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.
 
                                    May 2002                May 2001
                                    Cumulative To           Cumulative To
                                    Date - Final            Date - Final
   Commodity
   Grouping                       Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
 
Total Selected Commodities          400,914     665,779     361,500     712,249
 
Ingots And Steel For Castings        13,058      14,592       8,813      11,466
Blooms, Billets And Slabs           146,007     158,451     104,403     117,015
Wire Rods                            23,565      38,039      23,375      43,675
Structural Shapes Heavy                 791       2,427       1,060       3,177
Plates Cut Lengths                   14,286      23,679      14,869      27,499
Plates In Coils                      10,180      11,671       5,772       9,015
Bars - Hot Rolled                     8,307      17,072      12,119      27,132
Bars - Light Shaped                   3,464       7,878       3,537       7,936
Bars - Cold Finished                 25,425      59,995      37,533      95,889
Stainless Pipe & Tubing              31,392     115,456      32,104     128,502
Wire Drawn                           11,600      36,842      12,620      45,692
Sheets Hot Rolled                     8,652       7,266       5,935       8,136
Sheets Cold Rolled                   90,882     131,544      87,841     147,240
Strip - Hot Rolled                      140         304         418         773
Strip - Cold Rolled                  13,166      40,563      11,100      39,101
 
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."