Attached files

        The following table sets forth Grace Davison sales by region as a percentage of Grace Davison total revenue.

Refining Technologies

FCC Catalysts

        We are a global leader in developing and manufacturing fluid catalytic cracking, or FCC, catalysts and additives that enable petroleum refiners to increase profits by improving product yields and quality. Our FCC products also enable refiners to reduce emissions from their FCC units and reduce sulfur content in the gasoline that they produce.

        Oil refining is a highly specialized discipline, and FCC catalysts must be tailored to meet local variations in crude oil and a refinery's product mix. We work regularly with our customers to identify the most appropriate catalyst formulations for their changing needs. We are dependent on the economics of the petroleum industry, specifically, the impacts of demand for transportation fuels and petrochemical products and crude oil supply, which affect the extent to which our customers utilize the available capacity of their refinery FCC units. In general, as a refinery utilizes more of its capacity, it needs a disproportionately greater amount of FCC catalyst. In recent years, global economic growth, especially in emerging markets, has increased the demand for transportation fuels, and our FCC catalysts and additives. Other factors may reduce the demand for petroleum-based transportation fuels such as weak economic conditions and high retail gasoline and diesel fuel prices. In addition, government policy that encourages the use of non-petroleum-based fuels, discourages the use of diesel fuel or encourages greater vehicular fuel economy may negatively affect demand for our FCC catalysts and additives.

        Refinery feedstocks vary in quality from sweet to heavy crude oil. Sweet crude feedstocks are typically more expensive than heavy crude and yield a greater proportion of high-value petroleum products. They also yield a lower proportion of residual oil, or "resid," which is generally the lowest-value feedstock contained in crude oil. Although heavy crude feedstocks with high resid content are typically less expensive than higher quality feedstocks, the processing of high-resid feedstocks is more difficult because of their relatively high metals, nitrogen and sulfur contamination and higher boiling points. We have designed our MIDAS®, IMPACT®, NEKTOR™, and NOMUS™ product portfolios to enable our customers to increase the efficiency and yield of high-resid feedstock refining.

        As a result of volatility in the price of diesel fuel as compared to gasoline, refiners desire the flexibility to adjust the yield of light cycle oil, a component of diesel fuel, from their FCC units. We have designed our MIDAS® 300 and DieseliseR™ products to increase the yield of light cycle oil from refinery FCC units.

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        Many U.S. petroleum refiners have entered into consent decrees with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under which the refiners have agreed to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides. The European Union has also imposed requirements on refineries with respect to nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides emissions. FCC units are generally the largest emitters of these pollutants in a refinery. Our additives are designed to assist refineries in meeting their obligations to reduce these pollutants. Our Super DESOX® additive reduces sulfur oxides emissions from commercial FCC units. Our XNOx® and DENOX® additives are designed to achieve reductions in nitrogen oxides emissions comparable to those obtained from the capital-intensive alternatives available to a refinery.

        Global economic growth, especially in emerging markets, has increased the demand for plastics. As a result, our refinery customers have sought increased profits from petrochemicals by increasing the yield of propylene from their FCC units. Our ZSM-5-based technology, including our OlefinsMax® and OlefinsUltra® products, is designed to maximize the propylene output of FCC units.

        In recent years, many countries and regions, including the U.S., European Union, Russia, India and China have imposed or increased the regulatory limitations on the sulfur content of gasoline and diesel fuel. We have developed a portfolio of products designed to assist refiners in meeting their gasoline sulfur reduction targets including our D-PriSM® and GSR® 5 additives and our SuRCA® and Neptune™ catalyst families.

        Competition in FCC catalysts and additives is based on technology, product performance, customer service and price. Our principal FCC catalyst competitors are Albemarle and BASF which, with Intercat, are also principal competitors in FCC additives. We also have multiple regional competitors for FCC catalysts and additives.

Hydroprocessing Catalysts

        We market hydroprocessing catalysts through ART, our joint venture with Chevron. We established ART to combine our technology with that of Chevron and to develop, market and sell hydroprocessing catalysts to customers in the petroleum refining industry worldwide.

        As discussed above, our business is dependent on the economics of the petroleum industry. Refineries increasingly use feedstocks that have high resid content. We are a leading supplier of hydroprocessing catalysts designed for processing these feedstocks. We offer products for fixed-bed resid hydrotreating, on-stream catalyst replacement, ebullating-bed high-resid feedstock hydrocracking and distillate hydrotreating processes.

        We also offer a full line of catalysts, customized for individual refiners, used in processing ultra-low sulfur content gasoline and diesel fuel, including our SmART Catalyst System® and ApART™ catalyst system. As discussed above, regulatory limitations on the sulfur content of gasoline and diesel fuel are becoming more common. These products are designed to help refiners to reduce the sulfur content of their products.

        Competition in the hydroprocessing catalyst industry is based on technology, product performance, customer service and price. Albemarle and Criterion are our leading global competitors in hydroprocessing catalysts. We also have multiple regional competitors.

Materials Technologies

        We provide enabling technologies that are silica- and silica-alumina-based functional additives and process aids, such as silica gel, colloidal silica, zeolitic adsorbents, precipitated silica and silica-aluminas, for a wide variety of applications. We are a global leader in can and closure sealants that,

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along with our specialized can, Al-monoblock and closure coatings, we supply to the packaging industry. Or product portfolio includes:

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        Our products are integrated into our customers' manufacturing processes and, when combined with our technical support, increase the efficiency and performance of their products. By working closely with our customers, we help them to respond quickly to the changing needs of brand owners and consumers. We focus on high-growth segments and seek to develop and introduce new products that add additional value to the current and future needs of our customers. For example, our customers have incorporated our products into higher resolution print media, active packaging with oxygen or moisture scavenging functionality, less abrasive high cleaning toothpastes and technologies that are friendly to the environment such as water-based and VOC-compliant coatings, green tires with lower roll resistance and non-toxic anticorrosion protection.

        Our packaging products are designed to address major industry trends such as lighter weight packaging, lower energy consumption, personal convenience, and highly individualized packaging. Our growth is driven by innovation of higher performing products, continuous discovery of new applications, the need for sustainability and rising disposable income in emerging markets. We seek to capitalize upon our technical customer service, global infrastructure and expertise in global regulatory compliance (including food law compliance) to enhance our growth, especially in emerging markets.

        Our Materials Technologies product group is global. Our major competitors include PQ/INEOS, Evonik, UOP and Altana, all of which market their products on a global basis. Competition is generally based on product performance, technical service and reliability, as well as additional value-added features to address the needs of our customers, end-users and brand owners.

Specialty Technologies

Specialty Catalysts and Process Technologies

        We are a leading provider of catalyst systems and catalyst supports to the polyolefins industry for a variety of polyethylene and polypropylene process technologies. These types of catalysts are used for the manufacture of polyethylene and polypropylene resins used in products such as plastic film, high-performance plastic pipe, automobile parts, household appliances and household containers. We use a combination of proprietary catalyst and support technology, as well as technology licensed from third parties, to provide unique catalyst-based solutions to industry, and to provide a broad technology portfolio for enhancing collaboration opportunities with technology leaders.

