Not Seasonally Adjusted

    Exhibit 2b.  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.

                                               December 2000 Cumulative
                                                   To Date - Final
     Commodity
     Grouping                                 Quantity           Value
                                       
Total Selected Commodities                    1,069,495         2,175,918

Ingots And Steel For Castings                    23,360            33,006
Blooms, Billets And Slabs                       288,616           394,589
Wire Rods                                        73,624           137,435
Structural Shapes Heavy                           7,934            16,362
Plates Cut Lengths                               39,749            80,867
Plates In Coils                                  34,483            53,249
Bars - Hot Rolled                                28,630            65,322
Bars - Light Shaped                              10,208            20,868
Bars - Cold Finished                             89,309           213,640
Stainless Pipe & Tubing                          87,756           318,969
Wire Drawn                                       28,431           107,509
Sheets Hot Rolled                                23,339            35,951
Sheets Cold Rolled                              299,993           582,124
Strip - Hot Rolled                                1,886             3,879
Strip - Cold Rolled                              32,174           112,148

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."