Business Description

James Hardie Industries plc is a leading provider of exterior home and outdoor living solutions, serving the new home construction, repair and remodel and outdoor living markets. Our current primary geographic markets include the United States of America (“US,” “USA” or the “United States”), Australia and Europe. On July 1, 2025, we completed the acquisition of The AZEK Company Inc. ("AZEK"), an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of low maintenance and environmentally sustainable outdoor living products, which has manufacturing and recycling facilities in the United States. Our corporate domicile is in Ireland, and our registered office is located at 1st Floor, Block A, One Park Place, Upper Hatch Street, Dublin 2, D02 FD79, Ir eland. The telephone number is +353 1411 6924 and our corporate website is www.jameshardie.com . We are registered at the Companies Registration Office of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in Dublin, Ireland under number 485719. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov , which contains reports and other information regarding issuers, including the Company, that file electronically with the SEC. In addition, such reports may be obtained, upon written request, from our company secretary at our corporate headquarters in Irela nd or our Investor Relations department. We also make available free of charge through our investor relations website ( ir.jameshardie.com.au) the Company’s SEC filings, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K (or on Form 20-F, as applicable), Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q (or Form 6-K, as applicable), Current Reports on Form 8-K (or Form 6-K, as applicable), and, if applicable, amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such material with, or furnishes it to, the SEC. Our CHESS Depositary Units of Foreign Securities (“CUFS”), which represent underlying shares of our ordinary shares, also referred to as our common stock, are also listed on the ASX, and we routinely make filings with the ASX. While our filings made with the ASX are often similar to the filings made with the SEC, they are not identical, and investors are encouraged to monitor both. We also use our investor relations website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor our investor relations website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, ASX filings, public conference calls and webcasts. The contents of ASX filings and our websites and webcasts and information that can be accessed through them are not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report or in any other report or document we file with (or furnish to) the SEC, and any references to them are intended to be inactive textual references only. 3 Table of Contents Business and Growth Strategies We are a leading provider of exterior home and outdoor living solutions, with a portfolio that includes fiber cement siding and trim, fiber gypsum interior walls and floors, and composite and PVC decking and railing products. Our products are engineered for beauty, durability and climate resilience, and include trusted brands like Hardie ® , TimberTech ® , AZEK ® Exteriors, Versatex ® , fermacell ® and StruXure ® . We have a global footprint; our portfolio is marketed and sold throughout North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Over our more than 135 year history, we have developed our reputation as a leader in our categories by leveraging our scaled and localized manufacturing footprint, research and development expertise, brand recognition and customer-focused team. Our strategy is to operate a scaled exterior building products platform by driving material conversion away from inferior products, expanding channel access, investing in sales and marketing to increase downstream conversion, and continually innovating with new product launches. We focus heavily on replacing traditional materials, such as wood and other lower-durability alternatives, with high-performance fiber cement and advanced composite and PVC solutions that offer durability, aesthetic flexibility, fire resistance, and reduced maintenance requirements to capitalize on secular growth trends driving material conversion.…