Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp., Sellersburg, Ind., has agreed to purchase the assets of National Steel Corp.'s Granite City Building Products business. The agreement was executed on April 27, 2001, subject to customary closing conditions. Granite City Building Products will become a division of Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp. Metal Sales will continue to offer the Strongpanel®, Powerpanel®, Strongbarn®, Hercules® and Strongtrim® product lines.

"We are very pleased to add Granite City Building Products to our organization," said Metal Sales President Tom Morris. "National Steel has a long-standing reputation in the industry for quality products and we intend to maintain that tradition," he said. "Building professionals equate both Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation and Granite City Building Products as industry leaders in quality, history, and experience. It is a perfect fit for us."

Building Products had been manufactured at National Steel's facility in

Granite City, Ill. Following the closing, production of the products will be relocated to Metal Sales' Rock Island, Ill., and Independence, Mo., facilities.