UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

Commission file number 1-32737

KOPPERS HOLDINGS INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act: Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:

Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☒ Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐

Emerging Growth Company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant's executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of shares of Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing sales price of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2022 was $458.5 million (affiliates, for this purpose, have been deemed to be Directors and executive officers of Koppers Holdings Inc.).

As of January 31, 2023, 20,830,370 shares of Common Stock of the registrant were issued and outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report and the documents incorporated herein by reference contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and may include, but are not limited to, statements about sales levels, acquisitions, restructuring, declines in the value of Koppers assets and the effect of any resulting impairment charges, profitability and anticipated synergies, expenses and cash outflows. All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature are forward-looking, and words such as “outlook”, “guidance”, “forecast”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “continue”, “plan”, “potential”, “intend”, “likely” or other similar words or phrases are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement contained herein, regarding future dividends, expectations with respect to sales, earnings, cash flows, operating efficiencies, restructurings, product introduction or expansion, the benefits of acquisitions and divestitures or other matters, as well as financings and debt reduction, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies.

Many of these risks, uncertainties and contingencies are beyond our control, and may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance or achievements. Factors that might affect such forward-looking statements include, among other things:

We caution you that the foregoing list of important factors may not contain all of the material factors that are important to you. In addition, in light of these risks and uncertainties, the matters referred to in the forward-looking statements contained in this report and the documents incorporated by reference herein may not in fact occur. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

General

In this report, unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise requires, (i) the term “Koppers”, “Koppers Holdings”, the “Company”, “we” or “us” refers to Koppers Holdings Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, (ii) the term “KH” refers to Koppers Holdings Inc. and not any of its subsidiaries and (iii) the term “KI” refers to Koppers Inc. and not any of its subsidiaries. Koppers Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koppers Holdings Inc. Koppers Holdings Inc. has substantially no operations independent of Koppers Inc. and its subsidiaries. The use of these terms is not intended to imply that Koppers Holdings Inc. and Koppers Inc. are not separate and distinct legal entities from each other and from their respective subsidiaries. Koppers Holdings Inc. was incorporated in November 2004 as a holding company for Koppers Inc.

We are a leading integrated global provider of treated wood products, wood preservation chemicals and carbon compounds. Our products and services are used in a variety of niche applications in a diverse range of end-markets, including the railroad, specialty chemical, utility, residential lumber, agriculture, aluminum, steel, rubber and construction industries. We serve our customers through a comprehensive global manufacturing and distribution network, with manufacturing capabilities in North America, South America, Australasia and Europe.

Business Segments and Products

We operate three principal business segments: Railroad and Utility Products and Services (“RUPS”), Performance Chemicals (“PC”) and Carbon Materials and Chemicals (“CMC”).

We believe our three business segments command leading market positions. Through our RUPS business, we believe that we are the largest supplier of railroad crossties to the Class I railroads in North America. Through our CMC business, we believe we are the largest global supplier of creosote to the North American railroad industry. Through our PC business, we believe that we are the global leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing wood preservation chemicals and wood treatment technologies for use in the pressure treating of lumber for residential, industrial and agricultural applications.

Our RUPS and CMC operations are, to a substantial extent, vertically integrated. Through our CMC business, we process coal tar into a variety of products, including creosote, which is an intermediate material necessary in the pressure treatment of wood crossties, other related railroad products and utility poles. The majority of the creosote we produce in North America and Europe is sold internally to our RUPS business and consumed in the treating process.

Our RUPS and PC operations are also vertically integrated. Through our PC business, we produce a variety of products, including chromated copper arsenate, which is used in the pressure treatment of utility poles and pilings. A portion of the chromated copper arsenate we produce in North America and Australia is sold internally to our RUPS business for treating poles and pilings.

Railroad and Utility Products and Services

Our RUPS business sells treated and untreated wood products, rail joint bars and services primarily to the railroad markets in the United States and Canada and treated wood products and services to the utility markets in the United States and Australia. We also operate a railroad services business that conducts engineering, design, repair and inspection services for railroad bridges and a business related to the recovery of used crossties, serving the same customer base as our North American railroad business. The primary end-markets for RUPS are the North American railroad industry, which has an installed base of approximately 450 million wood crossties, and the U.S. and Australian utility industries which utilize wooden distribution and transmission poles. Both crossties and utility poles require periodic replacement.

Railroad products and services include procuring and treating items such as crossties, switch ties and various types of lumber used for railroad bridges and crossings. Railroad products also include manufacturing and selling rail joint bars, which are steel bars used to join rails together for railroads. Utility products, located in the United States and Australia, include the pressure treatment of transmission and distribution poles for electric and telephone utilities. The RUPS business operates 18 wood treating plants and one rail joint bar manufacturing facility located throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. Our network of plants is strategically located near timber suppliers to enable us to access raw materials and service customers effectively. In addition, our crosstie treating plants are typically adjacent to our largest railroad customers’ rail lines.

Our RUPS business manufactures its primary products and sells them directly to our customers through long-term contracts and purchase orders negotiated by our regional sales personnel and coordinated through our marketing group at corporate headquarters.

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Hardwoods, such as oak and other species, are the major raw materials in wood crossties. Hardwood prices, which account for approximately 73 percent of a finished crosstie’s cost, fluctuate with the demand from other hardwood lumber markets, such as oak flooring, pallets and other specialty lumber products. Weather conditions can be a factor in the supply of raw material, as unusually wet or inclement conditions may make it difficult to harvest timber.

In the United States, hardwood lumber for crossties is procured by us from hundreds of small sawmills throughout the northeastern, midwestern and southern areas of the country. The crossties are shipped via rail car or trucked directly to one of our crosstie treating plants, all of which are on line with a major railroad. The crossties are either air-stacked for a period of six to nine months or artificially dried by a process called boultonizing. Once dried, the crossties are pressure treated with creosote, a product of our CMC business. A substantial portion of our crossties are treated with borate, which is purchased from PC, in combination with creosote.

We believe we are the largest supplier of railroad crossties to the Class I railroads in North America. We have one principal competitor, Stella-Jones Inc., and several smaller regional competitors in the North American market. Competitive factors in the railroad crosstie market include price, quality, location, service and security of supply. We believe we have a competitive advantage due to our ability to obtain internally-sourced creosote and our national network of treating plants which have direct access to our major customers’ rail lines. These advantages provide for security of supply and logistics advantages for our customers.

Our RUPS business’ largest customer base is the North American Class I railroad market, which buys approximately 78 percent of all crossties produced in the United States and Canada. Approximately 74 percent of our North American RUPS sales are under long-term contracts and we currently supply all North American Class I railroads. We also have relationships with many of the approximately 630 short-line and regional rail lines. This also forms the customer base for our rail joint bar products. The railroad crosstie market trended lower in 2022, with approximately 18.5 million replacement crossties purchased during the year, compared to 18.8 million and 18.7 million purchased during 2021 and 2020, respectively.

We believe our North American utility pole business is the second largest producer of utility poles in the United States, and we believe our Australian utility pole business is the largest producer of utility poles in Australia. Utility poles are produced mainly from pine species in the United States and the eucalyptus species in Australia. Most of these poles are purchased from large timber owners and individual landowners and shipped to one of our pole-peeling facilities. In North America and Australia, in addition to utility poles, we market pilings for marine applications and smaller poles to the agricultural landscape and vineyard markets. We treat poles with a variety of preservatives, including chromated copper arsenate and creosote, which we produce internally and purchase from PC and CMC. We also operate a business related to the recovery of used utility poles and a business related to the inspection of utility poles.

Performance Chemicals

Our PC business maintains sales and manufacturing capabilities in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Australia and New Zealand. The primary products supplied by PC are copper-based wood preservatives, including micronized copper azole (“MicroPro®”), micronized pigments (“MicroShades®”), alkaline copper quaternary, amine copper azole, dichloro-octyl-isothiazolinone (DCOI) and chromated copper arsenate. The primary applications for these products include decking, fencing, utility poles, construction lumber and timbers, and various agricultural uses. Additionally, we are a leading supplier of fire-retardant chemicals (“FlamePro®”) for pressure treatment of wood, primarily in commercial construction, where applicable. Because we are a global supplier of wood preservatives, we face various competitors in all the geographic regions in which we participate.

PC supplies nine of the ten largest lumber treating companies in the United States, the largest treated wood market in the world, in addition to the three largest lumber treating companies in Canada. In North America, our PC business is vertically integrated through the manufacturing of copper compounds for our copper-based wood preservatives. We purchase over 30 million pounds of scrap copper, in addition to other compounds containing copper, our key raw material, which we process to meet the annual demand of this major market. When we purchase scrap copper, it is shipped to our manufacturing plants in Hubbell, Michigan and Millington, Tennessee for further processing into other copper compounds. We utilize swap contracts to hedge our exposure to copper prices.

We believe that being vertically integrated in copper manufacturing provides PC with an important competitive advantage and also provides our customers with the security of a supply of copper-based wood preservatives. Likewise, we believe that our marketing, engineering, and technical support services provide added value to our customer base, who supply pressure-treated wood products to large retailers and independent lumber dealers. We believe another competitive advantage is provided by our strategic sourcing group, which procures scrap copper and other raw materials, such as chromic acid, tebuconazole, arsenic trioxide, colorants, dispersants and various biocides and co-biocides through the global market.

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Carbon Materials and Chemicals

Our CMC business manufactures its primary products and sells them directly to our global customer base under long-term contracts or through purchase orders negotiated by our regional sales personnel and coordinated through our regional marketing groups. Our three coal tar distillation facilities and five carbon materials terminals give us the ability to offer customers multiple sourcing options and a consistent supply of high-quality products.

