Plastic Pipes Market Size and Structure

Categories of pipe used are  gravity pipe for building and civil engineering,  pressure
pipe for utilities and plumbing and for industrial use. The gravity sector is by far the
largest.
In industrialised countries 89% of all sewage pipes are still made from concrete and
stoneware, only 11% are plastic. Despite this, more than 50% of all plastic pipes are
sewer and non pressure pipes.  Of this PVC has a market share of 80%. Despite the
moves away from PVC, pipes made from this material grow at average GDP rates.
By 2025 an additional 3bill. people will live on our planet, demographics have the 2nd

biggest impact on the growth rates for waterpipes. The biggest impact is coming from
the replacement of concrete, copper and steel pipes however.
For pressure pipes only the PVC standard DIN EN 1452 is published. PrEN drafts cover
PVC-sewer, PE-drinking water and sewer. EN for gas pipes is in the formla vote.  Key
standards in Europe are DIN 16982 and 16983 apply for hot water pipes, up to
diameters of 160 mm. ISO 13479 is the international standard for stress crack
resistance and ISO 13477 covers rapid crack propagation.

HDPE pipes display good functional properties, toughness, resistance to corrosion,
chemicals and micro-organisms. They can be tailored to different requirements and
installed at low costs. Today mainly unimodal HDPE grades (PE 63 and 80) are being
used allowing wall thicknesses of up to 70mm. Most important area of application
for HDPE pipes is drinking water, followed by sewage, gas supply lines and district
heating. HDPE has also never been as cost efficient as today.
The industry is facing a number of issues which explain the drive towards plastics;
? Leakage rates which require overdesigned treatment plants, and water shortages;
? Backflow: due to poor fittings connections, a vacuum is pulled on the line which
draws in dirt/contaminants;
? Costs: higher consumer bills and repair expense) with the existing technology.
Since HDPE pipes are joined by heat fusion this creates a leak free system.  The joint
created is as strong or stronger than the pipe itself.  In addition, no bolts, gaskets are
required.
It is estimated that 25% of the water that is cleaned and transported through pipes is
lost at local water plants, due to poor fittings. Iron pipes also are susceptible to fungi
and bacteria, causing decay and negative impact on hydraulic effiency over time.
PE requires no special coatings nor cathodic protection, is more resistant to acids, bases
and salts and is unaffected by bacteria/fungi; thereby providing better long term
hydraulic / hydrostatic stability over time.   PE is smoother than steel which provides
excellent flow characteristics thereby offering  equivalent flow profiles / velocity with
smaller pipe inner diameter.

New bimodular materials (PE 100) manufactured by a cascade process, which equips
them with highly cristalline zones of short molecule chains, allowing wall thicknesses
well below the more standard PE’s. They are the reference materials for gas distribution
pipes in Europe today. The term PE 100 indicates the strength this PE (long term
strength of at least 10 Mpa at 20°C over 50 years).

PE 100 set new standards in terms of creep  rupture strength, stress crack resistance
and resistance to rapid crack propagation. Sagging and dimensional stability are
however issues for PE100 based pipes at dimensions that exceed 65mm (Silane xlinking
does resolve the sagging issue). Their higher stiffness is limiting their use in smallerdiameter waterpipes for floor-heating.

Multilayer pipes (MP) based on an alu-midlayer are making inroads. This layer works as 

a barrier layer providing 100% diffusion tightness, it also reduces the length expansion 

of the pipe when exposed to heat and provides larger distances between fixings due to 

the higher stability. As a consequence, 30% less fixing material less time is used during 

installation. MP pipes also tend to be 40% lighter then metal pipes and are easy to shape 

and form.

Market Overview – PE-X Pipes


Pex pipes account for 180kT and grow by 12 % pa (02-06). Pex b amounts to 69kT
(Europe 30kT, NA 12KT, ME 5kT, Asia 18kT, SA 4kT). Pex pipes make big inroads into
pressure pipe markets, displacing traditional steel and copper through lower installation
and in-service costs (easier installation techniques, lower weight, less crack
propagation). Figures published by KWD suggest that PE-X pipes will increase in Europe
from 400 Mill.meters in 1998 to around 680 Mill. meters in 2004 (Copper 750Mill.
meters 1998 to 650 Mill. in 2004).

