1 [HERCULES LOGO] November 2000 [GRAPHIC] 2 SOURCES AND USES ($ in millions) SOURCES Senior Notes $ 375 Term D Loan 375 Food Gums Net Proceeds 318 ------ TOTAL $1,068 ====== USES Repay RHINOS $ 200 Repay Trust VI 170 Preferred Repay Revolver 256 Repay Term Loan A 101 Repay Term Loan C 318 Fees & Expenses 23 ------ TOTAL $1,068 ====== [HERCULES LOGO][GRAPHIC] 3 THE COMPANY HERCULES Market Capitalization: $ 1.9bn LTM 6/30 Sales: $ 3.1bn LTM 6/30 EBITDA: $ 638mm PULP & PAPER BETZDEARBORN AQUALON BUSINESSES FOR SALE - - Performance and - Water & process - Water-based - Resins process chemicals treatment chemicals systems for oilfield for pulp & paper for industrial, services, personal industry commercial, care, construction - FiberVisions petroleum and chemical markets Sales: $882mm Sales: $843mm Sales: $628mm Sales: $715mm EBITDA: $199m EBITDA: $187mm EBITDA: $183mm EBITDA: $104mm Note: LTM figures pro forma for sale of Food Gums [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS] 4 COMMITMENT TO DELEVERAGING ASSET SALES COMPLETION EXPECTED EBITDA IN 2000-01 DATE PROCEEDS MULTIPLE FOOD GUMS September 2000 $395 million >9x RESINS Announced / Q1-2001 $500-$550 million 8x - 9x FIBERVISIONS Q1/2-2001 $250-$300 million 7x - 9x - - Focus on returning to investment grade rating [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS] 5 ... WITH DIVERSIFIED CUSTOMER BASE - - DIVERSE CUSTOMER BASE - No customer accounts for more than 1% of 1999 total sales - Over 10,000 end-customers in hundreds of industries - - STRONG CUSTOMER ORIENTATION - Selling the "process" not the chemical - - BROAD PRODUCT OFFERING - "River-to-reel" in paper industry - Water and process treatment chemicals in BetzDearborn SALES BY END-MARKET [PIE CHART] Pulp & Paper 38% Architectural Paints 5% Construction 5% Refining 6% Chemicals 9% Personal Care 3% Oil Field Services 3% Other 31% [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS] 6 SIGNIFICANT STABLE FREE CASH FLOW - - Capital expenditures of approximately $120 million - - Adjusted for 1999 USD/EUR exchange rate levels, LTM EBITDA is higher by approximately $26 million [BAR CHART] ($ in millions) 1997 1998 1999 LTM LTM ADJUSTED Pulp & Paper $212 $187 $206 $199 $203 BetzDearborn $175 $214 $199 $187 $191 Aqualon $218 $200 $186 $183 $200 FiberVisions $43 $55 $54 $43 $43 Resins $73 $66 $59 $62 $62 Note: Pro forma to exclude Food Gums and nitrocellulose -- before corporate expenses. [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS] 7 [HERCULES LOGO] BETZDEARBORN [GRAPHIC] 8 POSITIVE TRENDS - - Business is becoming more contract-based, increasing revenue visibility - 40% of U.S. sales by contract - BetzDearborn win/loss ratio in bids has increased 100% since 1999 to 4:1 - - Pricing pressure caused by competitive bid situations has softened over last two quarters - 5% price increase in July - Competitors followed suit - - Restructuring of supply chain nearly complete - - Significant market and share growth in Asia - Hercules sales growing by 15-20% annually in China/India/Asia-Pacific 2000 EBITDA [BAR CHART] Q1 $42 Q2 $45 Q3 $53 [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS] 9 [HERCULES LOGO] AQUALON [GRAPHIC] 10 THE BUSINESS - - Products modify the physical properties of water-based and solvent-soluble systems - Examples include oilfield drilling fluids, paint thickening, pharma tablet binders - - Products primarily produced from natural resources such as cellulose - - Business has leading positions globally in Hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), Methylcellulose (MC) - - Business is global with 40% of sales in Europe - - Annual volume growth of 2-4% - - Operating margins of 25-26% in 1999 2000 SALES BY END-MARKET [PIE CHART] Construction Materials 23% Architectural Paints 20% Food 6% Other 16% Oilfield services 8% Paper Manufacturers 15% Personal Care 12% [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHIC] 11 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE ($ in millions) GLOBAL SALES PRODUCT POSITION PRIMARY COMPETITORS - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $200 HEC #1 Union Carbide, Akzo, Clariant 110 CMC #2 Noviant, Bayer, Lamberti 110 MC #2-3 Dow, Bayer, Clariant 30 Guar #1 Rhodia 35 HPC #1 Nippon Soda (Japan Only) [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS] 12 [HERCULES LOGO] FINANCIAL OVERVIEW [GRAPHIC] 13 HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE - REVENUES [BAR CHART] 9 MONTHS ENDING ----------------------- 1997PF 1998PF 1999 9/30/99 9/30/00 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ($ in millions) Pulp & Paper $ 906.0 $ 883.0 $ 884.0 $ 658.0 $ 660.0 BetzDearborn $ 881.0 $ 852.0 $ 846.0 $ 627.0 $ 633.0 Aqualon $ 625.0 $ 589.0 $ 527.0 $ 480.0 $ 454.0 -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- TOTAL $2,412.0 $2,324.0 $2,257.0 $1,765.0 $1,747.0 ======== ======== ======== ======== ======== [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS] 14 HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE - EBITDA [BAR CHART] 9 MONTHS ENDING -------------------- 1997 1998 1999 9/30/99 9/30/00 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ($ in millions) Pulp & Paper $212.0 $187.0 $208.0 $158.0 $143.0 BetzDearborn $175.0 $214.0 $199.0 $150.0 $140.0 Aqualon $218.0 $200.0 $186.0 $142.0 $133.0 ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ TOTAL $605.0 $601.0 $593.0 $450.0 $416.0 ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== Note: Excludes unallocated corporate overhead [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS] 15 FINANCIAL REVIEW - - Based on Reported Q3 results ($ in millions) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9 MONTHS ENDED LTM ----------------------- -------- 1999 9/30/99 9/30/00 9/30/00 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVENUES-- AS REPORTED $ 3,309 $ 2,467 $ 2,435 $ 3,277 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EBITDA-- AS REPORTED 703 560 578 721 UNUSUAL ITEMS 57 18 (90) (51) ONE-TIME ITEMS 8 -- -- 8 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ADJUSTED EBITDA 768 578 488 678 LTM FOOD GUMS ADJUSTMENT (1) (75) CORPORATE ALLOCATION REDUCTION 15 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PRO FORMA EBITDA $ 618 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note: Based on 8-K pro forma adjustments as of June 30, 2000. [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS] 16 CAPITAL STRUCTURE ($ in millions) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACTUAL(1) PRO FORMA 9/30/00 9/30/00 MATURITY - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash $ 366 $ 48 -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEBT Revolver 652 396 2003 Term A 1,001 900 2003 Term C 318 -- -- Term D -- 375 2005 Other Secured Debt -- 328 2002 through 2027 Senior Unsecured Notes -- 375 2007 Other Debt 502 174 2002 through 2027 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL LONG-TERM DEBT 2,473 2,548 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRUST PREFERRED RHINOS 200 -- -- Trust Preferred VI 170 -- -- Crests 260 260 2028 Floating Rate Preferred 362 362 2028 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL PREFERRED 992 622 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL DEBT & PREFERRED 3,147 3,170 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shareholders' Equity 863 863 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL CAPITALIZATION $4,010 $4,033 =========================================================================================== (1) After sale of Food Gums [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS] 17 PRO FORMA CREDIT STATISTICS As of 9/30/00 - -------------------------------------------------------------------- PRO FORMA EX - FOOD GUMS & POST OFFERING - -------------------------------------------------------------------- Net Senior Secured Debt / LTM EBITDA 3.2x Net Debt / LTM EBITDA 4.0x Net Debt & Preferred / LTM EBITDA 5.1x Net Debt / Total Capitalization 62% LTM EBITDA / Cash Interest 2.7x LTM EBITDA Less CapEx / Cash Interest 2.2x LTM EBITDA / Cash Interest & Pfd Dividends 2.0x [HERCULES LOGO] [GRAPHICS]