For much of the past decade, the coal tar distillation industry has operated in an excess capacity mode, which further increased the competition for a limited amount of coal tar in North America and Europe. In 2014, we embarked on a plan to restructure our CMC operating footprint that reduced our global number of coal tar distillation facilities from the 11 that existed as of January 1, 2014 to three in total as of December 31, 2022. In September 2020, we sold our remaining Chinese distillation facility in operation, Koppers (Jiangsu) Carbon Chemical Company Limited (“KJCC”) located in Pizhou, Jiangsu Province as discussed in Note 5 – “Discontinued Operations”.

Our CMC business has experienced challenges over the past several years due to the closure of aluminum smelters that has occurred in North America, Western Europe and Australia. The smelting of aluminum requires significant amounts of energy, which is a major cost component for the aluminum industry. As a result, new production facilities are being built in regions with low energy costs such as the Middle East, while regions with higher energy costs such as the United States, Western Europe and Australia have seen significant amounts of smelting capacity idled or closed over the last several years.

Our CMC business manufactures the following principal products:

Creosote, carbon pitch, naphthalene, and carbon black feedstock are produced through the distillation of coal tar, a by-product generated through the processing of coal into coke for use in steel and iron manufacturing. Coal tar distillation involves the conversion of coal tar into a variety of intermediate chemical products in processes beginning with distillation. During the distillation process, heat and vacuum are utilized to separate coal tar into three primary components: chemical oils, distillate and carbon pitch.

In the United States, our primary coal tar raw material supply contracts generally have terms ranging from three to ten years, and most provide options for renewal. Pricing under these contracts is either formula-based or negotiated on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. Our primary European tar supply contract has a remaining term of approximately two years, extending indefinitely thereafter unless terminated by a one-year advance notice, and contains formula-based tar pricing. Finally, our primary Australian supply contracts have terms up to ten years and contain formula-based pricing which is adjusted on an annual or semi-annual basis.

Technology and Licensing

In 1988, we acquired the “Koppers” trademark from Koppers Company, Inc. The association of the name with the chemical, building, wood preservation and coke industries is beneficial to our company, as it represents long-standing, high quality products. Trademarks relating to our PC business, such as “MicroPro®”, “FlamePro®”, “Protim” and “Solignum” are important in this segment of our business, and as long as we continue to use the name “Koppers” and the trademarks associated with our wood preservation business and comply with applicable registration requirements, our right to use the name “Koppers” and the other trademarks should continue without expiration. The expiration of other trademark rights is not expected to materially affect our business.

Backlog

Generally, Koppers does not manufacture its products against a backlog of orders. Inventory and production levels are typically driven by expectations of future demand based on contractual obligations. Our RUPS business carries significant amounts of untreated crosstie inventory, which typically requires air-seasoning for a period of six- to nine-months.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Seasonality

Demand for residential, commercial, and agricultural treated lumber may decline during winter months due to weather conditions. In addition, inclement or winter weather may affect access to certain raw materials or impact operations at our facilities. As a result, operating results may vary from quarter to quarter depending on the severity of weather conditions and other variables affecting our products. Historically, our operating results have been significantly lower in the first and fourth calendar quarters as compared to the second and third calendar quarters.

Segment Information

Please see “Note 9 – Segment Information,” under Item 8 of this Form 10-K for financial information relating to business segments and geographic areas. See also “Item 1A. Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Business – Demand for our products is cyclical and we may experience prolonged depressed market conditions for our products.”

Non-U.S. Operations

Koppers has a significant investment in non-U.S. operations. Therefore, we are subject to certain risks that are inherent to foreign operations, including complying with applicable laws relating to foreign practices, the laws of foreign countries in which we operate, political and economic conditions in international markets, the imposition of tariffs and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. See also “Item 1A. Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Business – We are subject to risks inherent in foreign operations, including additional legal regulation, changes in social, political and economic conditions.”

Environmental Matters

Our operations and properties are subject to extensive federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations relating to protection of the environment and human health and safety, including those concerning the treatment, storage and disposal of wastes, the investigation and remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater, the discharge of effluents into waterways, the emission of substances into the air, as well as various health and safety matters. Environmental laws and regulations are subject to frequent amendment and have historically become more stringent over time. We have incurred and could incur in the future significant costs if we fail to comply with regulations and responsibilities under environmental laws and regulations, including cleanup costs, civil and criminal penalties, injunctive relief and denial or loss of, or imposition of significant restrictions on, environmental permits. In addition, we have been and could in the future be subject to suit by private parties in connection with alleged violations of, or liabilities under, environmental laws and regulations. Additional information on environmental matters is available in Item 1A under “Risks Related to Our Business” and Note 19 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, “Commitments and Contingent Liabilities.”

Employees and Employee Relations

As of December 31, 2022, we had 961 salaried employees and 1,158 non-salaried employees. Listed below is a breakdown of employees by our businesses, including administration.

Approximately 378 of our employees are represented by a number of different labor unions and are covered under numerous labor agreements. The labor contracts at three of our facilities covering approximately 126 employees are scheduled to expire during 2023.

Human Capital Management

Our ability to positively affect our communities starts with investing in our people. We put the health, safety and well-being of our employees at the forefront of everything we do as part of our Zero Harm culture. Our people-focused strategy considers all aspects of the employee experience, from hiring practices and onboarding to health and wellness and talent management. We seek to create and foster an inclusive and welcoming culture where all employees feel empowered and can directly impact and share in the organization’s success. Key to this effort is delivering a consistent onboarding experience, as well as communications and safety training in all of our facilities across the globe.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Talent Attraction and Retention

Our talented employees are a critical element to make our business successful, so it is essential that we position them for success. It is also important that we continue attracting top talent to our workforce. Our Culture and Engagement team leads these efforts to attract, retain and develop our employees and has created various programs to enhance the skill set of our workforce. Recognizing the importance of a consistent and comprehensive onboarding and safety training experience for new hires across our facility footprint, we have a web-based training program to ensure every employee receives a consistent message from the start of their employment. The program includes videos detailing our company and our primary business lines as well as a new hire information packet that contains information on employee programs, services, benefits and more.

We also have a toolkit to help managers guide new employees for success and we conduct regular new hire surveys to solicit feedback and identify opportunities for improvement. We continue to evaluate and employ methods to identify at-risk behaviors during the hiring process to place prospective employees in appropriately suited positions where they can be successful and workplace injuries can be avoided. This behavioral data also enables us to tailor training and onboarding based on the opportunities it highlights.

Performance Management

To ensure our employees have the best opportunity for success, our performance development process includes periodic meetings between employees and managers to discuss their goals and strategies to achieve them. We no longer conduct traditional annual reviews and instead opt for these more frequent two-way discussions focused on fostering ideas that will enable employee success. Each manager is expected to meet one-on-one at least monthly with their employees to discuss tailored strategies to encourage employee success like additional training, attendance at conferences or establishing connections to others within our company. These monthly meetings also help managers gauge employee engagement and develop approaches to increase and sustain positive engagement.

We also have a New Hire Mentoring Program as another component of our development process. The program provides both hourly and salaried employees an extra opportunity to receive support from experienced employees and discuss any ideas they may have for improving our operations or their work experience. Prior to participating, mentors and mentees receive training on getting the most out of the program.

Training and Education

As a part of our people-focused approach to our operations, we are committed to helping our employees thrive in their roles and grow both personally and professionally. A major component of this plan is our commitment to providing each employee with the training and education they need to be successful. Under the umbrella of our Koppers College, we provide leadership development training to our front-line employees to expand their growth opportunities within the organization. We also foster innovation and develop our next wave of high-potential employees through our leadership forum, an intensive nine-month program conducted in partnership with a university local to our corporate headquarters. Approximately ten to twelve employees from across the world are chosen annually for each cohort. Selected participants travel to our corporate headquarters to take part in workshops facilitated by university professors and business leaders. We also offer our employees a tuition reimbursement program to help them pursue degrees and certifications related to relevant skills they utilize for their positions to further personal and company success.

Inclusion and Diversity

We support an inclusive and diverse work environment across our company through a range of strategic programs. Our internal processes and programs target inclusion and diversity as a key area of importance and externally we place emphasis on the topic during philanthropic activities. Our global inclusion and diversity initiative focuses on supporting our strategy to be an employer of choice, and helps to ensure that all employees feel they are heard and valued to harness the power of an engaged workforce.

Compensation and Benefits

We encourage employee participation in our benefit programs for saving for retirement through robust defined contribution and employee stock purchase programs. The U.S. 401(k) program includes both traditional matching and an additional non-elective company contribution based on organizational performance. When the company achieves the established performance target, employees share in this success through an automatic contribution to their 401(k) accounts. We also offer our employees the option to acquire Koppers stock through an employee stock purchase program. The program gives our employees the opportunity to buy shares at a discount through payroll deductions during defined quarterly offering periods.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Health and Safety

We believe a robust wellness program that encourages employee participation is key to promoting healthy lifestyles and decision-making. Our wellness screening program for our U.S.-based employees provides employees the opportunity to learn more about their health and daily routines. As part of this program, employees can earn financial incentives for completing a variety of wellness initiatives. Recognizing the importance of supporting our employees in all aspects of their lives, we provide an Employee Assistance Program with a full range of supportive resources including financial wellness, mental health and family services. For our U.S.-based employees, we also offer four weeks of paid time-off for mothers and fathers who have a birth or adoption as part of our parental bonding leave program. Additionally, we offer work schedule flexibility including the opportunity to work remotely when conditions allow.

We work with a Zero Harm approach to every employee’s health and safety. Zero Harm includes policies that guide our safety practices and procedures throughout all of our facilities, a focus on leading activities that prevent accidents and a leadership culture that insists the health and safety of our employees comes ahead of everything we do.

Environmental, Social and Governance Matters

Corporate social responsibility, which we view as our obligations to people and the environment and our commitment to maintaining good corporate governance processes, has been a part of our culture for many years. We believe this culture, supported by a spirit of collaboration and innovation, allows us to decrease our impact on the environment and create value for all of our stakeholders. We published our first Corporate Social Responsibility report (CSR) in 2008 and our historical CSR reports are available on www.koppers.com/pages/sustainability. The contents of our corporate website are not incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

We have established a governance structure to support and develop our sustainability practices. The Sustainability Committee of the board of directors provides oversight of our programs. Management provides direction through its Leadership Council, chaired by the CEO. Our Sustainability Steering Committee provides guidance on goals and programs designed to improve our performance against those expectations.