Focus for PE-X remains on hot-  and cold water Pipes, Gas pipes. PE-X provides endusers with benefits such as superior temperature-, chemical- and abrasion- resistance.

The Pex-MP (Multilayerpipe) market is expected to grow the fastest, due to several 

handling and performance benefits vs. monolayer pipes (especially in sanitary and 

floor-heating installations). 

Due to their superior performance on permeability, MP pipes also open up huge 

opportunities as complete fuel, brake and vapour fluid carrying systems.  

EVOH is the most widely used agent for Oxygen diffusion barriers on Pex pipes for 

under-floor and radiator heating .  

While the markets for MP using alu midlayers have been in Europe and China, the 

standards have really been written by the ASTM, describing min./max. wall thicknesses 

and desired internal pressures.  

  

Medical Tubes present another interesting growth area for polyolefins in the coming 

years. However the kinking of pipes when bent too forcibly has been an issue when 

trying to switch from PVC to polyolefins such as HDPE’s. Increasing the wall thickness 

will reduce kinking but you also reduce bending.  

In Europe PE-X materials are subject to a number of standards: BS EN 1055: Plastics 

piping systems. Thermoplastics piping systems for soil and waste discharge inside 

buildings. Test method for resistance to elevated temperature cycling (sorry should be 

EN 1055 and not EN 155). DIN 16892: Pipes made from crosslinked PE (PEX); Defines 

the degree of min, gel content needed for PEX A= 75%, PEX B= 65%, and PEX C= 60%. It 

covers HDPE based PEX pipes and refers for the dimensional requirements to DIN 

16893. DIN 16893: Dimensional requirements of PEX pipes. 

ISO 13479: Polyolefin pipes for the conveyance of fluids - Determination of resistance 

to crack propagation - Test method for slow crack growth on notched pipes (notch test) 

CEN publication date 1997-05-01 

ISO/TR 9080: Thermoplastics pipes for the transport of fluids -- Methods of 

extrapolation of hydrostatic stress rupture data to determine the long-term hydrostatic 

strength of thermoplastics pipe materials. 

A tap water installation is often described as being like a long food package and thus 

the pipe material taste and odor neutrality is critical. For this reason formulations must 

be in accordance with national and European positive lists for drinking water and food 

contact. In addition, many authorities require formalized organoleptic taste and odor 

testing:  EN 1420  influence of organic materials on water intended for human 

consumption – determination of odour and flavour assessment of water in piping 

systems, test method. 

In the US the PE-X industry has been very proactive in ensuring that its’ products 

are suitable for the various plumbing applications. Based on the past experience 

with polybutylene (PB) and acetal fittings, the industry has paid particular attention 

to ensuring performance in chlorinated potable water applications. ASTM F2023 is a 

consensus test method developed by the industry to determine the oxidative 

stability of PEX in hot, chlorinated water.  

Currently, specific minimum performance requirements based on this test method 

are being balloted into the ASTM PEX tubing product standard, ASTM F876, which 

will make it mandatory. NSF International has developed a voluntary protocol (P171) 

to which they list PEX materials and/or pipes based on chlorine resistance testing. 

Both of these documents use aggressive conditions to accelerate the testing of PEX 

pipe in potable water applications and ensure a minimum level of product 

performance. 

Chlorine is a very powerful oxidizing agent not just with PEX but for any material, 

including copper, which is susceptible to oxidation. The effect of chlorine is simply an 

acceleration of oxidative processes relative to less oxidatively aggressive nonchlorinated water. What is known with great certainty is that overall water quality, and 

not just chlorine concentration, determines how strong an oxidizer the water is.  

Regional Market Review - North America

North American shipments of polyethylene pipe, tube and conduit totaled 1.4 billion 

pounds in 1999, an 18.8% increase from the 1998 rate of 1.2 billion pounds, according 

to the 1999 Statistical Review (Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI)). Copper still has an 80% 

share in hot & cold water plumbing systems (Pex now 15%). 

The pipe and profile market in the US accounts for 10% of the total plastics industry, 

estimated at $ 137bn (US Census Bureau). Fittings account for another 2% of the total. 