        Our Magnapore® polymerization catalyst is used to produce high performance polyethylene in the slurry loop process for pipe and film applications. Our POLYTRAK® polymerization catalyst is designed to achieve improved polymer performance, particularly for impact-resistant applications such as automobile bumpers and household appliances.

        Our Sylobloc® polymer additives for producers and processors of plastic products prevent layers of polymer film from sticking together, improve dispersement of pigments and ease removal from molds.

        Our renewables product line draws upon our expertise in catalysis and separations to develop and provide technologies for purification, drying, and biofeedstock conversion, including our EnSieve® desiccants for ethanol dehydration and EnPure® adsorbents for biodiesel purification. Growth in our renewables business is driven by sales into ethanol dehydration and bio-diesel purification applications as a result of government mandates and escalating fuel prices.

        Our Davicat® standard and customized catalysts offer a wide range of chemical and physical properties based on our material science technology for supported catalysts and biotechnology applications such as nylon and artificial sweeteners. Our Raney® nickel, cobalt and copper hydrogenation and dehydrogenation catalysts are used for the synthesis of organic compounds for the fibers, pharmaceuticals, plastics, perfumes, soaps, color couplers and petroleum industries.

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        Our Sylobead® process adsorbents are used in petrochemical and natural gas processes for such applications as ethylene-cracked-gas-drying, natural gas drying and sulfur removal.

        The specialty catalyst industry is technology-intensive and suppliers must provide products formulated to meet customer specifications. There are many manufacturers of polyolefin and other specialty catalysts including PQ/INEOS, Albemarle, LyondellBasell, Univation and BASF, and most sell their products worldwide.

Discovery Sciences

        We market chromatography and related purification products, pharmaceutical excipients and CO₂ adsorbents including:

        Our products are used in a wide range of applications, including drug discovery and purification, for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, environmental analysis, forensics, petrochemical analysis and the manufacture of food, cosmetics, vitamins and biofuels. We also market chromatography consumables and analytical and preparative columns packed with our specialty media. We can modify the base silica and surface chemistry for analytical, preparative and process-scale customers in order to enhance our product performance for their unique applications.

        Our products compete on the basis of product quality, distinct technology and customer support. Competition for these products is highly fragmented with a large number of companies that sell their products on a global and regional basis, although a number of companies, such as Waters Corporation, Agilent Technologies and Thermo-Fisher, have a substantial global position and a relatively large installed customer base.

Manufacturing

        Our Grace Davison products are manufactured by a network of globally-coordinated plants that are positioned to service our customers regionally. Our packaging products are manufactured in both large facilities to permit economies of scale and a network of smaller operations that enable customization to local market conditions. Our integrated planning organization is responsible for the effective utilization of our manufacturing capabilities. Our Discovery Sciences product line has its own integrated planning organization.

Marketing and Sales

        We use a global organization of technical professionals with extensive experience in refining processes, catalyst development, and catalyst applications to market our Refining Technologies catalysts and additives. These professionals work to tailor our technology to the needs of each specific customer. We generally negotiate prices for our refining catalysts because our formulations are specific to the needs of each customer and each customer receives individual attention and

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technical service. We generally sell our hydroprocessing catalysts through multiple-year supply agreements with our geographically diverse customer base.

        We use country-based direct sales forces that are dedicated to each product line and backed by application-specific technical customer service teams to market our Materials Technologies and Discovery Sciences products. Our sales force seeks to develop long-term relationships with our customers and focuses on consultative sales, technical support and key account growth programs. To ensure full geographic coverage, our direct sales organization is further supplemented, especially with respect to our Discovery Sciences products, by a network of agents and distributors.

        We use a global direct sales force for our other Specialty Catalysts and Process Technologies products that seeks to maintain close working relationships with our customers. These relationships enable us to cooperate with major polymer and chemical producers to develop catalyst technologies that complement their process developments. We have geographically distributed our sales and technical service professionals to make them responsive to the needs of our geographically diverse customers. We typically operate under long-term contracts with our customers.

        Our marketing and research and development functions operate globally. We offer web-based support, including technical service, literature access, customer feedback tools, and process design formulas to assist our specialty catalysts and process technologies customers in determining their needs for our products.

        Seasonality does not have a significant overall effect on our Grace Davison operating segment. However, sales of FCC catalysts tend to be lower in the first calendar quarter prior to the shift in production by refineries from home heating oil for the winter season to gasoline production for the summer season. FCC catalysts and ebullating-bed hydroprocessing catalysts are consumed at a relatively steady rate and are replaced regularly. Fixed-bed hydroprocessing catalysts are consumed over a period of years and are replaced in bulk in an irregular pattern. Since our customers periodically shut down their refining processes to replace fixed-bed hydroprocessing catalysts in bulk, our hydroprocessing catalyst sales to any customer can vary substantially over the course of a year and between years based on that customer's catalyst replacement schedule. Our packaging products and some of our construction-related products such as insulated glass desiccants are affected by seasonal and weather-related factors including the consumption of beverages, the size and quality of food crops and the level of construction activity. These impacts are mitigated by the global nature of this product line.

Raw Materials

        The principal raw materials for Grace Davison products include caustic soda, alumina, rare earths, nickel, aluminum, cobalt, kaolin, molybdenum, sodium aluminate, sodium silicate, resins, rubber and lattices (including certain food-grade raw materials). Multiple suppliers are generally available for each of these materials; however some of our raw materials may be provided by single sources of supply. We seek to mitigate the risk of using single source suppliers by identifying and qualifying alternative suppliers or, for unique materials, by using alternative formulations from other suppliers or by passing price increases on to customers. In some instances, we produce our own raw materials and intermediates.

        Prices for many of our raw materials, including metals and petroleum-based specialty and commodity materials such as resins and solvents, have been volatile in recent years. As in many chemical businesses, we consume significant quantities of natural gas in the production of Grace Davison products. World events and other economic factors have caused volatility in the price of natural gas. Increases or decreases in the cost of natural gas and raw materials can have a significant impact on our operating margins. Since we manufacture a substantial portion of our packaging products in developing countries using raw materials from suppliers in the U.S., Europe

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and other developed economies, changes in the values of the currencies of these developing countries versus the U.S. dollar and the Euro may adversely affect our raw material costs and the prices we may charge for our products.

Grace Construction Products Operating Segment

        Our Grace Construction Products, or GCP, products include specialty construction chemicals and specialty building materials. GCP manages its business under a geographic organizational structure that focuses on the following regions:

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GCP Americas includes products sold to customers in North, Central and South America;



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GCP Europe includes products sold to customers in Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India; and



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GCP Asia Pacific includes products sold to customers in Asia (excluding India), Australia and New Zealand.

        The following table sets forth GCP sales by region as a percentage of GCP total revenue.

        The following table sets forth GCP sales of similar products as a percentage of Grace total revenue.

