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. Seamless pipes are imported and are mainly used in cases where high pressure and temperature are required.
The overall domestic production of steel pipes has reported fluctuations over the last decade. However, in recent years production reported a steady increase due to the increase of export performance. The overall size of domestic steel pipe production has more than doubled in 2018 after undertaking major projects overseas.
The overall domestic consumption of steel pipes has reported a downward trend over the last decade.
Seam steel pipes accounted for 95%-98% of total production in recent years, while the demand for seamless steel pipes remains low.
Steel pipe imports (in quantity) reached a peak in 2004 and declined significantly between 2005 and 2012. There has been a gradual recovery in imports since 2013 and a significant increase over the two years 2016-2017. Particularly, in 2017 total imports dropped by 21.6% compared to 2016, but they increased by 56% compared to 2015.
Exports have reported intense fluctuations over the last 15 years. In 2013 they reached their lowest level, while two years later in 2015 exports “jumped”.