“This past quarter marked the first quarter of profitability in nearly two years and directly reflects the benefit of our strategic moves to divest our SR raw material production assets, which were unable to consistently produce profitability, or earn an adequate return on investment. The transition to profitability also reflects continued investment our specialty alumina and barium sulfate business, two areas where we have seen, and continue to see, potential for profitable growth, as well as attractive returns,” said Dr. Olaf Karasch, Chief Executive Officer. “While we expect our top line will continue to face headwinds from difficult market conditions in the TiO2 business, we have lowered the cost structure and the required investment in this business to a point where it can contribute to profit and returns at current production levels. We also expect that several new large-volume specialty alumina applications will be moving into production during the next year, and potentially put the alumina business back on a double digit growth trajectory for 2016 and for several years to follow. To meet the expected increase in demand, we expect to finish the expansion of our alumina production facility in The Netherlands late this spring, which will expand capacity by approximately 50%.”

TOR Minerals will host a conference call at 4:00 p.m. Central Time on May 4, 2016, to further discuss first quarter results. The call will be simultaneously Webcast, and can be accessed via the News section on the Company's website, www.torminerals.com. Investors and interested parties may participate in the call by dialing 877-407-8033 and referring to conference ID # 13635783.

Headquartered in Corpus Christi, Texas, TOR Minerals International is a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty mineral and pigment products for high performance applications with manufacturing and regional offices located in the United States, Netherlands and Malaysia.

This statement provides forward-looking information as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and, therefore, is subject to certain risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that the actual results, business conditions, business developments, losses and contingencies and local and foreign factors will not differ materially from those suggested in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including market conditions, general economic conditions, including the present slowdown in U.S. construction and the risks of a general business slow down or recession, the increasing cost of energy, raw materials and labor, competition, the receptivity of the markets for our anticipated new products, advances in technology, changes in foreign currency rates, freight price increase, commodity price increases, delays in delivery of required equipment and other factors.

A copy of this press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.