Second quarter 2007

• Sales during the first half of the year increased by 14% to SEK 17,879 (15,718) million. Profit after financial items increased by 20% to SEK 4,011 (3,334) million. Profit after tax amounted to SEK 2,880 (2,339) million, entailing earnings per share of SEK 10.88 (8.47).

• Sales during the second quarter amounted to SEK 9,099 (8,096) million and profit after financial items to SEK 1,864 (1,776) million.

• Return on capital employed during the most recent twelve-month period was 38% and return on equity was 31%.

• Deliveries of the core niche products, quenched steels and advanced high-strength sheet, increased during the second quarter by 7% compared with last year and thus far this year have increased by 12%. In total, the core niche products accounted for 43% of deliveries from the steel operations.

• Operational cash flow for the first half of the year was SEK 1,880 (2,216) million.

• On May 3, a public tender offer of just over USD 7.5 billion in cash was made for all of the shares in the North American steel company, IPSCO. The purchase was approved at a special meeting of IPSCO's shareholders on July 16. The takeover is expected to be completed on or about July 18, from which date IPSCO will be included in the SSAB Group.

• At an extraordinary general meeting of SSAB held on July 10, the Board of Directors was granted authorization to carry out a new issue of approx. SEK 10,000 million with pre-emption rights for existing shareholders, conditional on IPSCO's shareholders approving SSAB's acquisition of the company.