Quanex Building Products NX Effective tax rates

To determine our income tax expense or benefit for interim periods, consistent with accounting standards, we apply the estimated annual effective income tax rate to year-to-date results, plus any applicable discrete items, which are recorded in the period in which they occur. Discrete items include, among others, such events as changes in estimates due to the finalization of tax returns, tax audit settlements, expiration of statutes of limitations, tax benefits or expense of uncertain tax positions, tax benefits on equity compensation, and increases or decreases in valuation allowances on deferred tax assets. Our estimated annual effective tax rates from continuing operations for the six months ended April 30, 2026 and 2025 were 122.4% and 18.2%, respectively. The difference between our estimated annual effective income tax rate and the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21% principally results from discrete tax items, U.S. state taxes, a non-U.S. tax rate differential and other permanent differences. The increase in the 2026 effective tax rate compared to the prior year was primarily driven by $3.2 million of discrete items including equity-based compensation award activity, state deferred tax remeasurement from legal entity reorganization activities, and changes in reserves for uncertain tax positions, which had a disproportionate impact on the rate given the lower pre-tax earnings in the current period. The primary discrete item affecting the 2025 effective rate was the benefit of $0.4 million related to equity-based compensation award activity.