        We are a supplier to the nonresidential (commercial and infrastructure) construction industry, and to a lesser extent, the residential construction and repair and restoration industries. The

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following table shows our principal specialty construction chemicals and specialty building materials products:

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        In view of this diversity of customers and customer requirements, and because specialty construction chemicals and specialty building materials require intensive sales and customer service efforts, we maintain a direct sales and technical support team with sales personnel based in more than 35 countries worldwide. This sales and support team sells products under global contracts, under U.S. or regional contracts, and on a job-by-job basis. We also use distributors in both domestic and overseas markets. We compete globally with several large construction materials suppliers, and regionally and locally with numerous smaller competitors. In recent years, the cement and concrete industry has experienced some consolidation, thereby increasing the importance of serving well our global customers. For some customer groups, such as producers and contractors, operational efficiency and total applied cost are key factors in making purchasing decisions, while for others, such as architects and engineers, product performance and design versatility are more important.

        Competition for our construction products is based on product performance, technical support and service, brand name recognition in the construction industry and price. Our major global specialty construction chemicals competitors are BASF and Sika.

        We seek to improve our products, adapt them for new applications and add new products through our growth and innovation processes that focus on understanding the needs of our customers, key performance indicators and research and development. We also seek to extend our product portfolio and geographic reach through acquisitions.

        In addition to new product introductions, product enhancements and acquisitions, we look for growth opportunities in developing countries where increasing construction activity, improvement in building codes, and sophistication of construction practices can accelerate demand for our construction products. We continue to expand our commercial and manufacturing capabilities in these geographic areas.

        The key raw materials used in our specialty construction products are obtained from a variety of suppliers, including commodity chemical producers, petroleum companies and paper manufacturers. The majority of our raw materials are olefins and organic chemicals; we also make significant

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purchases of inorganic materials such as gypsum, as well as specialty materials including specialty films, papers, membranes and fibers. In most instances, these materials are available from multiple sources. Global supply and demand factors, changes in currency valuations against the U.S. dollar and petroleum prices significantly impacted the price and availability of key raw materials in recent years.

        The construction business is cyclical in response to economic conditions and construction demand. The construction business is also seasonal and dependent on favorable weather conditions, with a decrease in construction activity during the winter months. Demand for our specialty construction products is primarily impacted by global non-residential construction activity and U.S. residential construction activity. We seek to increase profitability and minimize the impact of cyclical downturns in regional economies by introducing technically advanced high-performance products and expanding geographically. Although in recent years these strategies have been successful in reducing the impact of cyclicality, a decline in U.S. and European construction activity in 2007 through 2009 has had a negative impact on our sales in North America and Western Europe.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT INDUSTRY SEGMENTS AND GEOGRAPHIC AREAS

        Disclosure of financial information about industry segments and geographic areas for 2009, 2008 and 2007 is provided in this Report in Item 8 (Financial Statements and Supplementary Data) in the Financial Supplement under Note 21 (Operating Segment Information) to the Consolidated Financial Statements which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. Disclosure of risks attendant to our foreign operations is provided in this Report in Item 1A (Risk Factors).

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY; RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

        Competition in the specialty chemicals and specialty materials industry is often based on technological superiority and innovation. Our ability to maintain our margins and effectively compete with other suppliers depends on our ability to introduce new products based on innovative technology, as well as our ability to obtain patent or other intellectual property protection. Our research and development programs emphasize development of new products and processes, improvement of existing products and processes and application of existing products and processes to new industries and uses. We conduct research in all regions, with North America and Europe accounting for the most activity.

        We routinely file applications to obtain world-wide patents to protect our investments in innovation, research, and product development. Numerous patents and patent applications protect our products, formulations, manufacturing processes, equipment, and improvements. We also benefit from the use of trade secret information, including know-how and other proprietary information relating to many of our products and processing technologies. There can be no assurance, however, that our patents, patent applications and precautions to protect trade secrets and know-how will provide sufficient protection for our intellectual property. In addition, other companies may independently develop systems or processes that could circumvent our patents or may acquire patent rights applicable to our business.

        Research and development expenses were approximately $70 million, $83 million, and $80 million in 2009, 2008, and 2007, respectively. These amounts include depreciation and amortization expenses related to research and development and expenses incurred in funding external research projects. The amount of research and development expenses relating to government- and customer-sponsored projects (rather than projects that we sponsor) was not material during these periods.

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ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND SAFETY MATTERS

        We are subject, along with other manufacturers of specialty chemicals, to stringent regulations under numerous U.S. federal, state and local and foreign environment, health and safety laws and regulations relating to the generation, storage, handling, discharge, disposition and stewardship of hazardous wastes and other materials. Environmental laws require that certain responsible parties, as defined in the relevant statute, fund remediation actions regardless of legality of original disposal or ownership of a disposal site. We are involved in remediation actions to address hazardous wastes or other materials as required by U.S. federal, state and local and foreign laws. During the Chapter 11 proceeding, we generally are not participating in the funding of investigation and remediation at sites that we do not own. Our ultimate liability with respect to many of these sites will be determined as part of the Chapter 11 proceeding.

        We have expended substantial funds to comply with environmental laws and regulations and expect to continue to do so in the future. The following table sets forth our expenditures in the past three years, and our estimated expenditures in 2010 and 2011, for (i) the operation and maintenance of manufacturing facilities and the disposal of wastes; (ii) capital expenditures for environmental control facilities; and (iii) site remediation:

        Additional information about our environmental remediation activities is provided in this Report in Item 3 (Legal Proceedings).

        We continuously seek to improve our environmental, health and safety performance. To the extent applicable, we extend the basic elements of the American Chemistry Council's Responsible Care® program to all our locations worldwide, embracing specific performance objectives in the key areas of management systems, product stewardship, employee health and safety, community awareness and emergency response, distribution, process safety and pollution prevention. We have implemented key elements of the new Responsible Care® Security Code for our operations and systems. We have completed a review of our existing security (including cyber-security) vulnerability and have taken actions to enhance our security systems and protect our assets. We have undertaken certain activities to comply with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards, including identifying facilities subject to the standards, conducting security vulnerability assessments and developing site security plans, as necessary.

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EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

        As of December 31, 2009, we employed approximately 5,940 persons, of whom approximately 2,650 were employed in the United States. Of our total employees, approximately 3,615 work in Grace Davison facilities, approximately 1,565 work in Grace Construction Products facilities, and approximately 760 are dedicated to corporate activities and/or are shared through globally managed professional groups such as finance, legal services, human resources, information technology, supply chain and environment, health and safety.

        Approximately 755 of our manufacturing employees in the United States are represented for collective bargaining purposes by nine different local collective bargaining groups. We have operated without a labor work stoppage for more than 10 years.

        We have works councils representing the majority of our European sites serving approximately 1,765 employees.

RISK MANAGEMENT

        We have programs in place to address the following significant risks to Grace:

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Disasters—We have disaster recovery plans in effect at key sites, and we have built a certain amount of redundancy into our production plants where feasible. We also have a formalized risk management program, which includes several types and layers of insurance. We are advised by risk management professionals and brokers who are familiar with recent trends in the insurance markets worldwide. The level of insurance carried, and other related aspects such as deductibles, self-insurance levels and policy terms, are monitored by management on a regular basis.



