Not Seasonally Adjusted

     Exhibit 1b.  U.S. Imports For Consumption of Stainless Steel Products:
                               (Census Basis)

             Quantity in metric tons/value In thousands of dollars. 
                 Details may not equal totals due to rounding.

                                       January 2001            December 2000
                                       Preliminary             Preliminary
     Commodity                                           
     Grouping                       Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                             
Total Selected Commodities           69,209     142,888      64,324     132,149

Ingots And Steel For Castings         1,181       1,800         377         514
Blooms, Billets And Slabs            18,912      21,800      20,418      24,318
Wire Rods                             4,933       9,250       4,302       8,568
Structural Shapes Heavy                 288         766         555       1,271
Plates Cut Lengths                    1,882       3,954       1,338       3,048
Plates In Coils                         786       1,180       1,307       2,035
Bars - Hot Rolled                     1,987       4,442       1,964       5,197
Bars - Light Shaped                     973       1,999         931       1,981
Bars - Cold Finished                  6,084      16,061       6,004      15,367
Stainless Pipe & Tubing               6,780      27,826       6,732      24,662
Wire Drawn                            2,478       9,392       1,976       8,728
Sheets Hot Rolled                       914       1,317         915       1,268
Sheets Cold Rolled                   19,286      33,718      15,649      28,878
Strip - Hot Rolled                       82         168          56         132
Strip - Cold Rolled                   2,643       9,215       1,799       6,184
________________________________________________________________________________


                                      December 2000            January 2000
                                          Final                   Final
     Commodity
     Grouping                       Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                                         
Total Selected Commodities           65,490     134,227      88,045     170,511

Ingots And Steel For Castings           377         514          33          92
Blooms, Billets And Slabs            20,458      24,385      18,611      25,065
Wire Rods                             4,302       8,568       7,088      12,345
Structural Shapes Heavy                 555       1,271       1,319       2,480
Plates Cut Lengths                    1,341       3,054       4,128       8,131
Plates In Coils                       1,307       2,035       4,273       5,729
Bars - Hot Rolled                     1,967       5,249       2,025       5,257
Bars - Light Shaped                     932       1,985       1,097       2,141
Bars - Cold Finished                  6,009      15,398       7,262      16,344
Stainless Pipe & Tubing               6,843      24,951       7,330      25,185
Wire Drawn                            1,985       8,759       2,133       7,618
Sheets Hot Rolled                       915       1,268       2,323       2,975
Sheets Cold Rolled                   16,577      30,310      27,126      47,039
Strip - Hot Rolled                       56         132         189         331
Strip - Cold Rolled                   1,865       6,348       3,109       9,779

CONTACT: For more information, contact Haydn R. Mearkle (301-457-2246) or Nick
         Orsini (301-457-2311), Foreign Trade Division, U.S. Census Bureau.

NOTE:  For information on more detailed data available, please see record
       titled "MORE DETAILED FOREIGN TRADE DATA AVAILABLE."