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NL INDUSTRIES, INC.                         Contact:     Gregory M. Swalwell
Three Lincoln Centre                                     Vice President, Finance
5430 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1700                             (972) 233-1700
Dallas, Texas 75240
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News Release
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  NL INDUSTRIES, INC. ANNOUNCES RECAPITALIZATION OF KRONOS WORLDWIDE, INC. AND
     DISTRIBUTION OF KRONOS WORLDWIDE, INC. COMMON STOCK TO ITS SHAREHOLDERS

DALLAS,  TEXAS -  November  6,  2003 - NL  Industries,  Inc.  (NYSE:  NL)  today
announced that its Board of Directors has formally approved a plan to distribute
to its  shareholders  on  December  8, 2003 one share of common  stock of Kronos
Worldwide,  Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiary, for every two shares of NL common
stock  outstanding  as of the close of business on November  17,  2003.  NL will
distribute  approximately  23.85  million  shares of Kronos  Worldwide's  common
stock,  representing  approximately  48.7% of the  outstanding  common  stock of
Kronos Worldwide. The plan also involves a recapitalization of Kronos Worldwide,
immediately  prior to the  distribution of the shares of Kronos Worldwide common
stock,  through the  distribution  of a $200 million  promissory note payable by
Kronos  Worldwide  to NL.  Kronos  Worldwide  has  filed a Form 10  registration
statement  with  the  Securities  and  Exchange   Commission   relating  to  the
distribution of its common stock.  Completion of the distribution is subject to,
among other things,  the  effectiveness  of the Form 10 registration  statement.
Kronos Worldwide has applied for the listing of its common stock on the New York
Stock Exchange and expects that its common stock will be traded on such exchange
under the trading symbol "KRO."

Kronos  Worldwide  is the world's  fifth  largest  producer of titanium  dioxide
pigments, or TiO2, with an estimated 12% share of worldwide TiO2 sales volume in
2002.  Approximately  one-half of Kronos  Worldwide's  2002 sales  volume was in
Europe, where Kronos Worldwide is the second largest producer of TiO2. TiO2 is a
pigment used to whiten,  brighten and add opacity to thousands of commonly  used
products,  such as  paints,  plastics  and paper,  as well as  fibers,  rubbers,
ceramics, inks and cosmetics.

The statements in this release relating to matters that are not historical facts
are  forward-looking   statements  that  represent   management's   beliefs  and
assumptions based on currently available information. Forward-looking statements
can be  identified  by the use of words such as  "believes,"  "intends,"  "may,"
"will," "should," "could,"  "anticipates,"  "expects," or comparable terminology
or by  discussions  of  strategy  or  trends.  Although  NL  believes  that  the
expectations  reflected in such  forward-looking  statements are reasonable,  it
cannot give any  assurances  that these  expectations  will prove to be correct.
Such statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties,  including, but
not  limited  to, the  cyclicality  of the  titanium  dioxide  industry,  global
economic  and  political  conditions,  changes  in global  productive  capacity,
changes in customer  inventory  levels,  changes in product pricing,  changes in
product  costing,  changes  in  foreign  currency  exchange  rates,  competitive
technology positions,  operating interruptions  (including,  but not limited to,
labor disputes, leaks, fires, explosions,  unscheduled downtime,  transportation
interruptions, war and terrorist activities), the ultimate resolution of pending
or possible future lead pigment litigation and legislative  developments related
to the lead paint litigation,  the outcome of other litigation,  and other risks
and  uncertainties  detailed in the NL's and Kronos  Worldwide's  Securities and
Exchange Commission  filings.  Should one or more of these risks materialize (or
the  consequences  of such a  development  worsen),  or  should  the  underlying
assumptions  prove incorrect,  actual results could differ materially from those
forecasted  or expected.  NL disclaims  any  intention or  obligation  to update
publicly  or revise  such  statements,  whether as a result of new  information,
future events or otherwise.