Portland , OR ( December 20, 2004 ). Blount International, Inc. [NYSE: BLT] (“Blount” or the “Corporation”) announced that William A. Shutzer resigned as a director of the Corporation effective immediately due to the increased responsibilities and demands of his position as Partner of Evercore Partners, a financial advising and private equity firm. The Board of Directors elected Joshua ("Josh") L. Collins to fill Mr. Shutzer's unexpired term from and after January 2, 2005 until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders in April 2005. In an unrelated move, the Board also amended the by-laws to raise the number of directors constituting a full board from seven to eight, and elected Robert D. Kennedy to fill the eighth directorship effective January 2, 2005 until the next Annual Meeting.

Mr. Shutzer, formerly a managing director of Lehman Brothers, served as a director since June 2001, a member of the executive committee since 2002 and was a member of the audit committee from June 2001 to April 2002. He also serves on the board of directors of Tiffany & Company, American Financial Group, Jupitermedia Corporation, TurboChef Technologies, Inc. and CSK Auto Corporation.

"We value the service and guidance Bill provided the Board and our Corporation as it has transformed from a highly-leveraged management buyout company controlled by Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking toward a stand-alone public company. We all extend our very best wishes to him," said Eliot M. Fried, Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Collins, 39, is a Principal of Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking ("LBMB") and a Senior Vice President of Lehman Brothers. Mr. Collins joined LBMB in 1996, after serving as an infantry officer and Captain in the United States Marine Corps. He is a director of Phoenix Brands LLC and Enduring Resources, LLC. He holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania .

Mr. Kennedy, 72, served as president and chief executive officer of Union Carbide Corporation from 1986 through 1995, having previously served as president of Union Carbide's Linde Division, senior vice president and executive vice president of the parent corporation, and president and chief operating officer of Union Carbide Chemical and Plastics. He was elected to Union Carbide's Board of Directors in 1985.

Mr. Kennedy also serves on the board of directors of Sunoco, Inc. and Hercules Corporation, and on the advisory boards of the Blackstone Group, Sullivan Associates and RFE Investment Partners. He previously has served as a director for Union Camp Corporation, General Signal Corporation, Kmart, International Paper and Birmingham Steel, as well as chairman and CEO of UCAR International, Inc.

Mr. Kennedy's professional affiliations include membership in the Business Council, former board memberships in the Chemical Manufacturers' Association, Business Round Table, National Inroads, Inc. and Aspen Institute. Mr. Kennedy has received the Chemical Industry Medal in 1995 from the Society of Chemical Industry, the Kavaler Award in 1995 for chief executive excellence and the International Palladium Medal from the Societe de Chimie Industrielle in 1991. He also received an Honorary Fellow Award from the American Institute of Chemists in 1988. Mr. Kennedy received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and has served his alma mater as a Trustee Emerturs, Presidential Counselor, past Co-Chairman of the Committee of Academic Affairs and Campus Life and past Chairman of the Task Force on Athletics.

Messrs. Collins' and Kennedy's committee assignments will be made early in 2005 after the report of a special nominating and governance subcommittee and review by the full board.

Blount International, Inc. is a diversified international company with three principal business segments: Outdoor Products, Lawnmower and Industrial & Power Equipment. Blount sells its products in more than 100 countries around the world. For more information about Blount International, Inc., please visit our website at http://www.blount.com.

Forward looking statements in this release, including without limitation the Company’s "expectations," "beliefs," "plans," "indications," "estimates," "anticipations," and their variants, as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, are based on information available at the present time and management's good faith belief but inherently involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results subsequent to the date of this announcement to differ materially.