Compass Minerals Reports First-Quarter Snow-Event Data

Increased snow activity pushes salt sales volumes above prior year
results.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP) reported above-average winter weather in
its primary North American service areas for the first quarter of 2018
and the full 2017-2018 winter season.

Eleven representative cities in the company’s primary North American
highway deicing service area reported 118 snow events during the first
quarter of 2018, compared to the 10-year average of 112 events. Snow
events totaled 175 for the full 2017-2018 winter season, which was
approximately 11 percent above the 10-year average of 157 events.

The company sold approximately 4.3 million tons of highway deicing salt
products in the period, an increase of 22 percent from first-quarter
2017 results, which were negatively impacted by mild winter weather.
This total includes all highway maintenance products sold in the U.S.,
Canada and the U.K., as well as rock salt sold to the chemical industry.
Sales of all salt products totaled 4.8 million tons in the 2018 first
quarter compared to 4.0 million tons in the first quarter of 2017.

“Our sales this quarter not only benefited from a return to more typical
winter weather in North America, but also from a strong winter in the
U.K.,” said Fran Malecha, Compass Minerals’ president and CEO. “While
fundamentals look to be improving for highway deicing salt in many of
our markets, our full-year salt volume guidance remains unchanged as we
progress through this year’s North American highway deicing bid season
and continue ramping up production with continuous mining and haulage at
our Goderich mine.”

Snow Events Note: The number of snow
events reported may not directly correlate to Compass Minerals’ deicing
results due to a variety of factors, including the relative significance
to the company of the cities represented and differences in the amount
of salt purchased by customers to establish their pre-season stockpiles.
The weather data should be used only as an indicator of the year-to-year
variations in winter weather conditions in these cities. Compass
Minerals draws its weather data from the U.S. National Weather Service
and National Climatic Data Center and Environment Canada without
weighting or other adjustments.

About Compass Minerals

Compass
Minerals is a leading provider of essential minerals that solve
nature’s challenges, including salt for winter roadway safety and other
consumer, industrial and agricultural uses, and specialty plant
nutrition minerals that improve the quality and yield of crops. Compass
Minerals’ mission is to be the best essential minerals company by
delivering where and when it matters. The company produces its minerals
at locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Brazil and the U.K. For more
information about Compass Minerals and its products, please visit www.compassminerals.com.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We use
words such as “may,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “likely,”
“expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “plan,” “forecast,”
“outlook,” “project,” “estimate” and similar expressions suggesting
future outcomes or events to identify forward-looking statements or
forward-looking information. These statements are based on the company’s
current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could
cause the company’s actual results to differ materially. The differences
could be caused by a number of factors, including without limitation (i)
weather conditions, (ii) pressure on prices and impact from competitive
products, (iii) any inability by the company to fund necessary capital
expenditures or successfully implement any capital projects, (iv)
foreign exchange rates and the cost and availability of transportation
for the distribution of the company’s products, (v) the ability to
successfully integrate acquired businesses, and (vi) any inability by
the company to successfully implement its restructuring plans or
cost-saving initiatives. For further information on these and other
risks and uncertainties that may affect the company’s business, see the
“Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the company’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and its
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 filed
or to be filed with the SEC. The company undertakes no obligation to
update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to
reflect future events or developments. Because it is not possible to
predict or identify all such factors, this list cannot be considered a
complete set of all potential risks or uncertainties.

Contacts

Compass Minerals
Investor Contact
Theresa L.
Womble, +1-913-344-9362
Director of Investor Relations
womblet@compassminerals.com
or
Media
Contact
Tara Hefner, +1-913-344-9319
Manager of Corporate
Affairs
MediaRelations@compassminerals.com