Contact:  Merle D. Kerr                      (NYSE-BMC)
          (612) 851-6020                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


                    BMC RETIRES ALL DEBT, ANNOUNCES DIVIDEND

September 1, 1994--Minneapolis, Minnesota--BMC Industries, Inc. today said it
has paid off all of its outstanding senior, subordinated and IDRB debt, leaving
the Company debt-free. Concurrently, the Company announced that all warrants
related to such debt had been exercised.  Finally, BMC announced that its Board
of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of two cents per share.

Shareholders of record as of September 21 will receive a dividend of two cents
for each share owned (on a post-split basis) on that date, to be paid on October
5, 1994.

Paul B. Burke, BMC's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated:  "The
repayment of all of the debt incurred in the mid-eighties represents a milestone
for BMC.  Our entire team is to be commended for the hard work that generated
earnings and reductions in working capital that allowed us to reduce our debt
from $72 million to zero in less than four years.  While we appreciated the
support and partnership we enjoyed with the lending institutions that held this
debt, the debt carried interest rates averaging 11%, along with very restrictive
covenants.  We will incur new debt in the future to finance our growth plans,
but we expect that such debt will carry rates and terms more attractive than
those of the retired debt.

We are also very pleased to commence a quarterly dividend to our shareholders,
the first one in over nine years. To achieve our growth objectives we will
continue to reinvest a substantial majority of our earnings in our businesses.
However, with the strong improvement in the Company's financial position, the
Board of Directors felt it was appropriate to offer a current return to
shareholders through a modest dividend."

BMC Industries, Inc. is one of the world's largest manufacturers of aperture
masks for color picture tubes used in televisions and computer monitors.  The
Company is also a leading producer of polycarbonate, glass and plastic eyewear
lenses.  BMC's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol BMC.


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