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Environmental—We are committed to the heath and safety of all employees and to protecting the environment from damage through the use or production of our products. Our Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) organization is global in scope and is charged with assuring that we live up to our commitments in this important area. The group performs EH&S audits of our facilities and regularly monitors local laws and regulations. Where appropriate, we use outside consultants and experts to augment our in-house staff. We continue to implement our EHS management system in our facilities worldwide. Our EHS management system is designed to enable us to apply "best practices" and "continual improvement" principles across our business.



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Ethics and Fraud—We insist that our employees maintain the highest standards of ethical behavior. We have preventative and investigatory programs in place to maintain these standards, as follows:



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We have established online ethics and compliance training programs in several languages.



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All U.S. employees and many employees outside the U.S. must sign an annual ethics statement in which they renew their commitment to operate ethically and according to the Grace code of conduct. They must also report any actual or potential conflicts of interest for evaluation by management and, if necessary, remediation.



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We have an anonymous toll-free telephone line to report fraudulent or unethical behavior to our Chief Ethics Officer. The direct line is available to all employees worldwide where local law allows such a facility. Any allegation of fraud is required to be reported to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.

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Our Internal Audit Department is independent of management and reports functionally to the Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. The department conducts investigations in collaboration with the Chief Ethics Officer when alleged frauds have accounting, financial reporting or fiscal aspects.



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We provide training to personnel in key positions covering topics such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, and other laws and regulations relating to ethical or legal matters.

AVAILABILITY OF REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

        We maintain an Internet website at www.grace.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available, free of charge, on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. These reports may be accessed through our website's investor information page.

        In addition, the charters for the Audit, Compensation, Nominating and Governance, and Corporate Responsibility Committees of our Board of Directors, our corporate governance guidelines and code of ethics are available, free of charge, on our website at www.grace.com/About/Leadership/Governance/. Printed copies of the charters, governance guidelines and code of ethics may be obtained free of charge by contacting Grace Shareholder Services at 410-531-4167.

        The information on our website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part of this report or incorporated into any other filings we make with the SEC.

        Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have submitted certifications to the SEC pursuant to the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 as exhibits to this Report.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

        See Part III, Item 10 of this Report for information about our Executive Officers.

Item 1A.    RISK FACTORS

        This Report, including the Financial Supplement, contains, and our other public communications may contain, projections or other "forward-looking" information, that is, information related to future, not past, events. Such information generally includes the words "believes," "plans," "intends," "targets," "will," "expects," "anticipates," or similar expressions and includes all statements regarding our Chapter 11 proceeding, expected financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, budgets, capital and other expenditures, competitive positions, growth opportunities for existing products, benefits from new technology and cost reduction initiatives, plans and objectives of management and markets for securities. For these statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Like other businesses, we are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from our projections or that could cause other forward-looking information to prove incorrect. Factors that could cause actual events to materially differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements include those factors set forth below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Further, our reported results should not be considered as an indication of our future performance. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our projections and forward-looking information, which speak only as of the date thereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly release any revisions to the projections and forward-

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looking information contained in this document, or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this document.

        In addition to general economic, business and market conditions, we are subject to other risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the following:

COMPANY RISKS

Our proposed joint plan of reorganization, if confirmed and effective, may substantially impact the value of currently outstanding shares of Grace common stock.

        On February 27, 2009, supported by the Official Committee of Equity Security Holders, the Official Committee of Asbestos Personal Injury Claimants and the legal representative of future asbestos personal injury claimants, as co-proponents, we filed an amended proposed joint plan of reorganization, as further amended, the Joint Plan, with the bankruptcy court that is designed to address all pending and future asbestos-related claims and all other pre-petition claims as outlined therein. The Joint Plan may, if confirmed and effective, substantially impact the value of the ownership interests of holders of currently outstanding Grace common stock. Although it is supported by the parties thereto, other parties-in-interest in our Chapter 11 case have objected to several provisions of the Joint Plan. As a result, it is possible that the Joint Plan will not be confirmed by the bankruptcy court or the district court or become effective. Further, the effectiveness of the Joint Plan is subject to the fulfillment of numerous conditions that may not ultimately be fulfilled. One of these conditions is that we raise sufficient funds to pay certain claims in cash. We expect to require up to $850 million in new financing to fund the Joint Plan. If we are unable to obtain the necessary financing on acceptable terms, our emergence from Chapter 11 may be delayed. Until an ultimate plan of reorganization is confirmed and effective, the interests of the holders of Grace common stock remain subject to substantial dilution or cancellation. Accordingly, the value of Grace common stock is highly speculative and any investment in Grace common stock poses a high degree of risk.

If our proposed joint plan of reorganization is not confirmed or does not become effective, the outcome of our Chapter 11 cases could result in the substantial dilution or cancellation of Grace's currently outstanding common stock.

        If our proposed joint plan of reorganization is not confirmed or does not become effective, the outcome of our Chapter 11 cases would depend primarily upon the resolution of our asbestos-related and other contingent liabilities. We would likely return to the bankruptcy court estimation trial that was suspended in April 2008 due to the personal injury settlement. We expect that the estimate resulting from this process would form the basis for a plan of reorganization that would provide for the funding of one or more trusts to which all pending and future asbestos-related claims would be channeled. If the amount of asbestos-related liabilities, as determined through estimation or otherwise, and other liabilities exceeded the assets available for funding, then we likely would issue additional shares of Grace common stock to satisfy such liabilities. The number of shares to be issued could substantially dilute the interests of current shareholders or result in a recapitalization of Grace that would cancel the shares of current shareholders and issue new shares to asbestos and other creditors. Because of this risk of substantial dilution or cancellation, the value of Grace common stock is highly speculative and any investment in Grace common stock poses a high degree of risk.

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If objections to the Joint Plan are resolved adversely to Grace and the other proponents of the Joint Plan or if rulings resolving objections favorably to the proponents of the Joint Plan are appealed, conditions to the effectiveness of the Joint Plan may not be satisfied and the timing and terms of our emergence from Chapter 11 could be materially affected.

        The Bankruptcy Court required parties-in-interest who object to the Joint Plan to submit their objections by May 20, 2009. The objections filed generally relate to demands for interest at rates higher than provided for in the Joint Plan, assertions that the Joint Plan impairs insurers' contractual rights, assertions that the Joint Plan discriminates against Libby, Montana personal injury claimants, and the classification and treatment of claims under the Joint Plan. We believe that the Joint Plan complies with the requirements for confirmation under the Bankruptcy Code and we intend to vigorously defend the Joint Plan against these and all other objections. If certain objections were resolved adversely to the Joint Plan proponents, or if rulings by the Bankruptcy Court resolving certain objections favorably to the Joint Plan proponents were appealed, certain conditions to the effectiveness of the Joint Plan, including for example, payments pursuant to the Sealed Air Settlement and the Fresenius Settlement, might not be satisfied and potential lenders might not be willing to provide the new financing that Grace expects to require to fund the Joint Plan. The resolution of these objections and any related appeals could have a material effect on the terms and timing of our emergence from Chapter 11.

The bankruptcy process may disrupt our business.

        We have attempted to minimize the adverse effect of our Chapter 11 reorganization on our relationships with our employees, suppliers, customers and other parties. Nonetheless, our relationships with our customers, suppliers and employees may be adversely impacted and our operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, the continuation of our reorganization could negatively affect our ability to attract new employees and retain existing high performing employees.