Environmental

The circular nature of our business starts with our raw materials, the majority of which are by-products generated by other industries (including scrap copper and coal tar) and renewable resources (trees). We purchase approximately 32 million pounds of scrap copper per year which is postconsumer or post-industrial in nature. We believe this places Koppers in the center of what is known as the “circular economy” that emphasizes the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mentality that continues to frame global conservation efforts. Our wood-treatment solutions, while supporting an important role in our global infrastructure across multiple industries, also support an important role in the carbon cycle. Treating wood significantly increases its useful lifespan, allowing the carbon stored within the wood to be immobilized for up to 50 years, keeping it out of the atmosphere and limiting its impact on the environment. In addition, we have businesses which have product life cycle management capabilities to help solve our customers’ challenge of responsibly disposing of end-of-life crossties and utility poles by repurposing used wood products, including as a fuel source. This reduces the end-of-life impact of our ties and poles, contributing to greater product sustainability.

Social

We are committed to proactively evaluating and addressing community needs in the areas where we operate. Many of our locations have made strong connections with local community members, allowing Koppers representatives to share facility information and address any questions, observations, concerns and ideas. Our community impact is demonstrated through our employees’ volunteer commitments and a corporate philanthropy program. Employees worldwide volunteer their time to mentor students, enhance local education initiatives, take care of the elderly, assist at homeless shelters and provide hands-on help to those affected by natural disasters.

We believe our ability to positively impact our communities and environment starts with investing in our employees. Our people-focused strategy considers all aspects of the employee experience, from hiring practices and onboarding to health and wellness and talent management.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Governance

We believe our corporate governance structure is designed to assure accountability to our stakeholders and to make certain that we conduct business in a responsible, ethical way. We maintain a comprehensive Code of Conduct that details the expectations and requirements we have as an organization for our employees. This Code of Conduct applies to all employees, whether we are engaging in peer-to-peer interactions, working to comply with complex regulations, marketing our products, purchasing materials, creating new products, managing our finances or interacting with our communities.

Our board of directors is broadly responsible for contributing to the strategic direction and oversight of the company. There are five board committees, including: Audit; Nominating and Corporate Governance; Management Development and Compensation; Strategy and Risk; and Sustainability. Among its duties and responsibilities, the Board oversees management’s direction of the legal, ethical and socially responsible behavior of the company, such as developing effective performance measurement systems, reviewing the company's long-term strategy and overseeing risk management processes.

Our Leadership Council which consists of 11 members of senior management is responsible for directing the development and implementation of the company's strategic plan and business operations around the globe. These executive leaders establish and maintain our commitment to ethics, integrity, fiscal responsibility, growth and sustainability.

Internet Access

Our Internet address is www.koppers.com. Our recent filings on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and any amendments to those documents can be accessed without charge on our website under Investor Relations – Financials & Filings – SEC Filings as soon as reasonably practicable after such filings are made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The contents of our Internet site are not incorporated by reference into this document.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risks described below before investing in our publicly traded securities. Our business is subject to the risks that affect many other companies, such as competition, technological obsolescence, labor relations, general economic conditions, geopolitical events and international operations.

Risks Related to Our Business

Fluctuations in the price, quality and availability of our primary raw materials could reduce our profitability.

Our operations depend on an adequate supply of quality raw materials being available on a timely basis. The loss of a key source of supply or a delay in shipments could cause a significant increase in our operating expenses. For example, our operations are highly dependent on a relatively small number of freight transportation services. We are also dependent on specialized ocean-going transport vessels that we lease to deliver raw materials to our facilities and finished goods to our customers. Interruptions in such freight services could impair our ability to receive raw materials and ship finished products in a timely manner. We are also exposed to price and quality risks associated with raw material purchases. Such risks include the following:

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

If the costs of raw materials increase significantly and we are unable to offset the increased costs with higher selling prices, our profitability will decline.

We face risks related to our substantial indebtedness.

As of December 31, 2022, we had total outstanding debt of $825.3 million, and approximately $412.0 million of additional unused borrowing capacity under our $800.0 million revolving credit agreement (the "Credit Facility") with a consortium of banks which replaced our previous $600.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility and $100.0 million secured term loan facility (the latter having been fully repaid as of March 31, 2022). Our substantial leverage could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, expose us to interest rate risk associated with our variable rate debt and prevent us from meeting our obligations under the Senior Notes due 2025 (the “2025 Notes”) and the Credit Facility as described in Note 15 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Our high level of debt can result and in the past has resulted in a substantial portion of cash flow from operations being dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our debt, thereby reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, including paying our vendors within agreed upon terms, capital expenditures, and business opportunities.

A high level of indebtedness could have other adverse consequences to us, including:

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in our Credit Facility and the indenture governing the 2025 Notes. If new indebtedness is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify.

Our debt agreements contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business.

Our Credit Facility and the indenture governing the 2025 Notes contain various covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions. These covenants limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things:

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

In addition, under the Credit Facility, we are required to meet specified financial ratios in order to undertake certain actions, and we are required to maintain a specified minimum cash interest coverage ratio and a maximum total net leverage ratio. Our ability to meet those tests can be affected by events beyond our control, and we cannot assure you that we will meet them. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under our Credit Facility. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under our Credit Facility, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under our Credit Facility to be immediately due and payable and terminate all commitments to extend further credit. Such a declaration by the lenders under our Credit Facility would also constitute an event of default under our 2025 Notes. Similarly, a default under our 2025 Notes could also constitute an event of default under our Credit Facility.

Finally, the terms of the Credit Facility contain a springing maturity in the event we do not refinance or repurchase our 2025 Notes. The maturity date of the Credit Facility is currently June 17, 2027; however that could be accelerated if the 2025 Notes are not repurchased, redeemed or refinanced prior to November 15, 2024.

If we were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under our Credit Facility could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure such indebtedness. We have pledged substantially all of our assets as collateral under our Credit Facility. If the lenders under our Credit Facility accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we cannot assure you that we will have sufficient assets to repay our Credit Facility, as well as our unsecured indebtedness, including the 2025 Notes.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness, including the 2025 Notes, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. We cannot assure you that we will maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness, including the 2025 Notes.

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, delay payments to vendors, sell assets, seek additional capital, or restructure or refinance our indebtedness, including the 2025 Notes. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. Our Credit Facility restricts our ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from the disposition. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain the proceeds that we could realize from them and these proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due.

Demand for our products is cyclical and we may experience prolonged depressed market conditions for our products.

Our products are sold primarily into markets which historically have been cyclical, such as wood preservation, aluminum and specialty chemicals.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

We are dependent on major customers for a significant portion of our net sales, and the loss of one or more of our major customers could result in a significant reduction in our profitability as a whole or the profitability of a particular product.

Although no one customer accounted for more than six percent of our net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022, our top ten customers accounted for approximately 39 percent of our net sales in the aggregate. The loss of a significant customer could have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow and financial condition.

The development of new technologies or changes in our customers’ products could reduce the demand for our products.

Our products are used for a variety of applications by our customers. Changes in our customers’ products or processes may enable our customers to reduce consumption of the products we produce or make our products unnecessary. Customers may also find alternative materials or processes that no longer require our products.

As a producer of wood preservatives, we may incur additional costs under our warranties or otherwise for claims related to treated-wood products.

We provide limited warranties on certain treated-wood products. These limited warranties cover treated-wood products that are produced by certain of our customers who use wood preservatives supplied by us. The limited warranties generally provide for replacement of properly treated-wood (treated-wood only) or refund of the purchase price for the treated-wood product that prematurely fails due to fungal decay or termite attack. We (or our customers) receive claims under these warranties or other claims relating to alleged failures of treated-wood products. Our profitability could be adversely affected if the amount of warranty claims against us or our customers significantly increase.

Hazards associated with chemical manufacturing may cause suspensions or interruptions of our operations.

Due to the nature of our business, we are exposed to the hazards associated with chemical manufacturing and the related use, storage and transportation of raw materials, products and wastes in our manufacturing facilities and our distribution centers, such as fires, explosions and accidents that could lead to a suspension or interruption of operations. Any disruption could reduce the productivity and profitability of a particular manufacturing facility or of our Company as a whole. Other hazards include the following:

These hazards, among others, may cause personal injury and loss of life, damage to property and contamination of the environment, which could lead to government fines or work stoppage injunctions, cleanup costs and lawsuits by injured persons. While we are unable to predict the outcome of such matters, if determined adversely to us, we may not have adequate insurance to cover related costs or liabilities and, if not, we may not have sufficient cash flow to pay for such costs or liabilities. Such outcomes could harm our customer goodwill and reduce our profitability and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flow and results from operations.

We are subject to extensive environmental laws and regulations and may incur significant costs as a result of continued compliance with, violations of or liabilities under environmental laws and regulations.

Like other companies involved in environmentally sensitive businesses, our operations and properties are subject to extensive federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations, including those concerning the following, among other things:

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

We have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, significant costs to comply with environmental laws and regulations as a result of remediation obligations. We could incur significant costs, including cleanup costs, fines, civil and criminal sanctions and claims by third parties for property damage and personal injury, as a result of violations of or liabilities under environmental laws and regulations. We accrue for environmental liabilities when a determination can be made that they are probable and reasonably estimable. Total environmental reserves at December 31, 2022 were $10.9 million, which include provisions primarily for environmental remediation. In addition, we incur significant annual operating expenses related to environmental matters and significant capital expenditures related to environmental control facilities. Capital expenditures related to environmental control facilities in 2023 are expected to total approximately $16 million and are expected to be funded by operations.

