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.

                                      December 2001           December 2000
                                      Cumulative To           Cumulative To
                                      Date - Final            Date - Final
     Commodity
     Grouping                       Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
                                             
Total Selected Commodities          847,387   1,604,003   1,069,495   2,175,918

Ingots And Steel For Castings        25,769      29,947      23,360      33,006
Blooms, Billets And Slabs           253,225     269,291     288,616     394,589
Wire Rods                            54,755      97,100      73,624     137,435
Structural Shapes Heavy               2,068       6,075       7,934      16,362
Plates Cut Lengths                   29,612      53,354      39,749      80,867
Plates In Coils                      17,405      23,115      34,483      53,249
Bars - Hot Rolled                    21,973      49,149      28,630      65,322
Bars - Light Shaped                   8,687      19,654      10,208      20,868
Bars - Cold Finished                 71,789     185,157      89,309     213,640
Stainless Pipe & Tubing              84,236     338,049      87,756     318,969
Wire Drawn                           28,215      98,042      28,431     107,509
Sheets Hot Rolled                    15,462      18,953      23,339      35,951
Sheets Cold Rolled                  205,723     321,609     299,993     582,124
Strip - Hot Rolled                      695       1,355       1,886       3,879
Strip - Cold Rolled                  27,771      93,154      32,174     112,148

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."