Chapter 11 limits the flexibility of our management team in running our business.

        While we operate our businesses as debtor-in-possession under supervision by the bankruptcy court, we are required to obtain the approval of the bankruptcy court prior to engaging in activities or transactions outside the ordinary course of business. For example, our strategic plan includes the acquisition of businesses in the specialty chemicals and specialty building materials industries. Such acquisitions generally require bankruptcy court approval if made by the company or its U.S. subsidiaries and affiliates that are parties to the Chapter 11 cases. Bankruptcy court approval of non-ordinary course activities entails preparation and filing of appropriate motions with the bankruptcy court, negotiation with the various creditors' committees and other parties in interest and one or more hearings. The various creditors' committees and other parties in interest may be heard at any bankruptcy court hearing and may raise objections with respect to these motions. This process delays major decisions and limits our ability to respond quickly to opportunities and events in the marketplace. Furthermore, in the event the bankruptcy court does not approve a proposed activity or transaction, we would be prevented from engaging in activities and transactions that we believe are beneficial to Grace.

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Our financial statements do not reflect the terms of the proposed Joint Plan.

        Our financial statements include estimates of asbestos-related liabilities that are based on the conditions precedent to the amended plan of reorganization that we filed in 2005, the Prior Plan, rather than the Joint Plan. The Prior Plan and the Joint Plan would result in substantially different amounts of the asbestos-related liabilities in our financial statements. When we adjust our financial statements based on the Joint Plan or another plan that is filed and/or confirmed, such adjustments could be material to our consolidated financial position and results of operations.

The proforma and prospective financial information that we filed with the bankruptcy court as an exhibit to the Joint Plan has not been and may not be fully updated to reflect events that occur after that filing and is subject to numerous assumptions.

        We provided proforma and prospective financial information in the exhibits to the Joint Plan filed with the bankruptcy court in compliance with the requirements of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. That information is not included in or incorporated into this Report. Though we have and may continue from time to time to update some of the information set forth in the proforma and prospective financial information to reflect events that occur after the filing of the Joint Plan with the bankruptcy court, we would not expect to fully update all such information unless required to do so by the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or the bankruptcy court. Further, this information is prepared in a format that may not be comparable to information in our financial statements included in this Report or other Reports filed with the SEC and is subject to numerous assumptions that may not be correct. As a result, investors in Grace common stock should not rely upon the proforma and prospective financial information filed with the bankruptcy court in connection with the Joint Plan.

We may not be able to collect all asbestos-related insurance payments that may be due to us.

        We have insurance coverage for a portion of the asbestos-related claims against us. Under the Joint Plan, insurance policies that provide coverage for asbestos-related claims and proceeds, including interest, received after the date of the personal injury settlement, would be assigned to the personal injury trust established under the Joint Plan. We estimate that, assuming an ultimate payout of asbestos-related claims equal to the $1,700 million of asbestos-related liabilities recorded on our balance sheet, we should be entitled to approximately $500 million of insurance recovery. Accordingly, our December 31, 2009 balance sheet includes a long-term asset for estimated asbestos-related insurance of $500 million. Although this amount pertains only to insurance carriers with which we have asbestos settlement agreements, and/or which are currently solvent, we cannot be sure that all these amounts will be collected. We have entered into a settlement agreement with an underwriter of a portion of our excess insurance coverage. The insurer funded an escrow account for the benefit of the holders of claims that holds approximately $93.5 million, including interest earned on the account as of December 31, 2009. The settlement agreement, as amended in July 2009, provides that unless we confirm a plan of reorganization by December 31, 2013, at the option of the underwriter, exercisable at any time prior to April 30, 2014, the escrow amount with interest must be returned to the underwriter. The timing and amount of future payments from our insurers depends on their continued solvency and the resolution of disputes regarding coverage under the insurance policies as well as the nature and timing of actual claims paid. Because of the significance of our future asbestos-related payments, the receipt of timely and complete payments from our insurers will be important to the success of our reorganization. Under the Joint Plan, insurance policies that provide coverage for asbestos-related claims and proceeds from those policies, including interest, received after the date of the personal injury settlement, would be assigned to the personal injury trust established under the Joint Plan.

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We are subject to environmental clean-up fines, penalties and damage claims that have been and continue to be costly.

        Grace is subject to lawsuits and regulatory actions, in connection with current and former operations (including divested businesses), for breaches of environmental laws that seek clean-up or other remedies. Grace is also subject to lawsuits and investigations by public and private parties under various environmental laws in connection with our current and former operations in various states, including with respect to off-site disposal at facilities where Grace has been identified as a potentially responsible party under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, commonly referred to as CERCLA.

        We have established accounting accruals for all environmental matters for which sufficient information is available. As we receive new information, our estimated liability may change materially. We do not have sufficient information to accrue for all of Grace's environmental risks, and we cannot be sure that our actual costs will be equal to or less than our current estimates and accruals. Furthermore, it is reasonably possible that costs associated with those environmental matters for which we have established accruals may exceed our current accruals by material amounts. Some or all of our liability in connection with alleged violations of environmental laws may not be discharged upon confirmation of a plan of reorganization.

We are subject to liabilities with respect to businesses that we have divested in the past.

        Over the years, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s, we divested a substantial number of businesses that were not then consistent with our business strategy. With respect to many of these former businesses, we have contractually agreed to indemnify the buyer against liabilities arising prior to the closing of the transaction, including environmental liabilities. In many cases, we have also retained pension liabilities for the current and former employees of these businesses. These obligations would not be discharged under the Joint Plan. We have recorded liabilities with respect to indemnification obligations that we believe are probable and estimable and retained pension liabilities. As we receive additional information or new claims, our recorded liabilities may change materially.

We have unfunded and underfunded pension plan liabilities. We will likely require current and future operating cash flow to fund the shortfall. We have no assurance that we will generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy these obligations.

        We maintain U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans covering employees who meet age and service requirements. Our net pension liability and cost is materially affected by the discount rate used to measure pension obligations, the longevity and actuarial profile of our workforce, the level of plan assets available to fund those obligations and the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets. Significant changes in investment performance or a change in the portfolio mix of invested assets can result in corresponding increases and decreases in the valuation of plan assets, particularly equity securities, or in a change in the expected rate of return on plan assets. For example, our U.S. advance-funded pension plans, which collectively have the largest asset base of our advance-funded plans and a targeted asset allocation of 60% equities and 40% bonds, experienced an overall decline of 26% in 2008 and an overall increase of 23% in 2009. Assets available to fund the pension benefit obligation of the U.S. advance-funded pension plans at December 31, 2009 were approximately $658 million, or approximately $359 million less than the measured pension benefit obligation. In addition, any changes in the discount rate could result in a significant increase or decrease in the valuation of pension obligations, affecting the reported funded status of our pension plans as well as the net periodic pension cost in the following years. Similarly, changes in the expected return on plan assets can result in significant changes in the net periodic pension cost in the following years.

