Quanex Building Products Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Quanex Building Products Salaried and Nonunion Employee 401 (K) Plan
Houston, TXManufacturing2,997 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,647Employer $ per active participant
$2,569Employee $ saved per active participant
0.02%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$388.6MNet plan assets, end of year
$99,370Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity10.5 / 5021th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost23.6 / 2594th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.8 / 1512th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score39 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (566 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 21th |
| Lower admin cost | 94th |
| Employee saving | 12th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 70% |
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Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Quanex Building Products put in about $1,647 per active participant, below the typical peer ($3,452). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $4,936,613 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $7,697,960 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,079,798 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $52,349 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $43,938 |
| Benefits paid out | $21,748,831 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $142.5M / $388.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,988 / 4,006 |
| Participants with account balances | 3,911 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Mcconnell & Jones LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $43,938 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investment Institutional | $8,411 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250929080416NAL0004902723001, received 2025-09-29, EIN 26-1561397, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.