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.


                                     November 2001           November 2000
                                     Cumulative To           Cumulative To
                                     Date - Final            Date - Final
     Commodity                                           
     Grouping                       Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                             
Total Selected Commodities          781,785   1,487,277   1,004,004   2,041,691

Ingots And Steel For Castings        23,671      27,849      22,983      32,492
Blooms, Billets And Slabs           236,661     254,299     268,157     370,204
Wire Rods                            49,707      89,211      69,322     128,868
Structural Shapes Heavy               1,870       5,482       7,379      15,091
Plates Cut Lengths                   27,452      49,690      38,408      77,813
Plates In Coils                      15,936      21,560      33,177      51,214
Bars - Hot Rolled                    20,769      46,126      26,663      60,072
Bars - Light Shaped                   6,636      15,075       9,276      18,883
Bars - Cold Finished                 67,311     174,219      83,300     198,243
Stainless Pipe & Tubing              76,847     310,255      80,914     294,017
Wire Drawn                           25,853      90,612      26,447      98,750
Sheets Hot Rolled                    14,535      17,979      22,424      34,683
Sheets Cold Rolled                  188,364     297,491     283,416     551,814
Strip - Hot Rolled                      693       1,349       1,830       3,747
Strip - Cold Rolled                  25,479      86,081      30,309     105,800

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."