COSTA MESA, Calif.--Dec. 22, 2006--Ceradyne, Inc. (Company) (NASDAQ:CRDN) received a $133 million delivery order for ESBI (Enhanced Side Ballistic Inserts) from the U.S. Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. This new delivery order is scheduled to be shipped beginning April 2007 through November 2007. The order will be shipped against a larger indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract announced earlier. The Company records as firm orders only delivery orders, such as the above, that have scheduled delivery dates.

Dave Reed, Ceradyne President North American Operations, commented: "This delivery order is the largest single order ever received by Ceradyne. Together with the $122.2 million in ESAPI and ESBI body armor orders announced last month, we have excellent visibility into 2007. Utilizing the Lexington, Kentucky, facility and the Costa Mesa and Irvine, California, plants, we expect to meet the Army's quality and delivery requirements. We anticipate receiving additional orders early in 2007 for delivery in 2007."

Ceradyne develops, manufactures and markets advanced technical ceramic products and components for defense, industrial, automotive/diesel and commercial applications. Additional information about the Company can be found at www.ceradyne.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and the future performance of Ceradyne that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "expects," "intends," "future," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005, and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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CONTACT: Ceradyne, Inc.

Joel P. Moskowitz, Chief Executive Officer

714-549-0421 x8261

or

Silverman Heller Associates

Phil Bourdillon/Gene Heller