Description of Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc. Securities

The following description of our common stock is a summary and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, our Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (“certificate of incorporation”), our Seventh Amended and Restated By-Laws (“by-laws”) and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), which define the rights of holders of our common stock. You should read our certificate of incorporation and by-laws and the provisions of the DGCL for a full description of the terms of our common stock. Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws are filed as exhibits to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of which this exhibit is a part and incorporated by reference herein.

Our authorized capital stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share. As of December 31, 2019, 126,054,487 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding.

Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share on any matter submitted to the vote of stockholders. Cumulative voting is prohibited in the election of our directors.

Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding preferred stock, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the board of directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”) out of funds legally available therefor.

In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of our common stock will be entitled to a pro rata share in any distribution to stockholders, but only after satisfaction of all of our liabilities and of the prior rights of any outstanding shares of our preferred stock.

Our common stock is not redeemable, does not have any conversion rights and is not subject to call. Except as otherwise provided in our stockholders’ agreement, holders of shares of our common stock have no preemptive rights to maintain their respective percentage of ownership in future offerings or sales of stock by us.

Delaware law does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares. However, the listing requirements of the NYSE, which would apply so long as the common stock remains listed on the NYSE, require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or the then outstanding number of shares of common stock. These additional shares may be used for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions.

One of the effects of the existence of unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock may be to enable our Board of Directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and thereby protect the continuity of our management and possibly deprive the stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares of common stock at prices higher than prevailing market prices.

Certain transactions with related stockholders may be subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL. Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits certain publicly-held Delaware corporations from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years following the time such person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a specified manner. Generally, an interested stockholder is a person who, together with its affiliates and associates, owns 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock, or is affiliated with the corporation and owns or owned 15% of the corporation’s voting stock within three years before the business combination.

Anti-Takeover Provisions. The provisions of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws summarized in the following paragraphs may be deemed to have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, defer or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider in such stockholder’s best interest, including attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares held by stockholders.

•the Board of Directors be divided into three classes that are elected for staggered three-year terms;

•stockholders may remove a director with or without cause, and only by the affirmative vote of the holder or holders of not less than 80% of our outstanding voting stock;

•meetings of stockholders can be called only by the Chief Executive Officer, a majority of the entire Board of Directors or by the Secretary of the corporation at the written request of the holder or holders of 25% of our outstanding voting stock.

To be amended, these provisions require the affirmative vote of the holder or holders of not less than 80% of our outstanding voting stock.

Under our certificate of incorporation, our Board of Directors by resolution may establish one or more additional series of preferred stock having such number of shares, designations, relative voting rights, dividend rates, liquidation and other rights, preferences and limitations as may be fixed by the Board of Directors without any further stockholder approval. Such rights, preferences, powers and limitations as may be established could have the effect of impeding or discouraging the acquisition of control of us.

Our certificate of incorporation contains a provision that allows the Board of Directors to evaluate factors other than the price offered when considering a proposed acquisition of us. The certificate of incorporation permits the Board of Directors to consider the social, legal and economic effects on our employees, suppliers, customers and the communities in which we operate. The Board of Directors can also consider any other factors it deems relevant, including not only the consideration offered in the proposed transaction relative to market price, but also our value in a freely negotiated transaction and in relation to the estimate by the Board of Directors of our future value as an independent entity. To be amended, this provision requires the affirmative vote of the holder or holders of not less than two-thirds of our outstanding voting stock.

Our by-laws establish advance notice procedures with regard to the nomination, other than by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or a committee thereof, of candidates for election as directors and with regard to certain matters to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders. These procedures provide that the notice of proposed stockholder nominations for the election of directors must be timely given in writing to the Secretary of the Company prior to the meeting at which directors are to be elected. To be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 or more than 120 days prior to the anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting. If, however, the date of the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 70 days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder must be delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which the public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made by us.

The procedures also provide that at an annual meeting, and subject to any other applicable requirements, only such business may be conducted as has been brought before the meeting by, or at the direction of, the Board of Directors or by a stockholder who has given timely prior written notice to the Secretary of the Company of such stockholder’s intention to bring such business before the meeting. For such stockholder’s notice to be timely, notice must also be received not less than 90 or more than 120 days before any annual meeting of stockholders. If,

however, the date of the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 70 days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder must be delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which the public announcement of the date of such meeting, is first made by us. Such notice must contain certain information specified in the by-laws.

Liability of Directors; Indemnification. Our certificate of incorporation provides that a director will not be liable to us or our stockholders for acts or omissions as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the Delaware statutory or decisional law. Our by-laws provide that each current or former director, officer or employee of ours, or each such person who is or was serving or who had agreed to serve another corporation, trust or other enterprise in any capacity at our request, will be indemnified by us to the full extent permitted by law for liability arising from such service. Our by-laws require us to advance expenses incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding, so long as the person undertakes in writing to repay such amounts if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification. In addition, we purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of ours, or each such person who was serving at our request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not we would have the power or the obligation to indemnify him against such liability.

Amendment. Our certificate of incorporation provides that the affirmative vote of the holder or holders of at least 80% of the voting power of the outstanding shares of voting stock, voting together as a single class, is required to amend provisions of the certificate of incorporation relating to the number, election and term of our directors; and the removal of directors. Our certificate of incorporation further provides that our by-laws may be amended by the Board of Directors or by the affirmative vote of the holder or holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of voting stock, voting together as a single class.

The registrar and transfer agent for our common stock is Computershare Investor Services Inc.

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “CNR.”