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.

                                     July 2001               July 2000
                                     Cumulative To           Cumulative To
                                     Date - Final            Date - Final

     Commodity                                           
     Grouping                       Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                             
Total Selected Commodities          509,098     996,047     707,100   1,410,165

Ingots And Steel For Castings        14,773      18,450      19,039      27,163
Blooms, Billets And Slabs           154,408     171,081     181,993     253,559
Wire Rods                            32,289      59,559      47,407      86,243
Structural Shapes Heavy               1,386       4,060       6,063      11,753
Plates Cut Lengths                   17,836      33,113      29,925      60,116
Plates In Coils                       7,784      11,698      26,480      39,676
Bars - Hot Rolled                    16,233      35,609      19,105      43,226
Bars - Light Shaped                   5,054      11,506       7,292      14,541
Bars - Cold Finished                 50,070     129,093      55,231     128,288
Stainless Pipe & Tubing              48,253     193,936      53,165     188,206
Wire Drawn                           17,541      62,552      17,154      62,218
Sheets Hot Rolled                     7,106      10,342      18,037      26,674
Sheets Cold Rolled                  120,613     198,919     202,799     393,006
Strip - Hot Rolled                      489         943       1,583       3,061
Strip - Cold Rolled                  15,261      55,186      21,825      72,435

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."