Pipe markets in North America still dominated by copper and PVC.  

Indoor plumbing and radiant floor heating are making xlinked PE a highly sought 

material in the US market. In 2002 approx. 650million lbs of xlinked polyethylene were 

consumed in the US, of which 26%  went into pipe applications (46% in wire and cable).  

PEX does not exhibit the issues of corrosion as present with copper, reducing waterflow. It has better stress crack performance than PB and better impact resistance than 

PVC and PP. For radiant heating it also has better flexibility. As from 2000 national 

plumbing codes accepted PEX and it is finding growth because more and more 

households are switching from hot-air heating to radiant-floor heating.

In Europe, pipes in heating mainly go into radiator connections and ufh, while in 

the States they also go into sundry baseboards, and in Canada up to 40% are used 

outdoors, mainly to keep ramps and drive-ways clear. The copper Industry has 

started feeling the brunt from this massive attack triggered by PE-X and the likes, 

and is fighting back with all means fair and foul (watch the struggle for approval of 

plastic systems in Florida, for instance). 

Main players in the US are Wirsbo-Uponor (Pex-A), Vanguard, Plasco Canada and 

Zurn (Pex-b). Wirsbo uses for all their Pex production the Engel - CV process 

(peroxide crosslinking), only facility within their group that uses some Sioplas 

compounds is the Plasco site in Canada.Sioplas materials are predominantly used in 

the US Pex-B markets. Only Zurn / US Brass have pursued the Monosil route and 

have converted three extrusion lines to that process in the meantime.

Regional Market Review - Europe 

From the early Seventies underfloor heating (ufh) with hot water pipes started 

spreading from Switzerland, Austria and Germany whereas electrical systems (foils 

in Spain, cables elsewhere) never got far beyond a dismal 5% market share. 

Only after the breakthrough made by plastic pipes (PP, followed by PB and PE-X) ufh 

has become one of the most widely used systems. In Germany copper pipes can 

occasionally be found in ufh but their share is negligible and so is hot air’s and 

electric radiators’. In Germany hydronic ufh with plastic pipe has reached 70% in 

houses and around 30% in apartments.

In South Europe ufh’s breath-taking rise is fed by those countries’ habit of tiled 

floors. Plastic pipes started off with diameters of 20 mm and more (still 25 mm for 

outdoor use in ramps etc). A combination of energy-saving legislation and improved 

insulation has brought a steady reduction in diameters to the present average of 14 

mm with 12 and even 10 mm already showing on the horizon. The original PP 

(polypropylene) has been mostly displaced by PE-X (cross-linked polyethylene) as 

the material of choice while PB (polybutylene) remains marginal 

Plastic pipes in hydronic heating are plagued by a common and recurring scourge : 

they are not oxygen-proof. This has led pipes to be coated with an odb (=oxygen 

diffusion barrier). Oxygen can be absorbed into the water stream through the pipe 

wall and cause havoc in the boiler if a tiny metal particle has been left in the system 

by a careless plumber. Pinhole perforation is the undesirable consequence.  

The recently improved welding of ever thinner aluminium foils for multilayer pipe 

which is oxygen-proof by

In 2000 2.6 Mill. tons of plastic were used in pipes (valued at Euro 10bn), that’s 7% of 

total production compared to the automotive industry’s consumption of 8% of all 

plastics.  

The European hot water – sanitary pipe market accounted for 720Mill m. of copper pipe 

and 480Mill. m. of Pex & MP pipe in the year 2000. With the continuing growth of 

eating German underfloor heating market amounts to 93Mill meters, of which Pex pipes 

have captured 74Mill. and copper are down to 10.5Mill meters in 2000. The French 

market for underfloor-heating amounts 30,6 Mill. meters of which Pex  accounts for 

27,6 Mill. meters. Key players are Alphacan (Pex-b) and Acome (Pex-c). 

There are about 655 thermoplastic pipe production plants in Europe (40% of them 

account for 80% output and are owned by 50 pipe producing groups). Largest number 

of plants (151) are to be found in Italy, which has the highest fragmentation. Germany 

accounts for 82 pipe extrusion plants (average throughput of 5’700MT/annum) 

followed by Scandinavia (66), Poland (66  – 2’530 MT of throughput) and France (53). 

