Europe Copper Tubes Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

Europe Copper Tubes Market Overview

Europe copper tubes market size is forecast to reach US$6.1 billion by 2026, after growing at a CAGR of 3.2% during 2021-2026. Copper tubes are extensively used in the construction and electrical industries due to their conductive properties. They are cost-effective and degrade the possibilities of contamination caused by oxygen, ultraviolet (UV) rays and high temperature and that’s the reason it is mostly preferred in industrial heat exchange, plumbing, and other application. Hence, they stumble on widespread applications in the medical and healthcare, construction and energy sectors of Europe. With the increasing population and rapid urbanization in Europe, there has been a substantial increase in construction expenditures. There is rapid increase demand of copper tubes in domestic water service and distribution, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning HVAC system, medical gas and vacuum, fire sprinklers, fuel gas and other applications. Along with all other applications, copper tubes are growing in the automotive industry due to its properties like good thermal conductivity and is corrosion resistance.

COVID-19 Impact

COVID-19 pandemic has altered the growth of several industries, the instant impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop-in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. It has affected several large-scale construction projects in Europe, to either be postponed or annulled, restricting demands from construction contractors. For instance, according to office of National Statistics, in April 2020 there has been a straight fall of about 59.2% in the private house constructions and about 39.7% in the commercial. Vulnerable business confidence has also downgraded investment in new projects, additional limiting demand from construction firms in 2020-21.

Europe Copper Tubes Market Report Coverage                             

The report: “Europe Copper Tubes Market- Forecast (2021-2026)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Europe copper tubes industry.     

By Grade: Soft Copper and Rigid Copper
By Finish Type: Level Wound Coil (LWC) Grooved, Straight Length, Pan Cake, Level Wound Coil LWC Plain, and Others
By Type: Type K, Type L, Type M, Type DWV, Medical Gas, and ACR (Air Conditioning and Refrigeration)
By Application: Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, Solar Power, Plumbing and Pipping, Refrigeration, and Others
By End-Use Industry: Building and Construction {Residential Construction (Independent Homes, Row Houses, Large Apartment Buildings), Commercial Construction (Educational Institutes, Hotels and Restaurants, Airports, and Others)}, Medical, Automotive (Passenger Vehicles, Light Commercial Vehicles, Heavy Commercial Vehicles), Industrial, Power and Energy, Electrical and Electronics (Air Conditioner, Washing Machine, Televisions, Computers & Laptops, Smartphones & Tablets, Others), Others
By Country: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, Netherlands, Belgium, and Rest of Europe.

Key Takeaways

• The United Kingdom dominates the Europe copper tubes market owing to rapid increase in construction and electrical and electronics sector.
• The rapid growth in the huge installation of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning HVAC systems and in plumbing is increasing the demands for Europe copper tubes market.
• The report further identifies the key opportunities for growth while also detailing the key challenges and possible threats.
• The other key areas of focus include the various applications and end use industry in Europe copper tubes market and their specific segmented revenue.

Figure: Europe Copper Tubes Market Revenue, By Geography 2020-2026 (US$ Billion)

Europe Copper Tubes Market Segment Analysis - By Grade

Rigid Copper held the largest share of 64% by revenue in the Europe copper tubes market in 2020. Rigid copper is a widespread choice for water lines in Europe. It is normally referred to as pipe and is joined using a solder/sweat, roll grooved, compression, or crimped/pressed connection. Rigid copper, rigid due to the work hardening of the drawing process, cannot be bent and must use elbow fittings to go around corners or around obstacles. Owing to its properties like corrosion resistance, electrical and thermal conductivity, ease of fabrication and low cost the demand for rigid copper is escalating which directly will enhance the growth of Europe copper tubes market.

