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.

                                     September 2001          September 2000
                                     Cumulative To           Cumulative To 
                                     Date - Final            Date - Final
     Commodity                                           
     Grouping                       Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                             
Total Selected Commodities          625,780   1,229,997     859,942   1,735,399

Ingots And Steel For Castings        18,330      22,291      22,137      31,102
Blooms, Billets And Slabs           183,269     203,807     219,723     305,051
Wire Rods                            40,439      73,737      58,788     108,708
Structural Shapes Heavy               1,585       4,718       6,767      13,589
Plates Cut Lengths                   21,620      39,694      34,304      69,356
Plates In Coils                      10,076      14,746      30,094      46,191
Bars - Hot Rolled                    18,751      41,294      23,015      51,642
Bars - Light Shaped                   6,161      13,893       7,989      16,063
Bars - Cold Finished                 57,572     149,501      70,257     165,707
Stainless Pipe & Tubing              63,406     258,789      67,018     238,506
Wire Drawn                           21,632      76,685      21,780      79,632
Sheets Hot Rolled                     9,722      13,204      20,952      32,097
Sheets Cold Rolled                  152,667     246,837     249,453     485,566
Strip - Hot Rolled                      639       1,252       1,748       3,540
Strip - Cold Rolled                  19,910      69,548      25,918      88,648

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."