Company Contacts:
                                    Bradley B. Buechler, President
                                      and Chief Executive Officer

                                    David B. Mueller, V.P. of Finance
                                      and Chief Financial Officer


For Immediate Release:
Thursday, May 9, 1996


              SPARTECH CORPORATION COMPLETES PURCHASE OF

                    PORTAGE INDUSTRIES CORPORATION


     ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, May 9, 1996 -- Spartech Corporation 
(NYSE-SEH) announced today that it completed its purchase of Portage
Industries Corporation ("Portage"), -- a long established manufacturer
of extruded plastic sheet & rollstock and light gauge packaging
products with annual sales of approximately $35 million.
     Spartech's President and Chief Executive Officer, Bradley B.
Buechler, stated, "This purchase is of strategic importance in further
strengthening the Company's national extruded sheet & rollstock group,
Spartech Plastics.  Portage's extruded sheet & rollstock plant, located
in Portage, Wisconsin, will operate as a Spartech Plastics facility,
expanding the group to 11 extrusion plants currently servicing about
32% of this $1 Billion market."  
     Mr. Buechler further stated, "Spartech now has total annual
production capacity of more than 500 million pounds in its two 
operating divisions -- extruded sheet & rollstock (375 million) and
merchant compounding (125 million) -- with projected annual sales over
the next 12 months of approximately $400 million.  The acquisition
price for Portage, inclusive of working capital requirements, was
approximately $19 million."
                                -more-



     Spartech's Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer,
David B. Mueller, stated, "Spartech currently plans on putting
additional equipment and capital into the newly acquired operation over
the next 12 months.  This should enhance production efficiencies and
more fully utilize their current idle capacity -- presently in the 
10%-20% range.  Following such equipment modifications and planned
improvements in the levels of production, the new business should be
capable of producing operating income of 8%-9% on sales annually."
     Spartech is a leading manufacturer of engineered thermoplastic
materials and polymeric compounds, with 15 plants located throughout
the United States.  The Company's second quarter fiscal 1996 results
will be released the week of May 20, 1996.

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