AKRON, Ohio -- Myers Industries has reported results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30.

Income, net of taxes was $3.2 million or 9 cents per share compared to a loss of $0.6 million or 2 cents per share in the third quarter of 2009. Results for both years include special pre-tax expenses of $0.4 million in 2010 and $5.8 million in 2009, primarily related to restructuring activities.

Despite raw material costs being nearly 20 percent higher than they were in the third quarter of 2009, Myers reported that its gross profit remained essentially unchanged at 22.2 percent in the third quarter of 2010, and improved compared to the first six months of 2010. This reflects volume, pricing and product mix benefits in the company’s segments, as well as benefits from prior year restructuring programs.

“I am pleased to report improved sales and earnings performance in the third quarter,” said President and CEO John Orr. “All of our segment operating teams worked hard to improve performance, and their dedication has translated into a significant increase in sales and income. Going forward, we will continue to focus on improving margins in an extremely volatile raw material environment. In addition, we continue to emphasize reducing operating expenses and improving productivity throughout the business.”

For the nine months ended Sept. 30, net sales increased $35.9 million or 7 percent due to gradual improvement in many of the company’s end-markets. Gross profit was 21.9 percent through the nine months of 2010 compared to 26 percent in the same period of 2009. The decline was primarily the result of significantly higher raw material costs, particularly during the second quarter of 2010. Year to date, raw material costs were up more than 45 percent on average compared to 2009.