remodeling activity and housing starts (approx. 70% of sales), and the transportation (approx. 20% of sales) markets.

"We outperformed the market for the year at Nichols with shipments for fiscal 2010 at 323 million pounds, up 45% compared to last year while the industry was up 24% over the same period. Shipments for our fourth quarter were 88 million pounds, up 13% compared to the fourth quarter of 2009, so we were sold out in the quarter. Comparable industry shipments were up 14% over the same period. Our sales in the quarter were $123 million, 25% higher than a year ago, due to better shipments and higher average aluminum prices. Our aluminum spread (sales less material costs) was flat compared to the year ago quarter but up 7% from the sequential third quarter due to rising aluminum prices and a modest improvement in scrap costs," Petratis said.

Cash Position

"We had a cash balance of $187 million and our total debt outstanding stood at $1.9 million," Petratis continued. "Cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations in 2010 was $90 million. Our $270 million revolving credit facility remains untapped. Possible uses of cash will be to fund organic growth initiatives, fund the common stock dividend, make acquisitions, and repurchase outstanding shares. During the quarter, we repurchased $2.1 million of common stock at an average price of $16.84 per share."

2011 Business Outlook

"Relative to a U.S. residential building and construction market that remained incredibly weak in 2010, Quanex turned in a solid performance this year, earning an adjusted $0.70 per diluted share (see reconciliation) compared to an adjusted $0.02 per diluted share in 2009. We know programs like the expired $8,000 first time homebuyers' tax credit, the $1,500 tax credit for energy efficient windows, which expires at the end of the month, and customer restocking in the first half of the year helped in 2010.  As we look to 2011, we do not expect another round of government sponsored incentives, so the industry is on its own," said Petratis. "With no catalyst to provide a surge in market activity, together with a large inventory of homes available for sale, we expect a challenging environment in 2011, with sales flat to slightly down from 2010, along with tough quarter to quarter comparisons, particularly in the first half of the year."

"While we expect the company to outperform its end markets in 2011, our operating plan is built on market assumptions that new construction window shipments will be flat to 2010, while R&R window shipments will be down 2.5%. Our R&R window estimate is significantly lower than the more commonly cited forecasts that represent the broader R&R market, as we believe R&R window activity has not recovered as quickly as the broader market, coupled with some demand pull-forward effect of the $1,500 window tax credit that expires 12/31/10," Petratis said.  

"Given our outlook, we expect Engineered Products in 2011 to earn about $35 million of operating income, essentially flat to 2010. We expect to see slightly higher sales for the segment in 2011 compared to 2010 because of ongoing R&R share gains by our large window and door customers, and to a lesser extent, gains we will make with national and regional customers through our organic growth initiatives. However, along with slightly better expected sales, we will see higher operating expenses as we invest to expand our organic growth initiatives. Assuming a reasonable recovery in the housing market, the potential of these initiatives is expected to be about $150 million of annualized sales in 5 years, and while they will likely be back end loaded, would represent about 40% growth at today's sales. Annual incremental operating expenses and capital expenditures necessary to achieve this growth will be approximately $4 million and $3 million, respectively," said Petratis.

"At Aluminum Sheet Products, we expect to earn about $25 million of operating income in 2011, compared to the $30 million we earned in 2010. The $25 million is based primarily on lower sales as we do not expect to see the level of restocking activity that was present in the first half of 2010 repeated in the first half of 2011. Our guidance is based on ongoing capacity constraints in the aluminum sheet market, a tight aluminum scrap market, and no material change in our value-added product mix," Petratis said.

"Guidance excludes estimated 2011 corporate expenses of $26 million and any impact from LIFO. 2011 estimates for capital expenditures and depreciation & amortization are $30 million and $29 million, respectively. Corporate expenses and capital expenditures reflect costs (about $2.5 million and $9 million, respectively, in 2011) associated with the launch of our Enterprise Resource Program, which when completed in 2014, will greatly enhance and streamline our back office processes, improve data collection and provide a foundation to support future growth opportunities," concluded Petratis.

Nexus

Nexus is the company's long term organic growth program that is focused on connecting its Engineered Products Group (EPG) businesses: Mikron, Truseal and Homeshield. The sales and marketing teams of the three businesses, each of which operated independently in the past, have been combined to utilize their capabilities to expand sales opportunities. Nexus activities are focused on an existing customer base that traditionally had been national window and door OEM's, and now includes more diverse regional OEM opportunities. EPG engineering teams are also working together to develop products and systems that provide customers with the latest innovations in technology and energy efficiency.

Other

The company reported fiscal fourth quarter 2010 blended market demand (residential remodeling activity and housing starts) was up an estimated 9% over the fiscal fourth quarter of 2009. The company calculated the change using data from external sources: Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies for residential remodeling activities and IHS Global Insight for housing starts.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Income from Continuing Operations before LIFO and Impairment Charge

Income from continuing operations before LIFO and impairment charge is a non-GAAP financial measure. The Company believes this non-GAAP financial measure provides a consistent basis for comparison between periods and enhances the understanding of the performance of its operations.

Set forth below is a reconciliation of reported income from continuing operations and reported diluted earnings per share from continuing operations to income from continuing operations before LIFO and impairment charge and diluted earnings per share from continuing operations before LIFO and impairment charge. The Company does not intend for this information to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for other measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Dividend Declared

The Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.04 per share on the company's common stock, payable December 30, 2010, to shareholders of record on December 15, 2010.

Corporate Profile

Quanex Building Products Corporation is an industry-leading manufacturer of engineered materials, components and systems serving the U.S. residential window and door markets. It is a ROIC-driven company that grows shareholder returns through a combination of organic growth via new products and new programs like Nexus, and strategic acquisitions.

The Quanex Building Products Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1117

Financial Statistics as of 10/31/10

Book value per common share: $11.77; Total debt to capitalization: 0.4%; Return on invested capital: 5.4%; Actual number of common shares outstanding: 37,510,815.

Definitions

Book value per common share – calculated as total stockholders' equity as of balance sheet date divided by actual number of common shares outstanding;

Total debt to capitalization – calculated as the sum of both the current and long-term portion of debt, as of balance sheet date, divided by the sum of both the current and long-term portion of debt plus total stockholders' equity as of balance sheet date;

Return on invested capital – calculated as the total of the prior 12 months net income plus prior 12 months after-tax interest expense and capitalized interest, the sum of which is divided by the trailing five quarters average total debt (current and long term) and total stockholders' equity.

Statements that use the words "expect," "should," "believe," "will," "might," or similar words reflecting future expectations or beliefs are forward-looking statements. The statements found above are based on current expectations. Actual results or events may differ materially from this release. Factors that could impact future results may include, without limitation, the effect of both domestic and global economic conditions, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and the availability and cost of raw materials. For a more complete discussion of factors that may affect the company's future performance, please refer to the company's 10-K filing on December 18, 2009, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in particular the section titled, "Private Securities Litigation Reform Act" contained therein.

For additional information, visit the company's website at www.quanex.com

CONTACT:  Quanex Building Products Corporation
          Financial Contact:
          Jeff Galow
            713-877-5327
          Media Contact:
          Valerie Calvert
            713-877-5305