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.

                                     October 2001            October 2000
                                     Cumulative To           Cumulative To 
                                     Date - Final            Date - Final
     Commodity                                           
     Grouping                     Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                             
Total Selected Commodities          711,274   1,368,140     929,513   1,887,695

Ingots And Steel For Castings        21,024      25,072      22,575      31,829
Blooms, Billets And Slabs           217,729     236,125     242,173     337,700
Wire Rods                            45,145      81,705      63,575     117,957
Structural Shapes Heavy               1,785       5,291       7,001      14,335
Plates Cut Lengths                   23,854      43,917      36,451      73,833
Plates In Coils                      12,998      18,226      32,188      49,567
Bars - Hot Rolled                    19,827      43,996      24,888      56,033
Bars - Light Shaped                   6,474      14,693       8,693      17,606
Bars - Cold Finished                 62,793     162,474      76,395     181,355
Stainless Pipe & Tubing              69,903     284,314      73,752     265,196
Wire Drawn                           23,853      84,054      24,223      89,086
Sheets Hot Rolled                    11,917      15,510      21,568      33,201
Sheets Cold Rolled                  170,251     272,743     265,935     518,358
Strip - Hot Rolled                      669       1,300       1,769       3,609
Strip - Cold Rolled                  23,053      78,719      28,326      98,030

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."