Market Value in 1999 was estimated around € 7 billion. In Europe PE pipes account for 

70 – 82% of all drinking water pressure pipes.

The ten biggest pipe producers are listed below:

Wavin has long been the leading group, however Pipelife and Uponor are the strongest 

contenders. Recent corporate changes include the acquisition of Deka (D) by Georg 

Fischer, Geberit acquired Caradon Terrain (UK), Glynwed acquired Friatec (D) and Ipex 

(CD), Etex took over Marley (UK) and Pipelife took over Jet Stream (US). 

In the rest of the Middle East (excl. Israel) there are now around 93 plastic pipe 

processors producing a total of 450'000 tons of pipes. PVC still accounts for the lion 

share with 320'000 tons, however capacity utilisation of the remaining 130'000 tons of 

PE is only around 50%. Sales of PVC pipe outnumber that of PE by 21:1, mainly due to 

the lack of natural gas.

Regional Market Reviews - Asia 

China will encourage the use of plastic pipes, according to an outlined development 

programme for chemical building materials industry in the Tenth Five-Year Plan period 

(2001-05) and up to 2010. Plastic pipes will also benefit from China’s low and falling 

local supply of copper.

By 2005, the use of plastic pipes, is expected to account for  70% of construction 

drainage pipelines in new and expansion  projects, 50% of hot water and heating 

pipelines, 10% of city drainage pipeline, 60% of construction water, hot water and 

heating supply pipelines, 50% of city water supply pipelines (of less than DN400mm), 

70% of rural water supply, 20% in city gas pipelines (medium and low pressure pipes), 

and 80% in electric wire jacket pipes.

According to statistics, China has about 2,000 pipe production lines, of which 15% are 

imported equipment. The production capacity of various pipe products was 1.5 million 

tons in 1998 and the total output was 900,000 tons. Of them, 450,000 tons were UPVC 

pipes and 320,000 tons were PE pipes. Chinese pipe manufacturers produce around 

100Mill meters of MP (Multilayer Pipe) annually. 

Whereas profile producers adhere to Austrian / German standards, pipe producers have 

so far adopted ASTM standards. PlyPipe is by far the biggest single extruder of MP 

pipes, with a total of 47 extrusion lines.  

The japanese market is switching rapidly to plastic pipes (incl.PVC lined pipes, Pex and 

Polybutene). This followed major earthquakes in recent years and the comparative 

advantages that plastic pipes have over copper and other metal pipes.  Japanese 

producers still have a preference for PB pipes in potable water applications, also related 

to the easier weldability of that material.

Key issues for silane Pex pipes today continue to be tin catalysts.

Philmac, Australia has become the first company to supply Japan with specialist 

plastic water fittings for use in connecting households to the mains water supply. 

Philmac signed a contract with major Japanese trading company Kurimoto Ltd, 

which in turn will supply the fittings to Japan's 5000 domestic water supply 

companies. It is the first time Japan has approved the use of plastic fittings for its 

domestic water supply system. 

The Japanese water market traditionally used metal fittings and had extremely 

tough standards which had to be overcome before any other material would be 

considered. In the past, plastic fittings have been unable to meet these standards. 

The Kobe earthquake in 1995 had been the catalyst for the development and use of 

plastics in the domestic supply of water in Japan.  

Current situation of plastic pipe market in China : 

Now there are only three kinds of plastic pipe used in in-house application : ALXLPE composite pipe, PEX pipe and PP-R pipe. PP-R pipe was promoted and 

recommended by China Construction Material Bureau and the people of PP-R 

industry last year, and quickly PP-R pipe take over the market of AL-XLPE 

composite pipe and occupy about 60% of total plastic pipe market in China because 

of the advantages : 

1. PP-R pipe’s installation is same as steel pipe, local construction designers get 

used to it. 

2. PP-R pipe don’t need fitting. Many accidents of AL-XLPE composite pipe (also PEX 

pipe) is caused by the broken between copper fitting and pipe before, leave bad 

impression on China Construction industry. 

