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 2004              October 2003
                                      Cumulative to             Cumulative to
                                      Date - Final              Date - Final
Commodity
Grouping                        Quantity    Value       Quantity    Value

Total Selected Commodities           732,715   1,989,908     611,869   1,234,929

Ingots And Steel For Castings          5,299      10,285      25,892      33,647
Blooms, Billets And Slabs            132,686     288,394     121,328     176,187
Wire Rods                             29,179      69,430      26,159      42,822
Structural Shapes Heavy                2,469       8,240       1,475       4,522
Plates Cut Lengths                    25,206      62,689      19,893      36,836
Plates In Coils                       27,402      75,083      19,487      33,691
Bars - Hot Rolled                     16,656      50,031      11,114      22,488
Bars - Light Shaped                   11,150      29,559       7,539      16,211
Bars - Cold Finished                  49,218     147,688      44,668     101,376
Stainless Pipe & Tubing               91,036     385,409      69,972     248,449
Wire Drawn                            31,370     116,125      25,689      78,966
Sheets Hot Rolled                      9,017      19,191      10,813      14,572
Sheets Cold Rolled                   268,895     617,537     196,317     331,763
Strip - Hot Rolled                     1,432       3,568         276         661
Strip - Cold Rolled                   31,701     106,678      31,248      92,738
                                           
NOTE:   See the cover report specifically explaining the current month's preliminary
steel imports trade data or
www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/steel_index.html.

CONTACT:  For more information, contact Nick Orsini (301-763-2311), Foreign Trade
Division, U.S. Census Bureau.

SOURCE:  U.S. Imports for Consumption of Steel Products: Preliminary
November 2004 (CB-04-213)