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 during 2004-2015.In the period 2016-2018 production reported a continuous rise, due to the increase in export activity. Particularly, in 2018 the total size of production more than doubled compared to 2017 after undertaking major projects overseas. In 2020 the total production of steel pipes dropped by -19.0% (2020/2019). The significant fluctuations in the total production are mainly due to the respective changes in exports.
The size of the domestic market of steel pipes decreased by 14% -14.5% in 2020 compared to 2019. It is noted that the cumulative decrease during 2010-2020 reached approximately 68%.
Seam steel pipes accounted for 92%-93% of total consumption in recent years, while the demand for seamless steel pipes remains low.
Steel pipe imports (in quantity) registered a sharp fall during 2005-2011. There has been a gradual recovery in imports since 2012 and a significant increase over the two years 2016-2017. During 2018-2019 total imports dropped again. Particularly, in 2019 dropped by 4.9% compared to 2018.
Exports have reported intense fluctuations during 2004-2019. In 2013 they reached their lowest level, while two years later in 2015 exports registered a significant rise. In the next two years (2016-2017) exports decreased and in 2018 they "jumped" again. In 2019 exports decreased again but remained at high levels.