PP-R compound is made by 90-95% PP, 5% Ethylene and other additives, is 

compounded by the twin-screw extruder, the compounding temperature is close to Sioplas compounding. According to the specification released by China 

Construction Material Bureau, PP-R pipe with 3.5mm diameter can pass the testing 

under 1000 hours, 95°C and 3.5Mpa. For the same requirement, PEX pipe only need 

2.7mm diameter. Now flooring-heating pipe become popular in northeast China 

and will expand to northwest China soon. 

Competitive Offerings

PP-R plumbing and heating pipes have reached 60Ktons in Germany and replaced 

mainly FE (galvanised steel) pipes, due to big corrosion issues. Also copper pipes have 

been displaced in areas where the acidic water quality can quickly cause pitting erosion. 

German BgVV issues a health warning in 1998 over the use of copper pipes for water 

with PH values below 7.3. PP-R is used in hot and cold water as well as radiator 

connection systems (however life expectancy at 95Deg C is only 10 years – 50 years 

5Mpa hoop stress for 50 years).  

PP-R pipes are growing fast in China nd Turkey, due to this system approach. 

Tab-water installation is usually described as a long food package and thus pipe 

material taste and odour are critical.   

Dow Chemical continue to attack Pex-B pipes with their range of their Dowlex 

polymers, on grounds of their organoleptic performance in potable water systems 

Dowlex polyethylenes are ethylene-octene copolymers produced via their proprietary 

solution process. Dowlex 2344E for pipes is targeted at the hot-tab water market (< 60 

DegC) and the lower temperature floor heating market (< 70 Deg C). 

Dow introduced at the K 2001DOWLEX* 2388 resin for pipe applications. The resin, 

which is the newest member of Dow's versatile DOWLEX polyethylene (PE) family of 

resins, offers improved hydrostatic strength and processability over existing materials 

in a variety of heating/cooling systems and hot and cold drinking water supply 

networks. The resin is well suited for applications such as floor heating, radiator 

connections, snow melt systems, heat exchangers, solar panels, heat recovery systems 

and hot/cold domestic drinking water networks. And, due to its high strength at high 

temperatures, it can be used in technical applications where conventional PE usually 

fails. 

DOWLEX 2388 resin is an ethylene-octene  copolymer, produced by a proprietary 

solution process from Dow. DOWLEX  2388 resin features a unique molecular 

structure with a controlled side chain distribution.  

KIWA feel there is a strong pressure from PERT against PEX and would advise us to 

position PEX directly against it. PERT has had some field problems related to creep 

(fitting release) and taste (BFP is highest compared to all other plastic pipes). PEX has 

on the other hand never had any field problems reported to them. The only problems 

heard of were related to installation errors where the coefficient of expansion had not been taken into account (failure at main connection due to local stresses resulting from not having left enough expansion length).  As mentioned, PERT has a very high BFP, as 

have all uncrosslinked PE materials (incl PE100) in general. Of the PEX systems, PEX-a 

has by far the highest BFP, and PEX-a is also under scrutiny due to the alleged 

mutagenic byproducts generated by peroxides (producers have to prove otherwise). 

Strategic Alliances in Pipes 

ETEX  

Etex Group is an industrial holding company specializing in building materials. The 

Group, with its head office in Brussels, has 180 subsidiaries across 45 countries and 

employs 30,000 people. There are four major product groups within the Group:  

roofing materials, plastic pipes and fittings, boards, floor and wall covering. Glynwed 

divested their complete plastic pipe business to ETEX, after years of aggressive 

acquisitions, incl. Companies such as FIP, Masa, Durapipe, Friatec, Ipex (USA) 

and Philmac (Australia). Etex (family owned producer of building products incl. 

Roofing ) of Belgium acquired the whole business for € 1.24bn. Etex was already 

owner of Marley and other pipe producers.  

DRISCOPIPE & PLEXCO  

Phillips Petroleum Company (NYSE: P) and Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CHV) 

announced June 30, 2000 that they have received the final necessary regulatory 

clearance to proceed with the combination of their worldwide chemicals 

businesses. The transaction creating Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, LP 

closed July 1, 2000.  

This means that the polyethylene pipe units of PLEXCO (formerly of Chevron 

Chemical Company LLC) and Phillips Driscopipe (formerly a division of Phillips 

Petroleum Company) have been combined. The combined pipe operation is 

named Performance Pipe, a Division of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, LP. 