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The global scope of our operations subjects us to the risks of doing business in foreign countries, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        We conduct a substantial portion of our business outside of the United States, with approximately 69% of our 2009 sales to non-U.S. customers. We currently have many production facilities, research and development facilities and administrative and sales offices located outside North America, including facilities and offices located in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. We expect non-U.S. sales to continue to represent a significant portion of our revenue. Accordingly, our business is subject to risks related to the differing legal, political, social and regulatory requirements and economic conditions of many jurisdictions. Risks inherent in non-U.S. operations include the following:

•

agreements may be more difficult to enforce and receivables more difficult to collect;



•

foreign countries may impose additional withholding taxes or adopt other restrictions on foreign trade or investment, including currency exchange controls;



•

we may have difficulty transferring our profits or capital from foreign operations to the United States or other countries where such funds could be more profitably deployed;



•

foreign governments may nationalize private enterprises;



•

we may experience unexpected adverse changes in export duties, quotas and tariffs and difficulties in obtaining export licenses;



•

intellectual property rights may be more difficult to enforce;



•

our business and profitability in a particular country could be affected by political or economic repercussions on a domestic, country specific or global level from terrorist activities and the response to such activities;



•

we may be affected by unexpected adverse changes in foreign laws or regulatory requirements; and



•

unanticipated events, such as geopolitical changes, could adversely affect these operations.

        Our success as a global business will depend, in part, upon our ability to succeed in differing legal, regulatory, economic, social and political conditions by developing, implementing and maintaining policies and strategies that are effective in each location where we do business.

We are exposed to currency exchange rate changes that impact our profitability.

        We are exposed to currency exchange rate risk through our U.S. and non-U.S. operations. Fluctuations in currencies of other countries, especially the Euro, may materially affect our operating results. For example, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the relative prices at which we and our competitors sell products in the same region and the cost of materials used in our operations. A substantial portion of our net sales and assets are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. When the U.S. dollar strengthens against non-U.S. currencies, at a constant level of business, our reported non-U.S. sales, earnings, assets and liabilities are reduced because the non-U.S. currencies translate into fewer U.S. dollars.

        We incur a currency transaction risk whenever one of our operating subsidiaries enters into either a purchase or a sales transaction using a currency different from the operating subsidiary's functional currency. Given the volatility of exchange rates, we may not be able to manage our currency transaction risks effectively, or volatility in currency exchange rates may expose our financial condition or results of operations to a significant additional risk.

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Our ability to use tax deductions to reduce future tax payments may be limited if there is a change in ownership of Grace or if Grace does not generate sufficient U.S. taxable income.

        Our ability to use future tax deductions, including net operating losses and deductions for the payments contemplated in the Joint Plan (including the deferred payments), may be limited by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, if we undergo an ownership change as a result of future changes in the ownership of outstanding Grace common stock. In addition, our ability to use future tax deductions is dependant on our ability to generate sufficient future taxable income in the U.S. In order to preserve these future tax deductions, the bankruptcy court has approved trading restrictions on Grace common stock until the effective date of a plan of reorganization. These restrictions prohibit (without the consent of Grace) a person from acquiring more than 4.75% of the outstanding Grace common stock or, for any person already holding more than 4.75%, from increasing such person's holdings. The Joint Plan provides that under certain circumstances, the Board of Directors would have the authority to impose restrictions on the transfer of Grace stock with respect to certain 5% shareholders in order to preserve these future tax deductions.

We may be subject to claims of infringement of the intellectual property rights of others, which could hurt our business.

        From time to time, we face infringement claims from our competitors or others alleging that our processes or products infringe on their proprietary technologies. Any claims that our products or processes infringe the intellectual property rights of others, regardless of the merit or resolution of the claims, could cause us to incur significant costs in responding to, defending and resolving the claims, and may divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel from our business. If we are found to be infringing on the proprietary technology of others, we may be liable for damages, and we may be required to change our processes, redesign our products, pay others to use the technology or stop using the technology or producing the infringing product. Even if we ultimately prevail, the existence of the lawsuit could prompt our customers to switch to products that are not the subject of infringement suits.

While Grace is in bankruptcy, we are not permitted to pay dividends on Grace common stock.

        We are not permitted to pay dividends on Grace common stock while we are in bankruptcy. Following emergence from bankruptcy, we may be subject to covenants in connection with our financing arrangements that limit or prevent us from paying dividends for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, it is likely that following our emergence from bankruptcy, our board of directors will decide to reinvest our operating cash flow in our business rather than paying dividends. Accordingly, for the foreseeable future, investors in Grace common stock, in all likelihood, will obtain an economic benefit from their shares only by selling them.

INDUSTRY RISKS

The length and depth of product and industry business cycles in our segments may result in periods of reduced sales, operating margins and operating losses.

        Our operating segments are sensitive to the cyclical nature of the industries they serve. Our hydroprocessing catalyst product line and other hydroprocessing catalyst suppliers have experienced alternating periods of inadequate capacity and excess capacity for their products. Periods of inadequate capacity, including some due to raw material shortages, have usually resulted in increased selling prices and operating margins. This has often been followed by periods of capacity additions, which have resulted in declining capacity utilization rates, selling prices and operating margins. Our construction business is cyclical in response to economic conditions and construction

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demand and is also seasonal and dependent on favorable weather conditions, with a decrease in construction activity during the winter months.

Prices for certain raw materials and energy are volatile; we may not be able to pass through increases in costs and expenses for raw materials and energy or maintain our current pricing levels which may hurt our profitability.

        We use metals, significant amounts of natural gas and petroleum-based materials, including both specialty and commodity materials such as resins and solvents, in the manufacture of our products. Prices for these materials have fluctuated significantly in recent years. To the extent raw material and energy prices increase and we are unable to pass through such price increases to our customers, our operating profit and results of operations may decline.

A substantial portion of our raw materials are commodities whose prices fluctuate as market supply and demand fundamentals change.

        We attempt to manage exposure to price volatility of major commodities through:

•

long-term supply contracts;



•

contracts with customers that permit adjustments for changes in prices of commodity-based materials and energy;



•

forward buying programs that layer in our expected requirements systematically over time; and



•

limited use of financial instruments.

        Although we regularly assess our exposure to raw material price volatility, we cannot always predict the prospects of volatility and we cannot always cover the risk in a cost effective manner.

        We have a policy of maintaining, when available, multiple sources of supply for raw materials. However, certain of our raw materials may be provided by single sources of supply. We may not be able to obtain sufficient raw materials due to unforeseen developments that would cause an interruption in supply. Even if we have multiple sources of supply for raw materials, these sources may not make up for the loss of a major supplier.

We spend large amounts of money for environmental compliance in connection with our current and former operations.

        As a manufacturer of specialty chemicals and specialty materials, we are subject to stringent regulations under numerous U.S. federal, state, local and foreign environmental, health and safety laws and regulations relating to the generation, storage, handling, discharge, disposition and stewardship of hazardous wastes and other materials. We have expended substantial funds to comply with such laws and regulations and have established a policy to minimize our emissions to the environment. Nevertheless, legislative, regulatory and economic uncertainties (including existing and potential laws and regulations pertaining to climate change) make it difficult for us to project future spending for these purposes and if there is an acceleration in new regulatory requirements, we may be required to expend substantial additional funds to remain in compliance.