Contamination has been identified and is being investigated and remediated at many of our sites by us or other parties. We believe that we will have continuing significant expenditures associated with compliance with environmental laws and regulations and, to the extent not covered by insurance or available recoveries under third-party indemnification arrangements, for present and future remediation efforts at plant sites and third-party waste sites and other liabilities associated with environmental matters. There can be no assurance that these expenditures will not exceed current estimates and will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flow and results of operations.

Actual costs and liabilities to us may exceed forecasted amounts. Moreover, currently unknown environmental issues, such as the discovery of additional contamination or the imposition of additional sampling or cleanup obligations with respect to our sites or third-party sites, may result in significant additional costs, and potentially significant expenditures could be required in order to comply with future changes to environmental laws and regulations or the interpretation or enforcement thereof. We also are involved in various litigation and proceedings relating to environmental matters and toxic tort claims.

Future climate change regulation could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for our products.

Increasing societal concerns about climate change have resulted in international efforts to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. International climate change-related efforts, such as the Paris Agreement, may impact the regulatory framework of countries whose policies and laws directly influence our operations. Currently, in the United States, various federal, state and regional legislative and regulatory measures to address greenhouse gas are in phases of consideration, promulgation or implementation. These include actions which could require reductions in our greenhouse gas emissions or establish a carbon tax.

Heavy energy-using installations in the European Union operate under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), a cap and trade system on emissions. Under this system, organizations apply to the Member State for an allowance of GHG emissions. These allowances are gradually reduced year by year, to encourage reductions and are also tradable to enable companies that reduce their GHG emissions to sell their excess allowances to companies that are not reaching their emissions objectives. The Green Deal, which was approved by the EU Parliament in 2020, has set a goal of a 55 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. This will include revising and possibly expanding the EU ETS and setting targets for sectors outside the EU ETS.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

In Australia, the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme requires large volume emitters (such as Koppers) to report carbon emissions and energy use to the government annually and, if they exceed certain thresholds, the ‘Safeguard Mechanism’ requires facilities to set an emissions baseline and purchase certificates if they exceed that baseline. Although Koppers does not currently exceed the threshold for the Safeguard Mechanism (100,000 TCO2e scope 1 emissions), it is foreseeable that the government could lower the threshold in the future. At the state level in Australia, the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority released its draft Climate Change Policy and Action Plan, which proposes to introduce greenhouse gas emission targets and limits on environment protection licenses – this is currently in an industry/public consultation phase. During 2022, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission both announced they would be increasing monitoring of, and penalties for, misleading statements in relation to net zero commitments.

Any laws or regulations that are adopted to reduce emissions of GHGs could (i) cause an increase to our raw material costs, (ii) increase our costs to operate and maintain our facilities, (iii) increase costs to administer and manage emissions programs, and (iv) have an adverse effect on demand for our products.

The insurance that we maintain may not fully cover all potential exposures.

We maintain property, casualty, general liability, workers’ compensation, pollution legal liability and other insurance, but such insurance may not cover all risks associated with the hazards of our business and is subject to limitations, including deductibles and maximum limits. We may incur losses beyond the limits, or outside the coverage, of our insurance policies, including liabilities for environmental compliance and remediation. In addition, from time to time, various types of insurance for companies in our industry have not been available on commercially acceptable terms or, in some cases, have not been available at all. In the future, we may not be able to obtain coverage at current levels, and our premiums may increase significantly on coverage that we maintain.

Adverse weather conditions or natural disasters, including conditions associated with or exacerbated by climate change, may reduce our operating results.

Our quarterly operating results fluctuate due to a variety of factors that are outside our control, including inclement weather conditions, which in the past have caused a decline in our operating results. For example, adverse weather conditions have at times negatively impacted our supply chain as wet conditions impacted logging operations, reducing our ability to procure crossties. In addition, adverse weather conditions have had a negative impact on our customers in our pavement sealer and wood preservation businesses, resulting in a negative impact on our sales of these products. Moreover, demand for many of our products declines during periods of inclement weather. Finally, natural disasters, including wildfires, hurricanes and earthquakes could affect our revenue and operating results. It is impossible to predict the timing, magnitude or location of such natural disasters or their impacts on the local economy and on our operations. If a major wildfire, hurricane or other natural disaster were to disrupt the supply of our raw materials or damage or destroy our facilities or manufacturing equipment, we may experience potential impacts ranging from production and shipping delays to lost profits and revenues. Global climate change may exacerbate the frequency and intensity of adverse weather conditions or natural disasters, such as wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, water shortages, rainfall, unseasonably warm winter months, or other weather events, many of which have increased in severity in recent years, in geographic areas where our products are manufactured, distributed, sold and used and where our supply chains are located, and our sales and operating results may be affected to a greater degree than we have previously experienced. Such weather conditions could pose physical risks to our facilities and critical infrastructure in the United States and abroad, disrupt the operation of our supply chain and third-party vendors, and may impact our operating results.

Beazer East and Beazer Limited may not continue to meet their obligations to indemnify us.

Under the terms of the asset purchase agreement between us and Koppers Company, Inc. (now known as Beazer East, Inc.) upon the formation of Koppers Inc. in 1988, subject to certain limitations, Beazer East and Beazer Limited assumed the liability for and indemnified us against, among other things, certain clean-up liabilities for contamination occurring prior to the purchase date at sites acquired from Beazer East and certain third-party claims arising from such contamination (the “Indemnity”). Beazer East and Beazer Limited (which are indirect subsidiaries of Heidelberg Cement AG) may not continue to meet their obligations. Beazer East could in the future choose to challenge its obligations under the Indemnity or our satisfaction of the conditions to indemnification imposed on us thereunder. The government and other third parties may have the right under applicable environmental laws to seek relief directly from us for any and all such costs and liabilities.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

In July 2004, we entered into an agreement with Beazer East to amend the December 29, 1988 asset purchase agreement to provide, among other things, for the continued tender of pre-closing environmental liabilities to Beazer East under the Indemnity through July 2019. To the extent that such third-party claims were not tendered by July 2019, Beazer East is not required to pay the costs arising from such claims under the Indemnity and furthermore, Beazer East may now tender certain of such claims to Koppers Inc. However, with respect to any such claims which were made by July 2019, Beazer East will continue to be responsible for such claims under the Indemnity beyond July 2019. The July 2004 amendment did not change the provisions of the Indemnity with respect to indemnification for non-environmental claims, such as product liability claims, which claims may continue to be asserted after July 2019. Qualified expenditures under the Indemnity are not subject to a monetary limit.

The Indemnity provides for the resolution of issues between Koppers Inc. and Beazer East by an arbitrator on an expedited basis upon the request of either party. The arbitrator could be asked, among other things, to make a determination regarding the allocation of environmental responsibilities between Koppers Inc. and Beazer East. Arbitration decisions under the Indemnity are final and binding on the parties.

Without Beazer East continuing to assume the financial responsibility under the Indemnity, the obligation to pay the costs and assume the liabilities relating to these matters would have a significant impact on our net income, liquidity and cash flows. Furthermore, we could be required to record a contingent liability on our balance sheet with respect to environmental matters covered by the Indemnity, which could result in our having significant negative net worth. Finally, the Indemnity does not afford us indemnification against environmental costs and liabilities attributable to acts or omissions occurring after the closing of the acquisition of assets from Beazer East under the asset purchase agreement, nor is the Indemnity applicable to liabilities arising in connection with other acquisitions by us after that closing.

Litigation and other proceedings against us could be costly and time-consuming to defend, and due to the nature of our business and products, we may be liable for damages arising out of our acts or omissions, which may have a material adverse effect on us.

We are and have been a defendant in a significant number of lawsuits in which the plaintiffs claim they have suffered a variety of illnesses (including cancer) and/or property damage as a result of exposure to coal tar pitch, pavement sealer, benzene, wood treatment chemicals and other chemicals. In addition, we are regularly subject to legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business, such as workers’ compensation claims, governmental investigations, employment disputes, and customer and supplier disputes arising out of the conduct of our business. We also are involved in various litigation and proceedings relating to environmental matters. Any litigation, investigation or regulatory enforcement action that may arise in these or other contexts could result in substantial costs and may divert management’s attention and resources away from the day-to-day operation of our business.

We are indemnified for certain product liability exposures under the Indemnity with Beazer East related to products sold prior to the closing of the acquisition of assets from Beazer East. Beazer East and Beazer Limited may not continue to meet their indemnification obligations. In addition, Beazer East could choose to challenge its indemnification obligations or our satisfaction of the conditions to indemnification imposed on us thereunder. If for any reason (including disputed coverage or financial incapability) one or more of such parties fail to perform their obligations and we are held liable for or otherwise required to pay all or part of such liabilities without reimbursement, the imposition of such liabilities on us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. Furthermore, we could be required to record a contingent liability on our balance sheet with respect to such matters, which could result in us having significant negative net worth.

Intellectual property rights are important to our business. If our patents are declared invalid or our trade secrets become known to our competitors, our ability to compete may be adversely affected.

Proprietary protection of our processes, apparatuses and other technology is important to our business, particularly in our PC business. Consequently, we may have to rely on judicial enforcement of our patents and other proprietary rights, which is generally a time consuming and expensive process. While a presumption of validity exists with respect to patents issued to us in the United States, there can be no assurance that any of our patents will not be challenged, invalidated, circumvented or rendered unenforceable. Furthermore, if any pending patent application filed by us does not result in an issued patent, or if patents are issued to us, but such patents do not provide meaningful protection of our intellectual property, or if patents issued to us expire, then our ability to compete may be adversely affected. Additionally, our competitors or other third parties may obtain patents that restrict or preclude our ability to lawfully produce or sell our products in a competitive manner, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow and financial condition. The growth of our business also depends on our ability to develop new intellectual property rights, including patents, and the successful implementation of innovation initiatives. There can be no assurance that our efforts to do so will be successful and the failure to do so could negatively impact our results of operations.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

We also rely upon unpatented proprietary know-how and continuing technological innovation and other trade secrets to develop and maintain our competitive position, particularly in our PC business. While it is our practice to enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and third parties to protect our intellectual property, these confidentiality agreements may be breached or may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets or proprietary know-how, and adequate remedies may not be available in the event of an unauthorized use or disclosure of our trade secrets and know-how. In addition, others could obtain knowledge of our trade secrets through independent development or other access by legal means. The failure of our patents or confidentiality agreements to protect our processes, apparatuses, technology, trade secrets or proprietary know-how could have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow and financial condition.

