In Greece domestic production of steel pipes regards only seam products and the largest part of it is covered by relatively few manufacturers which are involved in producing pipes of various sizes, for the transportation of liquids or gases. Furthermore, some importers also operate in the sector, some of which are usually also engaged in the trade and imports of other industrial supplies, fittings, plumping products, etc.
The overall domestic consumption of steel pipes (both seam and seamless) has reported a downward trend over the period 2008-2010. Particularly, from 2013 onwards the assessed market has been low and in 2016 it dropped by 16%. It is worth noting that the cumulative decrease during the period 2007-2016 reached about 68%.
Steel pipe imports (in quantity) registered a decline during 2004-2012. However, they have recovered in recent years accounting for 61.2% of the total market in 2016. Export performance has also increased in recent years reaching 93.8% in 2016.
Seam steel pipes accounted for 92% of the market in 2016, while seamless steel pipes accounted for only 8% of the market.