We work with dangerous materials that can injure our employees, damage our facilities and disrupt our operations.

        Some of our operations involve the handling of hazardous materials that may pose the risk of fire, explosion, or the release of hazardous substances. Such events could result from terrorist attacks, natural disasters, or operational failures, and might cause injury or loss of life to our

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employees and others, environmental contamination, and property damage. These events might cause a temporary shutdown of an affected plant, or portion thereof, and we could be subject to penalties or claims as a result. A disruption of our operations caused by these or other events could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Some of our employees are unionized, represented by workers' councils or employed subject to local laws that are less favorable to employers than the laws in the United States.

        As of December 31, 2009, we had approximately 5,940 global employees. Approximately 750 of our approximately 2,650 U.S. employees are unionized. In addition, a large number of our employees are employed in countries in which employment laws provide greater bargaining or other rights to employees than the laws in the United States. Such employment rights require us to work collaboratively with the legal representatives of the employees to effect any changes to labor arrangements. For example, most of our employees in Europe are represented by workers' councils that have co-determination rights on any changes in conditions of employment, including salaries and benefits and staff changes, and may impede efforts to restructure our workforce. Collective bargaining agreements with unions representing employees at several of our facilities are scheduled to expire during 2010 and we expect that they will require renegotiation. A strike, work stoppage or slowdown by our employees or significant dispute with our employees, whether or not related to these negotiations, could result in a significant disruption of our operations or higher ongoing labor costs.

Item 1B.    UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

        None.

Item 2.    PROPERTIES

        We operate manufacturing plants and other facilities (including office, warehouse, and other service facilities) throughout the world. Some of these plants and facilities are shared by both of our operating segments. We own all of our major manufacturing plants. We consider our major operating properties to be in good operating condition and suitable for their current use. We believe that, after taking planned expansion into account, the productive capacity of our plants and other facilities is generally adequate for current operations and foreseeable growth.

        Our Grace Davison operating segment operates out of 38 facilities in the following regions:

        Our largest Grace Davison facilities are located in Baltimore, Maryland; Lake Charles, Louisiana; and Worms, Germany.

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        Our Grace Construction Products operating segment operates out of 55 facilities in the following regions:

        Our largest GCP facilities are located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Chicago, Illinois. Because of the nature of our GCP products, GCP requires a greater number of facilities to service our customers than Grace Davison. Also, these facilities are generally smaller and less capital intensive than our Grace Davison facilities. For information on our net properties and equipment by region and country, see disclosure set forth in Item 8 (Financial Statements and Supplementary Data) in the Financial Supplement under Note 21 (Operating Segment Information) to our Consolidated Financial Statements which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

CHAPTER 11 PROCEEDINGS

        Disclosure provided in this Report in Item 1 (Business) under the caption "Chapter 11 Filing" and in Item 8 (Financial Statements and Supplementary Data) in the Financial Supplement under Note 1 (Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting and Financial Reporting Policies), under the caption "Voluntary Bankruptcy Filing," Note 2 (Chapter 11 Information) and Note 3 (Asbestos-Related Litigation) to the Consolidated Financial Statements is incorporated herein by reference.

ASBESTOS LITIGATION

        Disclosure provided in this Report in Item 8 (Financial Statements and Supplementary Data) in the Financial Supplement under Note 2 (Chapter 11 Information) and Note 3 (Asbestos-Related Litigation) to the Consolidated Financial Statements is incorporated herein by reference.

ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS, CLAIMS AND CIVIL PROCEEDINGS

        Disclosure provided in this Report in Item 1 (Business) under the caption "Environmental, Health and Safety Matters" and Item 8 (Financial Statements and Supplementary Data) in the Financial Supplement under Note 13 (Commitments and Contingent Liabilities), under the caption "Environmental Remediation," to the Consolidated Financial Statements is incorporated herein by reference.

        The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, has compiled an investigation list of over 250 sites, Vermiculite Sites, that at one time used, stored, or expanded vermiculite concentrate that originated from the Grace vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana. Grace currently operates or formerly operated 53 of these sites, Grace Vermiculite Sites, and never owned or operated the remaining sites, non-Grace Vermiculite Sites. Prior to 2009, EPA identified 17 of the 53 Grace Vermiculite Sites as requiring remedial action. Grace, EPA and/or other potentially responsible parties have conducted investigations and/or remedial actions at all 17 of these sites. Also prior to 2009, EPA made claims against Grace with respect to 11 of the 17 Grace Vermiculite Sites and three non-Grace Vermiculite Sites. Ten of EPA's 11 Grace Vermiculite Site claims and the three EPA non-Grace Vermiculite Site claims are resolved by the Multi-Site Agreement. Grace is negotiating a settlement agreement in cooperation with EPA at the Grace Vermiculite Site that is not resolved by the Multi-Site Agreement.

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During 2009, EPA notified Grace with respect to an additional Grace Vermiculite Site, not included in the 17 sites described above, at which EPA has conducted remediation. Grace has reached a tentative settlement with EPA for its remediation costs for this site and the tentative settlement amount is included in Grace's recorded environmental liability. Also during 2009, Grace learned that EPA may reinvestigate approximately 100 former or currently operating expansion plants included in the investigation list described above. Of these expansion plants, seven are currently owned by Grace. Grace is unable to determine the possible results of any reinvestigation and whether it may result in additional claims by EPA.

        In addition, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ("ATSDR") of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has conducted health consultations at: (i) 23 of the 53 Grace Vermiculite Sites; and (ii) an additional five non-Grace Vermiculite Sites. ATSDR has conducted health screenings for current and former Grace employees and their household contacts at four of these locations. The cost of the health consultations are resolved through the Multi-Site Agreement. Grace's estimate of the cost of the health screenings is included in Grace's recorded environmental liability. Although these health consultations and screenings may result in asbestos-related personal injury claims, the proposed joint plan of reorganization provides that all future asbestos-related personal injury claims would be channeled for resolution to an asbestos trust to be established under Section 524(g) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

LITIGATION RELATED TO FORMER PACKAGING AND MEDICAL CARE BUSINESSES

        Disclosure provided in this Report in Item 8 (Financial Statements and Supplementary Data) in the Financial Supplement under Note 2 (Chapter 11 Information), under the caption "Litigation Proceedings in Bankruptcy Court," to the Consolidated Financial Statements is incorporated herein by reference.

TAX CLAIMS

        Disclosure provided in this Report in Item 8 (Financial Statements and Supplementary Data) in the Financial Supplement under Note 10 (Income Taxes) to the Consolidated Financial Statements is incorporated herein by reference.

OTHER CLAIMS RECEIVED PRIOR TO THE CHAPTER 11 BAR DATE

        Disclosure provided in this Report in Item 8 (Financial Statements and Supplementary Data) in the Financial Supplement under Note 2 (Chapter 11 Information) under the caption "Plans of Reorganization" to the Consolidated Financial Statements is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 4.    SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

        This Item is inapplicable, as no matters were submitted to a vote of our security holders during the fourth quarter of 2009.