We may be required to recognize impairment charges for our long-lived assets.

At December 31, 2022, the net carrying value of long-lived assets (property, plant and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets, goodwill and other intangible assets) totaled $1,053.7 million. In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, we periodically assess these assets to determine if they are impaired. Significant negative industry or economic trends, disruptions to our business, unexpected significant changes or planned changes in use of the assets, divestitures and market capitalization declines may result in impairments to goodwill and other long-lived assets. Future impairment charges could significantly affect our results of operations in the periods recognized. Impairment charges would also reduce our shareholders’ equity and could affect compliance with the covenants in our debt agreements.

We are subject to risks inherent in foreign operations, including additional legal regulation, and changes in social, political and economic conditions.

We have operations in the United States, Australia, Denmark, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada, among others, and sell our products in many foreign countries. For the year ended December 31, 2022, net sales from products sold by our foreign subsidiaries accounted for approximately 33 percent of our total net sales.

Doing business on a global basis requires us to comply with the laws and regulations of the U.S. government and various international jurisdictions. These regulations place restrictions on our operations, trade practices and partners and investment decisions. In particular, our international operations are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption laws and regulations, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and economic sanction programs administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Violations of these laws and regulations may result in civil or criminal penalties, including fines.

For example, some of our operations are subject to the United Kingdom’s and European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). The GDPR imposes a range of compliance obligations for companies that process personal data of United Kingdom and European Union residents and includes financial penalties for non-compliance. We process personal data of our employees who are United Kingdom or European Union residents and will continue dedicating financial resources and management time to GDPR compliance. We bear the cost of compliance with the GDPR and are subject to fines and penalties in the event of a breach of the GDPR, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Political and financial instability can lead to economic uncertainty and may adversely impact our business. In addition, as a global business, we are also exposed to market risks relating to fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. Our international revenues could be reduced by currency fluctuations or devaluations. Changes in currency exchange rates could lower our reported revenues and could require us to reduce our prices to remain competitive in foreign markets, which could also reduce our profitability. We are also subject to potentially increasing transportation and shipping costs associated with international operations. Furthermore, we are also exposed to risks associated with changes in the laws and policies governing foreign investments in countries where we have operations as well as changes in U.S. laws and regulations relating to foreign trade and investment.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Geopolitical events and the risk of related government actions affecting our business and our customers or raw material suppliers may adversely impact our business, results of operations and cash flows.

Geopolitical events, such as systemic political or economic instability, civil unrest, outbreak of war or expansion of hostilities or acts of terrorism, whether occurring in the United States or abroad, could disrupt our operations or the operations of one or more of our raw material suppliers or customers, or could severely damage or destroy one or more of our facilities located in the affected areas, which could in turn adversely affect our ability to obtain raw materials from our suppliers or transport products to our customers. These factors could also cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease or result in increased volatility in the United States and global financial markets and economy. Further, the United States government, other governments or international organizations could impose sanctions that could restrict us from doing business directly or indirectly in or with certain countries or parties, which could include raw material suppliers or customers. For example, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, our European-based CMC business lost a substantial portion of its coal tar requirements that were previously sourced from the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Geopolitical events further impacting these countries, or other countries from which we source raw materials or where our facilities or customers are located, could adversely affect the impacted business segments. Any such occurrence could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition, cash flows and liquidity.

Labor disputes could disrupt our operations and divert the attention of our management and may cause a decline in our production and a reduction in our profitability.

Many of our employees are represented by a number of different labor unions and are covered under numerous labor agreements. Typically, a number of our labor agreements are scheduled to expire each year. We may not be able to reach new agreements without union action or on terms satisfactory to us. Any future labor disputes with any such unions could result in strikes or other labor protests, which could disrupt our operations and divert the attention of our management from operating our business. If we were to experience a strike or work stoppage, it may be difficult for us to find a sufficient number of employees with the necessary skills to replace these employees. Any such labor disputes could cause a decline in our production and a reduction in our profitability.

Labor shortages and increased turnover or increases in employee and employee-related costs could have adverse effects on our profitability.

We have recently experienced increased labor shortages at some of our production facilities and other locations. While we have historically experienced some level of ordinary course turnover of employees, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting actions and impacts have exacerbated labor shortages and increased turnover. A number of factors have had and may continue to have adverse effects on the labor force available to us, including reduced employment pools, unemployment subsidies, including unemployment benefits, and other government regulations, which include laws and regulations related to workers’ health and safety, wage and hour practices and immigration. Labor shortages and increased turnover rates within our workforce have led to and could in the future lead to increased costs, such as increased overtime to meet demand and increased wage rates to attract and retain employees and could negatively affect our ability to efficiently operate our production facilities or otherwise operate at full capacity. An overall or prolonged labor shortage, lack of skilled labor, increased turnover or labor inflation could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition, cash flows and liquidity.

Our post-retirement obligations are currently underfunded. We may be required to make significant cash payments to our pension and other post-retirement plans, which will reduce the cash available for our business.

As of December 31, 2022, our benefit obligation under our defined benefit pension plans exceeded the fair value of plan assets by $29.6 million. Our pension asset funding to total pension obligation ratio was 81 percent as of December 31, 2022. The underfunding was caused, in large part, by fluctuations in the financial markets that impacted the value of the assets in our defined benefit pension plans and by fluctuations in interest rates which decreased the discounted pension liabilities. In addition, our obligations for other post-retirement benefit obligations are unfunded and total $6.0 million at December 31, 2022.

During the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we contributed $1.6 million and $2.8 million, respectively, to our post-retirement benefit plans. Management expects that any future obligations under our post-retirement benefit plans that are not currently funded will be funded from our future cash flow from operations. If our contributions to our post-retirement benefit plans are insufficient to fund the post-retirement benefit plans adequately to cover our future obligations, the performance of the assets in our pension plans does not meet our expectations or other actuarial assumptions or mandatory funding laws are modified, our contributions to our post-retirement benefit plans could be materially higher than we expect, thus reducing the cash available for our business.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

We may incur significant charges in the event we close all or part of a manufacturing plant or facility.

We periodically assess our manufacturing operations in order to manufacture and distribute our products in the most efficient manner. Based on our assessments, we may make capital improvements to modernize certain units, move manufacturing or distribution capabilities from one plant or facility to another plant or facility, discontinue manufacturing or distributing certain products or close all or part of a manufacturing plant or facility, any of which could cause us to incur significant charges. The actual costs to close a manufacturing facility may exceed our original cost estimate and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flow from operations and results from operations.

We may be subject to information technology systems failures, network disruptions and breaches of data security, which could harm our relationships with our customers and third-party business partners, subject us to negative publicity and litigation and cause substantial harm to our business.

We depend on integrated information systems to conduct our business. Information technology systems failures could disrupt our operations by impeding our processing of transactions, our ability to protect customer or company information and our financial reporting. System failures include risks associated with upgrading our systems, integrating information technology and other systems in connection with the integration of businesses we acquire, network disruptions and breaches of data security. Our computer systems, including our back-up systems, could be damaged or interrupted by power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, internal or external security breaches, events such as fires, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes, and/or errors by our employees.

We have been subject to cyberattacks in the past, including phishing and malware incidents, and although no such attack has had a material adverse effect on our business, this may not be the case with future attacks. As the prevalence of cyberattacks continues to increase, our information technology systems may be subject to increased security threats and we may incur additional costs to upgrade and maintain our security measures in place to prevent and detect such threats. The security and privacy measures that our vendors and customers implement may not be sufficient to prevent and detect cyberattacks that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. While our vendor agreements typically contain provisions that seek to eliminate or limit our exposure to liability for damages from a cyberattack, we cannot assure that such provisions will withstand legal challenges or cover all or any such damages.

In addition, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees or customers to disclose access credentials or other sensitive information in order to gain access to our systems and networks. We also may be subject to additional vulnerabilities as we integrate the systems, computers, software and data of acquired businesses and third-party business partners into our networks and separate the systems, computers, software and data of disposed businesses from our networks.

There are no assurances that our security measures, our business continuity and disaster recovery plans or actions or our investments to improve the maturity of our systems, processes and risk management framework to remediate vulnerabilities will be sufficient or completed quickly enough to prevent or detect or limit the impact of critical adverse events such as cyberattacks or security breaches. Potential consequences include, but are not limited to, transactional errors, business disruptions, loss of or damage to intellectual property, loss of customers and business opportunities, unauthorized access to or disclosure of confidential or personal information, regulatory fines, penalties or litigation, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensatory costs and additional compliance costs. Any of these could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

You may not receive dividends because our board of directors could, in its discretion, depart from or change our dividend policy at any time.

We are not required to pay dividends, and our shareholders are not guaranteed, and do not have contractual rights, to receive dividends. Our board of directors may decide at any time, in its discretion, to change or revoke our dividend policy. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

The ability of Koppers Inc. and its subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other payments or distributions to us will depend on our operating results and may be restricted by, among other things, the covenants in our Credit Facility. Our ability to pay dividends is also limited by the indenture governing the 2025 Notes as well as Pennsylvania law and may in the future be limited by the covenants of any future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur. If a dividend is paid in violation of Pennsylvania law, each director approving the dividend could be liable to the corporation if the director did not act with such care as a person of ordinary prudence would use under similar circumstances. Directors are entitled to rely in good faith on information provided by employees of the corporation and experts retained by the corporation. Directors who are held liable would be entitled to receive a contribution to any such liability from any shareholders who received an unlawful dividend knowing it to be unlawful. Furthermore, we are a holding company with no operations, and unless we receive dividends, distributions, advances, transfers of funds or other payments from our subsidiaries, we will be unable to pay dividends on our common stock.

