FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 9, 2004 

Contact:

Richard E. Leone
Manager - Investor Relations
rleone@rtiintl.com
330-544-7622

RTI CEO Rupert Applauds Bush Decision to Remove
“Unnecessary and Unjustified” Tariff Break
for Russian Titanium Imports

Niles, Ohio – RTI International Metals, Inc., (NYSE: RTI) today expressed its appreciation for the Bush Administration’s decision to restore normal tariffs for imports of titanium from Russia.

“The Administration’s decision to terminate an unjustified and unnecessary preference for Russian imports is critically important to our Company and our industry. This action is essentially an expression of support for titanium production facilities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri and other key manufacturing states in the U.S. rather than in Russia. We at RTI recognize, however, that this important decision would never have been made without strong urging from Congressional supporters of the U.S. titanium industry,” said Timothy G. Rupert, President and CEO.

President Bush’s decision to terminate the special preference for Russian imports followed a flood of letters from influential members of Congress urging the Administration to take the action it did. Senate and House members from Ohio, a leading titanium-producing state, wrote strong letters to the President urging that the special preference for Russian imports be terminated.

“The voters of Ohio should know that Governor Taft and certain members of our Congressional delegation worked very hard on this matter,” said Rupert. “Both Ohio Senators, George Voinovich and Mike DeWine, argued persuasively to the White House that this was a high priority. We were also very fortunate to have a letter signed by eleven Ohio House members—Ralph Regula, David Hobson, Bob Ney, Deborah Pryce, Paul Gillmor, Steven LaTourette, Tim Ryan, Ted Strickland, Marcy Kaptur, Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Sherrod Brown. We understand this unusual action by so many members from one state’s delegation caught the attention of the White House. Congressman Rob Portman also contributed to the effort. We are especially appreciative of the leadership and hard work of Congressman Tim Ryan on this letter.”

A bipartisan group of House Armed Services Committee members, led by Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Jim Saxton (R-NJ), urged that the Bush Administration take account of the importance to U.S. national security of having a strong domestic titanium industry, because titanium is essential for the construction of military aircraft and other defense applications. “It is unusual for Armed Services Committee members to become involved in a matter of trade policy, but we are extremely grateful that these members did so, because their voices must have been heard by President Bush,” said Rupert.

“We were very pleased to have the strong support of Congressman Kenny Hulshof (R-MO) on this issue. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Congressman Hulshof—whose Missouri district has an RTI facility—is especially influential on trade policy matters.

“We also appreciate the support of the House Manufacturing Caucus, led by Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) and—here again—Tim Ryan. Their letter was another reason for the White House action,” said Rupert.

Russian titanium has, since 1993, benefited from a special government program, known as Generalized System of Preferences or GSP, that allows struggling industries from developing countries to export to the United States without paying the normal tariffs. The U.S. titanium industry argued that the Russian exporter, Verkhnaya Salda Metallurgical Production Organization or VSMPO, should have never been granted GSP status because it is larger than the three leading U.S. titanium producers combined, and—with 30 percent of the world market and a surging 20 percent of the U.S. market—hardly qualifies as a struggling exporter. The U.S. titanium producers jointly petitioned the Bush Administration to eliminate the preference for Russia, a preference which treats Russian titanium more favorably than imports from the EU, Japan and the U.S.’ other best trading partners.

RTI International Metals^®, headquartered in Niles, Ohio, is one of the world’s largest producers of titanium. Through its various subsidiaries, RTI manufactures and distributes titanium and specialty metal mill products, extruded shapes, formed parts and engineered systems for aerospace, industrial, defense, energy, chemical and consumer applications for customers around the world. To learn more about RTI International Metals, Inc., visit our website at www.rtiintl.com.

# # #