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.
 
                                        August 2002             August 2001
                                        Cumulative To           Cumulative To
                                        Date - Final            Date - Final
     Commodity
     Grouping                        Quantity     Value      Quantity     Value
 
Total Selected Commodities            597,830   1,032,352     578,021   1,128,373
 
Ingots And Steel For Castings          19,707      22,560      16,855      20,763
Blooms, Billets And Slabs             187,701     209,688     176,702     195,721
Wire Rods                              34,044      54,684      36,694      67,366
Structural Shapes Heavy                 1,319       3,725       1,495       4,372
Plates Cut Lengths                     24,800      41,320      19,947      36,872
Plates In Coils                        15,529      18,635       8,795      13,106
Bars - Hot Rolled                      11,886      25,411      17,928      39,199
Bars - Light Shaped                     6,858      14,729       5,885      13,202
Bars - Cold Finished                   42,228      96,661      54,072     140,045
Stainless Pipe & Tubing                50,829     184,354      56,496     229,434
Wire Drawn                             19,184      60,049      19,570      69,710
Sheets Hot Rolled                      11,103      10,780       8,914      12,240
Sheets Cold Rolled                    151,225     225,268     136,831     223,475
Strip - Hot Rolled                        253         502         518       1,019
Strip - Cold Rolled                    21,164      63,986      17,318      61,849
 
CONTACT: For more information, contact Haydn R. Mearkle (301-763-2246) or Nick
         Orsini (301-763-2311), 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."