Provisions of our charter documents may inhibit a takeover, which could negatively affect our stock price.

Provisions of our charter documents and the Business Corporation Law of Pennsylvania, the state in which we are incorporated, could discourage potential acquisition proposals or make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of our company, even if doing so might be beneficial to our shareholders. Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (our “Articles of Incorporation”) and our Second Amended and Restated Bylaws (our “Bylaws”) provide for various procedural and other requirements that could make it more difficult for shareholders to effect certain corporate actions. For example, our Articles of Incorporation authorize our board of directors to determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of unissued series of preferred stock without any vote or action by our shareholders. Our board of directors can therefore authorize and issue shares of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting or other rights of holders of our common stock. The following additional provisions could make it more difficult for shareholders to effect certain corporate actions:

These provisions may discourage acquisition proposals and may make it more difficult or expensive for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting stock or may delay, prevent or deter a merger, acquisition, tender offer or proxy contest, which may negatively affect our stock price.

General Risk Factors

Conditions in the global economy and global capital markets may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

In recent history, the U.S. and global economy and capital markets have experienced significant uncertainties and volatility. Our business and operating results can be significantly affected by global economic issues. Our customers may experience deterioration of their business during the adverse business cycles. They may experience cash flow shortages and may have difficulty obtaining financing. As a result, our customers may delay or cancel plans to purchase our products and may not be able to fulfill their payment obligations to us in a timely fashion. Our suppliers may be experiencing similar conditions which could impact their ability to supply us with raw materials and otherwise fulfill their obligations to us. If global economic conditions deteriorate significantly, there could be a material adverse effect to our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

In addition, we rely on our Credit Facility with a consortium of banks to provide us with liquidity to meet our working capital needs. Our ability to fund our liquidity needs and working capital requirements could be impacted in the event that disruptions in the credit markets result in the banks being unable to lend to us under our Credit Facility.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Global economic issues could prevent us from accurately forecasting demand for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our financial condition.

Adverse global economic issues, market instability and volatile commodity price fluctuations make it increasingly difficult for us, our customers and our suppliers to accurately forecast future product demands and sales prices, which could cause us to procure raw materials in excess of end-product demand. This could cause a material increase to our inventory carrying costs and, in the event of falling market prices for our end products, result in significant charges to write-down inventory to market prices.

Health concerns arising from the outbreak of a health epidemic or pandemic may have an adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Health epidemics or pandemics may have a significant impact on global markets as a result of supply chain and production disruptions, workforce restrictions, reduced spending and other factors. Our operating results are subject to fluctuations based on general economic conditions, and the extent to which a health epidemic or pandemic ultimately may impact our business will depend on future developments, such as the efficacy of spread prevention measures and new vaccines, the duration of the outbreak and business closures or business disruptions for us, our suppliers and our customers, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence.

Any resulting financial distress of our customers due to deterioration in economic conditions could result in reduced sales and decreased collectability of accounts receivable, which would negatively impact our results of operations, cash flows and liquidity. A health epidemic or pandemic also could have a material impact on our ability to obtain the raw materials and parts that we need in order to manufacture our products as our suppliers face disruptions in their businesses or closures. If our suppliers fail to meet our manufacturing needs, it could delay our production and shipments to customers and negatively affect our operations, cash flows and liquidity.

To the extent a future health epidemic or pandemic adversely affects our business and financial results, it also may have the effect of increasing many of the other risks described herein.

We may not be able to compete successfully in any or all of the industry segments in which we operate.

The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, and this competition could harm our business, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition. If we are unable to respond successfully to changing competitive conditions, the demand for our products could be affected. We believe that the most significant competitive factor for our products is selling price.

Our products may be rendered obsolete or less attractive by changes in regulatory, legislative or industry requirements.

Changes in regulatory, legislative or industry requirements may render certain of our products obsolete or less attractive. Our ability to anticipate changes in these requirements, especially changes in regulatory standards, will be a significant factor in our ability to remain competitive. We may not be able to comply in the future with new regulatory, legislative and/or industrial standards that may be necessary for us to remain competitive and certain of our products may, as a result, become obsolete or less attractive to our customers.

Changes in applicable tax regulations and resolutions of tax disputes could negatively affect our financial results.

We are subject to income tax laws and regulations in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in evaluating and estimating our provision and accruals for these taxes. Our income tax liabilities are dependent upon the location of earnings among these different jurisdictions. Our income tax provision and income tax liabilities could be adversely affected by the jurisdictional mix of earnings, changes in valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities and changes in tax laws and regulations. In the ordinary course of our business, we are also subject to continuous examinations of our income tax returns by tax authorities. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final results of any tax examination or related litigation could be materially different from our related historical income tax provisions and accruals. Adverse developments in an audit, examination or litigation related to previously filed tax returns, or in the relevant jurisdiction’s tax laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles and interpretations could have a material effect on our results of operations and cash flows in the period or periods for which that development occurs, as well as for subsequent periods.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Our strategy to selectively pursue complementary acquisitions may present unforeseen obstacles, risks or costs.

Our business strategy includes the potential acquisition of businesses and entering into joint ventures and other business combinations that we expect would complement and expand our existing products and the markets where we sell our products. We may not be able to successfully identify suitable acquisition or joint venture opportunities or complete any particular acquisition, combination, joint venture or other transaction on acceptable terms. We cannot predict the timing and success of our efforts to acquire any particular business. Also, efforts to acquire other businesses or the implementation of other elements of this business strategy may divert managerial resources away from our business operations. In addition, our ability to engage in strategic acquisitions may depend on our ability to raise substantial capital and we may not be able to raise the funds necessary to implement our acquisition strategy on terms satisfactory to us, if at all. Our failure to identify suitable acquisition or joint venture opportunities may restrict our ability to grow our business. In addition, we may not be able to successfully integrate businesses that we acquire in the future or have recently acquired, which could lead to increased operating costs, a failure to realize anticipated operating synergies, or both.

We depend on our senior management team and other key employees and the loss of these employees could adversely affect our business.

Our success is dependent on the management, experience and leadership skills of our senior management team and key employees. The loss of any of these individuals or an inability to attract, retain and maintain additional personnel with similar industry experience could prevent us from implementing our business strategy. We cannot assure you that we will be able to retain our existing senior management and key personnel or to attract additional qualified personnel when needed. Senior management or key personnel may retire or resign from time to time.

Our stock price may be extremely volatile.

There has been significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of equity securities, which is unrelated to the financial performance of the companies issuing the securities. These types of broad market fluctuations may negatively affect the market price of our common stock.

Some specific factors that may have a significant effect on our common stock market price include the following:

We cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in our company will continue to support an active trading market for our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) or otherwise or how liquid that market will continue to be. If there does not continue to be an active trading market for our common stock, you may have difficulty selling any of our common stock that you buy.

If securities analysts or industry analysts publish negative research or reports, or do not publish reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us, our business and our industry. If one or more analysts adversely change their recommendation regarding our shares or our competitors’ stock, our share price would likely decline. If one or more analysts cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Future sales, or the perception of future sales, of a substantial amount of our common stock may depress the price of the shares of our common stock.

Future sales, or the perception or the availability for sale in the public market, of substantial amounts of our common stock could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through future sales of equity securities at a time and price that we deem appropriate.

We may issue shares of our common stock, or other securities, from time to time as consideration for future acquisitions and investments. We may also issue shares of our common stock, or other securities, in connection with employee stock compensation programs, employee stock purchase programs and board of directors’ compensation. In addition, we may issue shares of our common stock or other securities in public or private offerings as part of our efforts to raise additional capital. In the event any such acquisition, investment, issuance under stock compensation programs or offering is significant, the number of shares of our common stock or the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of other securities that we may issue may in turn be significant. We may also grant registration rights covering those shares or other securities in connection with any such acquisitions and investments. Any additional capital raised through the sale of our equity securities may dilute your percentage ownership in us.

Our ability to raise capital in the future may be limited.

Our ability to raise capital in the future may be limited. Our business and operations may consume resources faster than we anticipate. In the future, we may need to raise additional funds through the issuance of new equity securities, debt or a combination of both. Additional financing may not be available on favorable terms, or at all. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to fund our capital requirements. If we issue new debt securities, the debt holders would have rights senior to common shareholders to make claims on our assets, and the terms of any debt could restrict our operations, including our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. If we issue additional equity securities, existing shareholders will experience dilution, and the new equity securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, our shareholders bear the risk of our future securities offerings diluting their interest and reducing the market price of our common stock.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

The following chart sets forth information regarding our production facilities. Generally, our production and port facilities are suitable and adequate for the purposes for which they are intended and overall have sufficient capacity to conduct business in the upcoming year.

Our corporate offices are located in leased office space in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The lease term expires on December 31, 2028. We also own office space in Griffin, Georgia.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are involved in litigation and other proceedings relating to environmental laws and regulations, toxic tort, product liability and other matters. An adverse outcome for certain of these cases could result in a material adverse effect on our business, cash flows and results of operations. The information related to legal matters set forth in Note 19 to the Consolidated Financial Statements of Koppers Holdings Inc. included in Item 8 of Part II of this report is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth the names, ages and positions of our and Koppers Inc.’s executive officers as of February 27, 2023. Our executive officers hold their positions until the annual meeting of the board of directors or until their respective successors are elected and qualified.

