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.


                                      June 2001               June 2000
                                      Cumulative To           Cumulative To
                                      Date - Final            Date - Final
     Commodity                                           
     Grouping                       Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                             
Total Selected Commodities          426,561     835,566     605,904   1,195,304

Ingots And Steel For Castings        11,563      14,754       9,691      13,707
Blooms, Billets And Slabs           125,716     139,480     157,547     216,799
Wire Rods                            27,767      51,708      40,802      72,736
Structural Shapes Heavy               1,306       3,870       4,977      10,600
Plates Cut Lengths                   16,048      29,741      26,205      51,951
Plates In Coils                       6,230       9,775      23,540      35,123
Bars - Hot Rolled                    13,959      30,742      16,587      37,356
Bars - Light Shaped                   4,432      10,016       6,176      12,235
Bars - Cold Finished                 42,840     110,148      47,727     109,689
Stainless Pipe & Tubing              38,591     153,381      45,141     158,902
Wire Drawn                           14,956      54,041      14,557      52,094
Sheets Hot Rolled                     6,212       8,544      16,917      24,580
Sheets Cold Rolled                  103,194     171,358     175,644     335,063
Strip - Hot Rolled                      438         833       1,481       2,822
Strip - Cold Rolled                  13,308      47,177      18,911      61,647

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."