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                               [LETTERHEAD]

Contact:  Jeffrey J. Hattara                              (NYSE-BMC)
          (612) 851-6030                                  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

     
                      BMC INDUSTRIES, INC. ANNOUNCES FILING OF
                   ANTIDUMPING PETITION AGAINST CERTAIN APERTURE
                          MASKS FROM JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA
                                          
                                          
February 24, 1999 -- Minneapolis, Minnesota - BMC Industries, Inc. announced 
today that it has filed an antidumping duty petition with the U.S. Department 
of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. 
against Japanese and South Korean aperture mask manufacturers.  BMC's 
petition charges certain Japanese and South Korean companies with exporting 
AK steel aperture masks into the United States at prices below their cost of 
production.  The petition further alleges that these companies have unfairly 
captured U.S. market share for aperture masks used in color televisions, 
which has caused material injury to BMC.  If successful, BMC's petition could 
result in the imposition of antidumping duties as high as 40% on imports of 
AK steel aperture masks from Japan and South Korea. 

BMC alleges that this illegal dumping activity forced it to lower its prices 
to a harmful level, which resulted in a layoff of several hundred employees 
and the shutdown of several manufacturing lines at its Cortland, New York 
facility.  BMC is seeking immediate relief from the U.S. government to 
prevent further damage to U.S. aperture mask manufacturing caused by below 
cost imports.  

Gary W. Nelson, BMC's Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for 
Mask Operations commented, "For BMC, its employees and its shareholders, this 
is a matter of survival.  In addition to being forced to lower pricing to 
compete with below cost imports, we have lost substantial share in our home 
market and cannot withstand further erosion.  Japanese and South Korean mask 
manufacturers have invested heavily in new plants and equipment resulting in 
an overcapacity market.  Now, driven by weakened home currencies, these 
manufacturers have been pricing for market share in order to fill their lines 
and generate cash flow. This unfair pricing strategy does not seek to recover 
full manufacturing costs and will continue without governmental intervention."

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This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of 
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934 which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors 
created thereby.  Statements made in this press release which are not 
strictly historical, including statements regarding future performance, are 
forward-looking statements and as such are subject to a number of risks and 
uncertainties, including the success of the Company's petition for 
antidumping duty relief and the potential amount, if any, of any antidumping 
duty actually imposed on Japanese and South Korean aperture mask imports.  
Other risks and uncertainties are detailed in the Company's Form 10-K for the 
year ended December 31, 1997 and Form 10-Q filed for the quarter ended 
September 30, 1998.

BMC Industries, Inc. is one of the world's largest manufacturers of aperture 
masks for color picture tubes used in televisions and computer monitors.  The 
Company is also a leading producer of polycarbonate, glass and plastic 
eyewear lenses.    BMC's common stock is traded on the New York Stock 
Exchange under the symbol BMC.

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