Ms. Apostolou has served as General Counsel and Secretary of Koppers Holdings Inc. and Koppers Inc. since March 2020. From January 2019 to February 2020, Ms. Apostolou served as Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Koppers Holdings Inc. and Koppers Inc. From January 2018 to December 2018, Ms. Apostolou served as Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Koppers Holdings Inc. and Koppers Inc. From December 2014 to December 2017, Ms. Apostolou served as Assistant General Counsel of Koppers Inc. Ms. Apostolou has served as a Director of Koppers Inc. since May 2020.

Mr. Ball has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Koppers Holdings Inc. and Koppers Inc. since January 2015. Mr. Ball has served as a Director of Koppers Holdings Inc. since February 2015 and as a Director of Koppers Inc. since May 2013.

Mr. Dowd has served as Global Vice President, Zero Harm, Koppers Inc. since January 2020. From January 2016 to December 2019, Mr. Dowd served as Global Vice President, Safety, Health, Environmental, and Process Excellence, Koppers Inc.

Ms. Hyde has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Koppers Inc. since January 2020. From November 2017 to December 2019, Ms. Hyde served as Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Risk Management, Koppers Inc. From January 2016 to October 2017, Ms. Hyde served as Vice President, Risk Management and Deputy General Counsel of Koppers Inc.

Mr. Lucas has served as Vice President, Culture and Engagement, Koppers Inc. since April 2022. Prior to joining Koppers, from July 2014 to April 2022, Mr. Lucas served as Vice President, Human Resources of AMETEK, Inc., a publicly traded manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices.

Mr. Pearce has served as Chief Accounting Officer, Koppers Holdings Inc. and Koppers Inc. since May 2019. From April 2008 to April 2019, Mr. Pearce served as Director, Corporate Control and Taxes, Koppers Inc.

Mr. Skrovanek has served as Vice President, Growth and Innovation, Koppers Inc. since March 2022. From January 2020 to March 2022, Mr. Skrovanek served as Vice President, Purchasing and Strategic Marketing, Koppers Inc. From April 2018 to December 2019, Mr. Skrovanek served as Vice President, Railroad Maintenance of Way. From December 2016 to March 2018, Mr. Skrovanek served as Head of Strategic Initiatives, Koppers Inc.

Ms. Smith has served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Koppers Holdings Inc. and Koppers Inc. since January 2022. From February 2020 to December 2021, Ms. Smith served as Vice President, Finance and Treasurer of Koppers Holdings Inc. and Koppers Inc. Ms. Smith has served as a Director of Koppers Inc. since January 2022. Prior to joining Koppers, from November 2018 to August 2019, Ms. Smith served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of EQT Corporation (“EQT”), a publicly traded natural gas production company. Ms. Smith served as Chief Accounting Officer of EQT from September 2016 to October 2018. Ms. Smith also served as Chief Accounting Officer of the general partners of EQM Midstream Partners, LP and EQGP Holdings, LP from September 2016 to October 2018, and served as Chief Accounting Officer of the general partner of RM Partners, LP, from November 2017 to July 2018.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Mr. Sullivan has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Koppers Holdings Inc. and Koppers Inc. since January 2020. From May 2018 to December 2019, Mr. Sullivan served as Senior Vice President, Railroad Products and Services and Global Carbon Materials and Chemicals, Koppers Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Sullivan served as Senior Vice President, Global Carbon Materials and Chemicals of Koppers Inc. from April 2014 to May 2018.

Mr. Washington has served as Vice President, External Affairs, Koppers Inc. since June 2022. Prior to joining Koppers, from October 2012 to June 2022, Mr. Washington served as Head of Government Affairs of Illinois Tool Works Inc., a publicly traded manufacturer of industrial products and equipment.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our shares of common stock are listed and traded on the NYSE under the symbol “KOP”.

The number of registered holders of Koppers common stock at January 31, 2023 was 79.

Dividend Policy

Our dividend policy provides for quarterly dividends, payable at the discretion of our board of directors. Dividends will be considered if cash generated by our business is in excess of our expected cash needs. Our expected cash needs include operating expenses and working capital requirements, interest and principal payments on our indebtedness, capital expenditures, incremental costs associated with being a public company, acquisitions, taxes and certain other costs. On an annual basis we expect to pay dividends, if declared, with cash flow from operations, but, due to seasonal or other temporary fluctuations in cash flow, we may from time to time use temporary short-term borrowings to pay quarterly dividends.

We are not required to pay dividends, and our shareholders will not be guaranteed, or have contractual or other rights, to receive dividends. Accordingly, our board of directors may decide, in its discretion, at any time, to otherwise modify or repeal the dividend policy. On February 15, 2023, the board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.06 cents per common share, payable on March 27, 2023 to shareholders of record as of March 10, 2023. Prior to February 2022, we had not declared a dividend since November 2014. Any future determination to declare and pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors, after taking into account our financial results, capital requirements and other factors it may deem relevant.

Because we are a holding company, substantially all the assets shown on our consolidated balance sheet are held by our subsidiaries. Accordingly, our earnings and cash flow and our ability to pay dividends are dependent upon the earnings and cash flows of our subsidiaries and the distribution or other payment of such earnings to us in the form of dividends. Our ability to pay dividends is restricted by limitations on the ability of our only direct subsidiary, Koppers Inc., to pay dividends, as a result of limitations imposed by the Credit Facility, the indenture governing the 2025 Notes and by Pennsylvania law. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Liquidity and Capital Resources – Restrictions on Dividends to Koppers Holdings.”

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table sets forth information regarding Koppers Holdings’ repurchases of shares of its common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2022:

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Not applicable.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

See description of the segments in “Item 1 – Business”.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We utilize certain financial measures that are not in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) to analyze and manage the performance of our business. We believe that adjusted EBITDA provides information useful to investors in understanding the underlying operational performance of the company, our business and performance trends, and facilitates comparisons between periods and with other corporations in similar industries. The exclusion of certain items permits evaluation and a comparison of results for business operations, and it is on this basis that our management internally assesses our performance. In addition, our board of directors and executive management team use adjusted EBITDA as a performance measure under the company’s annual incentive plans.

Although we believe that these non-GAAP financial measures enhance investors’ understanding of its business and performance, these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered an alternative to GAAP basis financial measures and should be read in conjunction with the relevant GAAP financial measures. Other companies in a similar industry may define or calculate these measures differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures. Because of these limitations, these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP.

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as net income from continuing operations before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization along with other adjustments. These adjustments are items that we believe are not representative of underlying business performance. Adjusted items typically include certain expenses associated with impairment, restructuring and plant closure costs, significant gains and losses on asset disposals or business combinations, LIFO and mark-to-market commodity hedging and other unusual items. Adjusted EBITDA is the primary measure of profitability we use to evaluate our businesses. Refer to “Note 9 – Segment Information” for reconciliations from net income to adjusted EBITDA on a consolidated basis.

Outlook

Trend Overview

Our businesses and results of operations are affected by various competitive and other factors including (i) the impact of global economic conditions on demand for our products, including the impact of imported products from competitors in certain regions where we operate; (ii) raw material pricing and availability, in particular the cost and availability of hardwood lumber for railroad crossties and softwood lumber for utility poles, scrap copper prices, and the cost and amount of coal tar available in global markets, which is negatively affected by reductions in blast furnace steel production; (iii) volatility in oil prices, which impacts the cost of coal tar and certain other raw materials, as well as selling prices and margins for certain of our products including carbon black feedstock, phthalic anhydride, and naphthalene; (iv) competitive conditions in global carbon pitch markets; and (v) changes in foreign exchange rates.

Railroad and Utility Products and Services

Historically, North American demand for crossties had been in the range of 18 million to 22 million crossties annually. However, the crosstie replacement market has been significantly lower in recent years. According to the Railway Tie Association (“RTA”), the estimated total crosstie installations in 2022 were approximately 18.6 million, of which 14.3 million were for Class I railroads. Throughout the pandemic, some sawmills were operating at 50 percent or less of their production capacity. Sawmills provide raw materials to several industries beyond the wood crosstie market and as demand and pricing for pallet and flooring lumber increased significantly during the beginning of 2021, overall crosstie production output was lower than forecasted. Crosstie prices increased significantly as a result of limited supply and railroad customers were deferring their purchases. Given continuing economic uncertainties, the RTA is forecasting a modest increase of 1.1 percent, or 18.8 million crossties, in 2023, primarily from the commercial market while Class I volumes are expected to remain at relatively similar demand levels.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

According to the Association of American Railroads (“AAR”), rail traffic in 2022 was lower than in 2021 for most categories. Compared to prior year, total U.S. carload traffic for 2022 was down 0.3 percent, and intermodal units were down 4.9 percent. For 2022, total combined U.S. traffic decreased by 2.8 percent compared to last year. According to the AAR, rail markets are ever evolving. There was solid growth in coal carloads in 2022, largely because higher natural gas prices made coal-fired electricity generation more competitive. However, higher natural gas prices, along with other market disruptors, negatively impacted rail chemical volumes since natural gas is a key raw material for chemical manufacturing. Also, grain carloads were slightly higher in 2022 than the annual average over the past decade, but decreased year-over-year from 2021, which was the best year for grain carloads since 2008. Meanwhile, intermodal volumes in 2022 were relatively strong, but down from an even stronger 2021.

With respect to our utility products business, the installed base for wood distribution poles in the United States is approximately 150 million and nearly half are 40 years old. Industry demand has historically been in the range of approximately two to four million poles annually. On an overall basis, we believe that the rate at which utilities purchase utility poles will grow as they continue replacement programs within their service territories. As a whole, the key factors that drive growth in the utility pole market include growing global energy consumption as well as expansion of the global telecommunication industry. Now more than ever, utilities need to maintain their infrastructure to avoid interruptions in service as portions of the population work remotely. As long as there are not any extended supply chain disruptions, we anticipate that 2023 demand for pole replacements will be higher, as the overall industry is trending toward expanded and upgraded transmission networks. In addition, there is a developing trend in the industry for utilities to maintain some additional inventory to prepare for potentially damaging storms.

