Not Seasonally Adjusted
               Exhibit 1B:  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
                                           

                                January 2006            December 2005
                                Final                   Final
Commodity
Grouping                        Quantity    Value       Quantity    Value

Total Selected Commodities            72,732     243,204      69,077     226,618

Ingots And Steel For Castings            841       3,637       1,710       5,326
Blooms, Billets And Slabs              6,994      18,370       9,847      26,291
Wire Rods                              2,882       7,736       2,186       6,477
Structural Shapes Heavy                  171         612         102         433
Plates Cut Lengths                     3,411      12,996       3,771      10,802
Plates In Coils                        2,044       5,397       2,116       5,934
Bars - Hot Rolled                      1,705       7,406       1,587       6,925
Bars - Light Shaped                      501       1,467         412       1,174
Bars - Cold Finished                   5,937      23,050       6,532      25,981
Stainless Pipe & Tubing               11,236      62,599       9,138      51,888
Wire Drawn                             3,865      16,614       2,972      13,120
Sheets Hot Rolled                      1,902       2,929       1,456       2,770
Sheets Cold Rolled                    27,591      66,420      24,064      57,320
Strip - Hot Rolled                       368         813         382         920
Strip - Cold Rolled                    3,284      13,159       2,802      11,258
                                           
           ______________________________________________________________

                                January 2005            December 2004
Commodity                       Final                   Final
Grouping                        Quantity    Value       Quantity    Value

Total Selected Commodities            79,185     250,505      97,215     282,812

Ingots And Steel For Castings          2,128       4,322       2,581       5,648
Blooms, Billets And Slabs              6,855      20,358      14,520      36,415
Wire Rods                              4,276      10,986       4,160      10,279
Structural Shapes Heavy                  153         653         194         620
Plates Cut Lengths                     2,663       8,444       2,412       7,656
Plates In Coils                        2,015       5,791       2,354       6,247
Bars - Hot Rolled                      1,560       5,784       1,564       5,555
Bars - Light Shaped                    1,054       3,147       1,233       3,631
Bars - Cold Finished                   7,316      27,550       7,419      24,537
Stainless Pipe & Tubing               10,022      47,962       9,025      42,633
Wire Drawn                             3,322      13,719       3,595      13,903
Sheets Hot Rolled                      1,054       2,267       3,179       8,193
Sheets Cold Rolled                    33,058      85,955      40,954     104,260
Strip - Hot Rolled                        62         159         115         314
Strip - Cold Rolled                    3,647      13,408       3,911      12,921
                                           

SOURCE: Bureau of the Census, Foreign Trade Division, U.S. Imports for
Consumption of Steel Products: Final January 2006.
For more information, contact Nick Orsini (301-763-6959) or Vanessa Ware
(301-763-2311), Foreign Trade Division.