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PART II

Item 5.    MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

        Except as provided below, the disclosure required by this Item appears in the Financial Supplement, under the heading "Selected Financial Data" opposite the caption "Other Statistics—Common shareholders of record," and in this Report in Item 8 (Financial Statements and Supplementary Data) in the Financial Supplement in Note 17 (Shareholders' Equity (Deficit)) and Note 24 (Quarterly Summary and Statistical Information (Unaudited)), opposite the caption "Market price of common stock," to the Consolidated Financial Statements and is incorporated herein by reference.

SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS AGREEMENT

        On March 31, 1998, we paid a dividend of one Preferred Stock Purchase Right on each share of Grace common stock. Subject to our prior redemption for $.01 per right, rights will become exercisable on the earlier of:

•

10 days after an acquiring person, comprised of an individual or group, has acquired beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the outstanding Grace common stock or



•

10 business days (or a later date fixed by the Board of Directors) after an acquiring person commences (or announces the intention to commence) a tender offer or exchange offer for beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the outstanding Grace common stock.

        Until these events occur, the rights will automatically trade with the Grace common stock, and separate certificates for the rights will not be distributed. The rights do not have voting or dividend rights.

        Generally, each right not owned by an acquiring person:

•

will initially entitle the holder to buy from Grace one hundredth of a share of the Grace Junior Participating Preferred Stock, at an exercise price of $100, subject to adjustment;



•

will entitle such holder to receive upon exercise, in lieu of shares of Grace junior preferred stock, that number of shares of Grace common stock having a market value of two times the exercise price of the right; and



•

may be exchanged by Grace for one share of Grace common stock or one hundredth of a share of Grace junior preferred stock, subject to adjustment.

        Generally, if there is an acquiring person and we are acquired, each right not owned by an acquiring person will entitle the holder to buy a number of shares of common stock of the acquiring company having a market value equal to twice the exercise price of the right.

        Each share of Grace junior preferred stock will be entitled to a minimum preferential quarterly dividend payment of $1.00 per share but will be entitled to an aggregate dividend equal to 100 times the dividend declared per share of Grace common stock whenever such dividend is declared. In the event of liquidation, holders of Grace junior preferred stock will be entitled to a minimum preferential liquidation payment of $100 per share but will be entitled to an aggregate payment equal to 100 times the payment made per share of Grace common stock. Each share of Grace junior preferred stock will have 100 votes, voting together with the Grace common stock. Finally, in the event of any business combination, each share of Grace junior preferred stock will be entitled to receive an amount equal to 100 times the amount received per share of Grace common stock. These rights are protected by customary antidilution provisions.

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        The terms of the rights may be amended by the Board of Directors without the consent of the holders of the rights. The rights, which will remain outstanding under the proposed joint plan of reorganization, expire on March 30, 2018.

        This summary of the rights does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Rights Agreement, which has been filed with the SEC.

DIVIDENDS ON GRACE COMMON STOCK

        We are not permitted to pay dividends on Grace common stock while we are in bankruptcy and have not done so since the filing of our bankruptcy petitions in 2001. Following emergence from bankruptcy, we may be subject to covenants in connection with our financing arrangements that limit or prevent us from paying dividends for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, it is likely that following our emergence from bankruptcy, our board of directors will decide to reinvest our operating cash flow in our business rather than paying dividends.

STOCK TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS

        In order to preserve significant tax benefits which are subject to elimination or limitation in the event of a change in control (as defined by the Internal Revenue Code) of Grace, the Bankruptcy Court has approved trading restrictions on Grace common stock until the effective date of a plan of reorganization. These restrictions prohibit (without the consent of Grace) a person from acquiring more than 4.75% of the outstanding Grace common stock or, for any person already holding more than 4.75%, from increasing such person's holdings. This summary of the stock transfer restrictions does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the order of the Bankruptcy Court, which has been filed with the SEC.

        Also, in order to preserve these tax assets in the event of a change in control (as defined by the Internal Revenue Code) of Grace after emergence from Chapter 11, the Joint Plan provides that under certain circumstances, the Board of Directors would have the authority to impose restrictions on the transfer of Grace stock with respect to certain 5% shareholders. These restrictions would generally not limit the ability of a person that holds less than 5% of Grace stock after emergence to either buy or sell stock on the open market.

Item 6.    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

        The disclosure required by this Item appears in the Financial Supplement under the heading "Selected Financial Data" which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7.    MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

        The disclosure required by this Item appears in the Financial Supplement under the heading "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7A.    QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Market Risk

        Our debt obligations, global operations, and our raw materials and energy requirements expose us to various market risks. We use derivative financial instruments to mitigate certain market risks. The following is a discussion of our primary market risk exposures, how those exposures are managed, and certain quantitative data pertaining to our market risk sensitive instruments.

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Interest Rate Risk

        Interest rate fluctuations directly affect interest expense and cash to be paid out in the form of interest payments on variable-rate debt, and can potentially lead to changes in the market value of the associated variable-rate debt.

        We have $500.0 million of outstanding pre-petition variable-rate borrowings under bank credit agreements, and interest is accrued on this debt based on the prime rate. Due to our Chapter 11 filing, interest accrued on pre-petition debt is added to the principal balance. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, total interest accrued on this debt and added to the $500.0 million principal was $350.6 million and $323.5 million, respectively. If the prime rate were to vary in the near-term by one percentage point, the effect would be to increase or decrease interest expense and accrued interest on outstanding principal by approximately $8.7 million over the twelve-month period ending December 31, 2010.

        We do not currently use derivative instruments to mitigate interest rate risk.

Currency Exchange Rate Risk

        Because we do business in over 40 countries, our results of operations are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. We seek to minimize exposure to these fluctuations by matching revenue streams in volatile currencies with expenditures in the same currencies, but it is not always possible to do so. From time to time, we use financial instruments such as currency forward contracts, options, or combinations of the two to reduce the risk of certain specific transactions. However, we do not have a policy of hedging all exposures, because management does not believe that such a level of hedging would be cost-effective. We do not hedge translation exposures that are not expected to affect cash flows in the near-term. Significant uses of derivatives to mitigate the effects of changes in currency exchange rates are as follows:

        In November 2007, we executed intercompany loans in the aggregate amount of €250 million (Euros) between our principal U.S. operating subsidiary and a newly established German subsidiary as part of a legal restructuring. In conjunction with the loans, our U.S. subsidiary entered into a series of currency forward contracts in order to fix the dollar/euro exchange rate that will apply to convert euro principal payments under loans to dollars. The forward contracts are aligned with the anticipated payment dates of the intercompany loans, which extend from June 2010 through November 2013. The total amount outstanding under the intercompany loans was €247.8 million as of December 31, 2009 (approximately $355.5 million). Currency fluctuations on these loans and the related forward contracts are recorded as components of operating results.

        The following tables provide information about our significant currency forward exchange agreements as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, specifically, the notional, or contract, amounts (in millions of U.S. dollars), and weighted average exchange rates (U.S. dollars to Euros) by expected (contractual) maturity dates. These notional amounts generally are used to calculate the contractual payments to be exchanged under the contract. The fair values represent the fair value of the derivative contracts, and are presented as other assets or other liabilities and allocated between current and non-current, as appropriate, in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

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