With respect to raw materials, we expect the availability of pole supply to be affected as lumber continues to be in high demand for other uses and, consequently, leads to increased costs for pole material. Also, transportation costs, which include fuel costs, are expected to experience some upward pressure and affect the price of pole material delivered to the pole peelers from the forest.

Longer term, we are evaluating opportunities to potentially expand our market presence in the United States as well as certain overseas markets. We believe there remains an overall need for sustained investment in infrastructure and capacity expansion and with our vertical integration capabilities in wood treatment and strong customer relationships, we will ultimately benefit from increased demand.

For the overall segment, a positive development involves the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law on November 15, 2021, and will usher in more than a trillion dollars in new spending across eight years to improve the nation's roads, bridges, rail, Internet, water systems and more. As a global leader in water- and oil-borne preservatives serving many end markets with our wood-treatment technologies, we are well-positioned to benefit from the new legislation. Our products are used in multiple infrastructure applications, including utility poles, railroad ties, highway and construction concrete, steel, aluminum, and wood for construction projects.

As part of optimizing our business, we continue to evaluate a number of opportunities to improve efficiencies in our operational processes, people and facilities. With our 14 North American RUPS treating facilities operating at less than full utilization, our goal is to either capture more volume through the existing facilities or consolidate our operating footprint. Actions we have taken over the past three years include the sale of our Sweetwater, Tennessee plant, exiting the Texas Electric Cooperatives’ Jasper, Texas facility and relocating the production of utility products to our existing Somerville, Texas plant and the permanent closure of our Denver, Colorado wood treatment facility. Concurrent with the decision to close the Denver facility, we announced our plan to modernize and upgrade parts of our treating network, specifically at our facility in North Little Rock, Arkansas, which would be primarily funded through proceeds from the sale of non-core assets, including the Denver facility.

Performance Chemicals

As most of the products sold by PC are copper-based products, changes in the price and availability of copper can have a significant impact on product pricing and margins. We attempt to moderate the variability in copper pricing over time by entering into hedging transactions for the majority of our copper needs, which primarily range from six months up to 36 months. These hedges typically match expected customer purchases and from time to time, we enter into forward transactions based upon long-term forecasted needs of copper.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Product demand for our PC business has historically been closely associated with consumer spending on home repair and remodeling projects in North America, and therefore, trends in existing home sales serve as a leading indicator. According to the National Association of Realtors® (“NAR”), total existing-home sales in December were 1.5 percent lower than November, representing the eleventh consecutive month of decline. Three of the four major U.S. regions recorded month-over-month decreases, while sales in the West were unchanged. On a year-over-year basis, December existing home sales were lower by 34 percent, with all regions reporting declines. While December was another difficult month for home buyers due to limited inventory and high mortgage rates, the NAR expects that sales will begin to show improvements as recent declines in rates should help to stabilize the market. This sentiment is supported by December’s pending home sales data, a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings, which increased month-over-month for the first time since May 2022, following six consecutive months of declines.

According to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (“LIRA”) reported by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, there was 16.3 percent year-over-year growth in home renovation and repair expenditures in the fourth quarter of 2022. According to LIRA, expenditures for home improvements and repairs are forecasted to decelerate throughout 2023, going from 14.1 percent in the first quarter to 2.6 percent by the end of the year. Generally, homeowners are likely to pull back on high-end discretionary projects and instead focus their spending on necessary replacements and smaller projects in the immediate future. Although the pace of expenditures is expected to slow substantially this year, new benchmark data from the American Housing Survey has recalibrated the overall market size. As a result, the remodeling market is expected to increase in 2023 by approximately $45 billion, or 10.2 percent, to $485 billion.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased to 108.3 in December, significantly higher than 101.4 in November. Consumer confidence rebounded in December, reversing consecutive declines in October and November to reach its highest level since April 2022. Consumers are indicating a more favorable view regarding the economy and jobs, and inflation expectations in December were at their lowest level since September 2021, primarily due to recent declines in gas prices.

Although the market data and projections for home improvements are continually changing, we anticipate ongoing demand for residential treated wood and businesses in the residential renovation market indicate a positive outlook.

Carbon Materials and Chemicals

The primary products produced by CMC are creosote, which is a registered pesticide in the United States and used primarily in the pressure treatment of railroad crossties, and carbon pitch, which is sold primarily to the aluminum industry for the production of carbon anodes used in the smelting of aluminum. We have realigned capacity in our CMC plants in North America and Europe over the past several years to levels required to meet creosote demand in North America for the treatment of railroad crossties. The CMC business currently supplies our North American RUPS business with its creosote requirements.

The availability of coal tar, the primary raw material for our CMC business, is linked to levels of metallurgical coke production. As the global steel industry, excluding Asia, has reduced the production of steel using metallurgical coke, the volumes of coal tar have been reduced. Also, coal tar raw material supply remains constrained globally due to reductions in blast furnace steel capacity.

For the external markets served by our CMC business, we anticipate relative stability in manufacturing overall as well as in the steel, aluminum and carbon black industries. According to IHS Markit Automotive Group (IHS), U.S. light vehicle production levels are forecasted to increase even as economic conditions are expected to deteriorate. The advancing production levels, along with reports of sustained retail order books, recovering stock of vehicles, and a fleet sector that remains low on product should provide some benefits to automotive demand levels. For 2023, IHS projects U.S. production volumes of 14.8 million units, a seven percent increase from the estimated 2022 production level.

Globally, the auto industry continues to navigate supply chain challenges while impacted by several markets facing deteriorating economic conditions and fading pent-up demand. As the ongoing issue of semiconductor availability continues to be addressed, the global light vehicle market is expected to cautiously recover and vehicle sales are anticipated to reach nearly 83.6 million units in 2023, a 5.6 percent increase year-over-year.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Results of Operations – Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021

Consolidated Results

Net sales for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are summarized by segment in the following table:

RUPS net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $58.4 million, or eight percent, compared to the prior year. The increase was primarily a result of pricing increases across multiple markets, particularly crossties and utility poles, volume increases in our commercial crosstie business and activity increases in our railroad bridge services business. These increases were offset by volume decreases in our utility pole business due to transitioning production from the Texas Electric Cooperatives’ Jasper, Texas plant to our Somerville, Texas plant. In addition, a decrease in purchasing activity of untreated crossties by our customers during the first half of the year was a result of decreased supply due to increased demand for lumber driven by strong construction markets. Foreign currency changes compared to the prior year period had an unfavorable impact on sales in the current year period of $3.3 million, mainly from our Australian utility pole business.

PC net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $76.6 million, or 15 percent, compared to the prior year. The sales increase was primarily due to global price increases in the current year for most preservatives in our portfolio of products and an 11.3 percent volume increase in the Americas. In the prior year period, volumes in the Americas decreased as high lumber prices and a temporary change in consumer spending habits tempered customer demand for treated wood products. The increases were offset, in part, by volume decreases for preservatives within our European markets. Foreign currency changes compared to the prior year period had an unfavorable impact on sales in the current year period of $10.1 million.

CMC net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $166.9 million, or 37 percent, compared to the prior year due mainly to higher sales prices for carbon pitch, chemicals and distillates driven by strong demand for our products coupled with limited supply in the current year. Foreign currency changes from our international markets had an unfavorable impact on sales in the current year of $38.2 million and, while demand was strong, sales volumes, primarily in pitch and distillates, had an unfavorable impact in the current year of $18.2 million compared to the prior year.

Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was 83 percent for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to 80 percent in the prior year. Gross margin was unfavorably impacted in the current year period primarily by an increase in raw material costs, fuel costs, shipping costs and other operating expenses across our businesses as a result of inflationary pressures in the current year period that outpaced price increases to our customers especially earlier in the year.

Depreciation and amortization charges for the year ended December 31, 2022 were consistent with the prior year period.

Gain on sale of assets for the year ended December 31, 2022 was related to the sale of our utility pole treating facility in Sweetwater, Tennessee while the gain on sale of assets for the prior year period was related to the sales of two previously decommissioned plants as described in Note 4 – “Plant Closures and Divestitures”.

Impairment and restructuring charges for the year ended December 31, 2021 included demolition and other plant closure period costs related to the closure of our Denver, Colorado facility.

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $4.4 million higher when compared to the prior year period due mainly to an increase of $5.8 million in travel, entertainment and advertising expenses and $1.9 million for consulting and other professional services, partially offset by favorable insurance claims and compensation related costs during the current year. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales decreased to 7.7 percent from 8.9 percent in the prior year.

Interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $4.3 million higher when compared to the prior year period due to higher interest rates.

Income tax expense as a percentage of income before income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was 33.1 percent and 28.8 percent, respectively. This increase in the estimated annual effective income tax rate is attributable to a shift in the geographical mix of earnings from domestic to foreign sources in 2022.

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Koppers Holdings Inc. 2022 Annual Report

Segment Results

Segment adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are summarized in the following table:

RUPS adjusted EBITDA increased by $8.2 million compared to the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net sales increased to 6.8 percent from 6.2 percent in the prior year period due to price increases and favorable absorption in our utility pole business and improvements in our maintenance of way businesses, partially offset by higher raw material and operating costs across the segment as a result of rising inflation in the current year period.

PC adjusted EBITDA decreased by $26.3 million compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net sales decreased to 13.0 percent from 20.2 percent in the prior year period. Higher overall raw material costs, which were exacerbated by working through higher cost inventory in a falling copper price environment, more than offset global price increases and higher volumes in the Americas.

CMC adjusted EBITDA increased by $22.7 million compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net sales decreased to 16.2 percent from 17.1 percent in the prior year period due to an increase in raw material and other operating costs partly offset by a favorable pricing environment compared to the prior year period. Foreign currency changes from our international markets had an unfavorable impact on profitability in the current year period of $10.0 million. In addition, the prior year period margin was favorably impacted by a $2.9 million insurance recovery.

Results of Operations – Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020

Consolidated Results

Net sales for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 are summarized by segment in the following table: