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.

                                      August 2001             August 2000
                                      Cumulative To           Cumulative To
                                      Date - Final            Date - Final
     Commodity                                           
     Grouping                     Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                             
Total Selected Commodities          578,021   1,128,373     793,166   1,591,112

Ingots And Steel For Castings        16,855      20,763      19,266      27,568
Blooms, Billets And Slabs           176,702     195,721     205,232     284,518
Wire Rods                            36,694      67,366      53,669      98,474
Structural Shapes Heavy               1,495       4,372       6,484      12,832
Plates Cut Lengths                   19,947      36,872      32,218      64,948
Plates In Coils                       8,795      13,106      28,301      42,904
Bars - Hot Rolled                    17,928      39,199      21,352      48,299
Bars - Light Shaped                   5,885      13,202       7,718      15,505
Bars - Cold Finished                 54,072     140,045      64,112     150,407
Stainless Pipe & Tubing              56,496     229,434      59,897     213,008
Wire Drawn                           19,570      69,710      19,666      71,760
Sheets Hot Rolled                     8,914      12,240      20,178      30,770
Sheets Cold Rolled                  136,831     223,475     229,484     445,997
Strip - Hot Rolled                      518       1,019       1,674       3,351
Strip - Cold Rolled                  17,318      61,849      23,914      80,771

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."