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.

                                      February 2001           February 2000
                                      Cumulative To           Cumulative To
                                      Date - Final            Date - Final
     Commodity                                           
     Grouping                       Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                             
Total Selected Commodities          140,915     285,573     173,965     335,175

Ingots And Steel For Castings         2,627       3,657          87         192
Blooms, Billets And Slabs            39,950      45,748      40,683      52,581
Wire Rods                            10,433      19,721      12,297      21,498
Structural Shapes Heavy                 467       1,473       2,166       4,310
Plates Cut Lengths                    3,775       7,991       8,058      15,526
Plates In Coils                       2,435       3,676       6,747       9,426
Bars - Hot Rolled                     4,362       9,692       4,376      10,571
Bars - Light Shaped                   1,393       2,975       1,901       3,673
Bars - Cold Finished                 13,643      35,679      14,545      32,769
Stainless Pipe & Tubing              12,844      51,677      14,216      48,038
Wire Drawn                            4,996      18,464       4,449      15,681
Sheets Hot Rolled                     2,178       2,885       4,233       5,800
Sheets Cold Rolled                   36,922      65,287      53,555      94,584
Strip - Hot Rolled                      144         321         326         560
Strip - Cold Rolled                   4,748      16,329       6,326      19,966

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."