Acquisitions

Bodycote International PLC
17 May 2000


For further information, please contact:

John Chesworth, Managing Director
David Landless, Finance Director
Bodycote International plc              Tel: [phone]

Edward Bridges/Scott Fulton
Financial Dynamics                      Tel: [phone]
                                                                              
                                                                              
                          BODYCOTE INTERNATIONAL PLC
                                       
Acquisition of heat treater in Canada and coatings companies in France, Sweden
                               and United States
                                       
Bodycote  International plc ('Bodycote' or 'the Group'), the  world's  leading
supplier  of  metallurgical services to industry, is  pleased  to  announce  a
number of acquisitions.

For  a  total  consideration  of £11m, the Group has  acquired  four  separate
operations,  bringing  combined net assets of £4.3m and  annualised  sales  of
£8.4m.

1.Newmarket (Ontario) heat treatment operations of Bohler Uddleholm Thermo-
  Tech

Bodycote North America Inc. has acquired the operations Bohler-Uddeholm
Thermo-
Tech, Inc. in Newmarket Ontario.

The  Newmarket  operation, now to be known as Bodycote  Thermal  Processing  -
Newmarket, Inc., provides high-volume continuous and batch heat treating.  The
facility  is  a  highly  accredited company serving primarily  the  automotive
sector.  This is a significant enhancement of Bodycote's existing position  in
heat treatment and material testing in the Ontario market.

Consideration for the purchase was C$14 million (£6.0 million), paid in  cash.
Sales  of the Newmarket operation for the year ended 31 December 1999 amounted
to  C$8.7 million (£3.7 million), and earnings before interest and tax, on  an
ongoing  basis,  were C$2.7 million (£1.1 million), with net  assets  acquired
were C$2 million (£852,000).


2.   Swedish decorative coatings,

On  16  March  2000,  Bodycote Thermotreat AB, based in Sweden,  acquired  the
entire  issued  share  capital of Industricrom Fastighets  AB  of  Anderstorp,
Sweden for a cash consideration of SEK17.6 million  (£1.3 million).

In  the  year  to  30  June 1999 the group had sales of  SEK14  million  (£1.0
million) with profits before tax of SEK2.8 million (£200,000) from net  assets
of SEK13 million (£930,000)

The  company  provides decorative coatings for plastics to  customers  in  the
construction and electronics sectors.


3.   Procolor, French aluminium coatings operation

On  27  April  2000, Bodycote HIT sa, the group's French subsidiary,  acquired
Societe Procolor,  based  in Toulouse, for a cash  consideration  of  FFr18.8
million (£1.7 million).

In  the  year  to  31 December 1999 Procolor had pre-tax profits  of  FFr  2.4
million  (£210,000) from sales of FFr26.3 million (£2.4 million).  Net  assets
are  FFr  4.6  million  (£410,000).   Procolor  is  a  subcontractor  for  the
construction  sector  providing  surface  coatings  for  aluminium   that   is
increasingly being substituted for more traditional materials.

4.   Diamond Black, unique ceramic coatings in United States

Bodycote also announces the acquisition of the business and assets of  Diamond
Black Technologies Inc. a coatings company based in Conover, North Carolina.

Diamond  Black's  unique  ceramic  coatings, specifically  designed  to 
provide exceptional  wear, lubricity  and  anti-corrosion  properties  offer 
excellent versatility for a wide  number  of applications.  These  specialist
coatings processes   are  patented  worldwide,  and  will  enhance Bodycote's
existing capabilities in PVD coatings.

In  a full year sales by Diamond Black are forecast to be $2 million from  net
assets acquired of $3.1 million.

Commenting  on  these  acquisitions,  John  Chesworth,  Managing  Director  of
Bodycote International plc, said today:

'These acquisitions provide Bodycote with additional critical mass in our core
heat  treatment  and coatings activities and further broaden the  geographical
presence of our business'.