The combined plants of PLEXCO and Driscopipe will have unprecedented 

flexibility and capability to produce and provide polyethylene pipe systems. With 

14 plants throughout the country, Performance Pipe will be able to quickly 

respond to orders no matter the size or quantity.  

WATTS INDUSTRIES acquire Dumser Metallbau, Germany 

Main products of Dumser are brass and steel manifolds used as prime 

distribution devices in heating systems. Acquisition will strengthen Watts 

leadership in the European hydronic heating market. Dumser holds 51% in Stern 

Rubinetti. Watts Industries with worldwide sales exceeding € 532 Mill, includes companies in nearly every European country (Watts Londa, I; Watts Intermes, CH; Watts Ocean, B; Watts MTR, D etc). http://www.wattsind.com . 

UPONOR licenses DPI Plastics of South Africa  

Uponor also became the 1st

 pipe company in the US for selling composite pipes 

in water supply installations. Their Wirsbo unit also received approval in 2000 

for a new sprinkler tube / system in homes.

GEORG FISCHER AG  

Georg Fischer AG (HQ: CH-8201 Schaffhausen) acquired Schwab Sanitär-Plastic GmbH. 

For Georg Fischer, the acquisition is a move to expand its business in the growth 

market of home plumbing and to substantially strengthen its European position. Georg 

Fischer is a group that focuses exclusively  on pipe distribution systems (fittings, 

connecters etc.) employs 2,700 and has group sales of EUR 500m.

PIPELIFE International 

50:50 joint venture between Solvay and Wienerberger to produce pipes. Pipelife 

signed partnership deal with Changzhou Reinforced Plastics Factory (CRPF) for 

the creation of a joint company for making pipes. CRPF is a medium sized 

company that makes plastic pipes 200km north of Shanghai, with profits around 

$ 5 Mill. They focus on water and gas pressure pipes (PVC and PE). Total annual 

capacity is around 8’000 tons. Reason for this joint venture is the 20% annual 

growth that pipes have seen in the Shanghai region during the last three years.   

Acquisition Agreement signed by WAVIN for EKOPLASTIK in the CZECH 

REPUBLIC 

Wavin and Ekoplastik are announcing  that an Acquisition Agreement has 

been concluded. In order to complete the project successfully, which is 

expected by the end of the year, all  the necessary administrative steps and 

formalities have been commenced as well as a due diligence process. 

With its wide range of plastic pipes and fittings, Ekoplastik is one of the 

leading companies in hot & cold tap  water pipe systems in Central and 

Eastern Europe. At its production location near Prague Ekoplastik has about 

250 employees and realises a sales turnover of EUR 27 million per year. 

Wavin is the European market leader in plastic pipe systems with a turnover 

of EUR 922 million in 2002 and 4,700 employees. 

Wavin is already well represented in Central and Eastern Europe with factories 

in Poland, Hungary and Lithuania and sales companies in nearly all countries 

of the region. Wavin has currently no production facilities in the Czech 

Republic but sells sewer and utility  pipes and fittings for underground 

applications via a number of own depots. The market position of Ekoplastik 

with its extensive range of above-ground tap water and soil & waste systems 

is fully complementary to Wavin's market coverage in the region. 

Wavin's CEO Mr Houben commented on  the acquisition: "This takeover fits 

very well in our drive to establish a leading position in Central Europe and to 

expand our sanitary product range. We see Ekoplastik as a very reputable 

company in its field and are impressed  by its strong performance over the 

years. I will be pleased to welcome Ekoplastik and its employees to the Wavin 

group of companies in the nearest future and hope that it will establish its 

position  in  Wavin  as  the  centre  of  excellence for PPr tap water pipe and 

fittings". 

Profile of Wavin 

Founded in 1955, Wavin operates in 24 European countries and is a leading 

manufacturer of plastic pipe systems in Europe. It also has a global network 

of more than 90 agents, licensees and distributors. Its stated aim is “to be 

the unrivalled European supplier of plastic pipe systems in terms of product 

range, innovation, logistical services and geographical presence.” In order to 

supply its customers with value-added products, Wavin has its own research 

and development centre, in which it invests considerable sums towards the 

development of new products and processes.