Europe Copper Tubes Market Segment Analysis - By Finish Type

Pan Cake held the largest share in the Europe copper tubes market in 2020. Pancake copper tubes are tougher and is generally found in specialty applications, such as distilling or appliances whereas straight copper tubes are probably used to channel water through home. Predominantly used in the air conditioning and refrigeration market, pancake coils also feature in sectors such as automotive and medical. Pancake Copper are also used in the manufacturing of air conditioning & refrigeration appliances by the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). The Pancake Copper enable easy & economical packaging and transportation of the copper tubes. The demand for Pancake copper especially for its environment friendly property will certainly help growth Europe copper tubes market.

Europe Copper Tubes Market Segment Analysis - By Type

Type k dominates the Europe copper tubes market in 2020. Type K copper pipe has the thickest wall of all the types. It is used for water distribution, fire protection, oil, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning HVAC, and many other applications in the construction industry. Type K pipe is available in a rigid and flexible form and can be used with flared and compression fittings. It is recommended for main water lines and underground installations because its thickness helps it withstand the pressure from backfilled earth in trenches. The growth and demand in Type K copper tubes will certainly enhance the growth of Europe copper tubes market.

Europe Copper Tubes Market Segment Analysis - By Application

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning systems (HVAC systems) dominates the Europe copper tubes market. Copper as a metal has highly anti-corrosive properties compared to aluminium. During the cooling process, pipes come in contact with air which causes oxidation within these pipes. Copper can better handle oxidation and corrosion for longer periods ultimately gives air conditioners a longer lifespan. It is non-pyrogenic, corrosion-resistant, and is a completely recyclable material which makes copper pipe a preferred choice for HVAC installations in commercial and residential buildings.It is also use as head exchanger in HVAC system. The construction sector has seen a rapid growth which directly impact the HVAC demand, for instance, in 2021 Swedish construction and civil engineering firm Peab has won contract worth US$14.4 million from Pilares Eiendom to construct 38 apartments at Klemskvarteret in Kongsberg, Norway and estimated to be completed by 2022. Thus, the rapid growth in the construction sector will bring the powerful growth in the Europe copper tubes market in the forecast period.

Europe Copper Tubes Market Segment Analysis - By End-Use Industry

Building and Construction held the largest share in the Europe copper tubes market in 2020 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.3% during 2021-2026. Copper tubes are generally castoff in the construction industry for water provision lines and refrigerant lines in HVAC (heating, cooling, and air-conditioning) systems as it offers excellent corrosion-resistance and reliable connections. As for the construction sector is growing rapidly in Europe region, for instance, in 2021 real estate developer Artisan Real Estate announced its new US$78.7 million residential development named Kirkstall Place in UK.  On the other hand, Europe’s largest construction project, London’s Crossrail worth US$ 24.8 billion with 73 mile underground and overground railway line connecting 41 stations across the capital. Such constant developments and investments in construction sector will certainly have positive impact on the Europe copper tubes market.

Europe Copper Tubes Market Segment Analysis - By Country

The United Kingdom held the largest share in the Europe copper tubes market in 2020 up to 43% followed by France and Germany. The rapid growth in the construction, medical and electronic sector in UK is boosting the demand of copper tubes. Additionally, the growing sales of electric vehicles (EVs) and the expanding exploration of unconventional gas resources and the escalating demand for solar thermal energy and waste recovery systems, in confluence with various product innovations, are propelling the market growth. The growth in construction sector in UK is peerless and it has some major ongoing construction project, for instance, UK’s first new nuclear power station construction, Hinkley Point C worth US$ 33.7 billion is estimated to be completed by 2025. The 3,200 MWe nuclear power station will generate enough power for around 6 million UK homes or roughly 7% of the national electricity demand. On the other hand, Heathrow Airport Expansion which accounts for nearly 75% of long-haul flights to and from the UK worth US$ 36.3 million is estimated to be completed by 2026. Thus, the rapid developments, expansions and initiatives in the region are highly to increase the demand of Europe copper tubes market.

Europe Copper Tubes Market Drivers

• Increasing demand of Copper Tubes in Solar power Industry

The brilliant thermal conductivity properties of copper tubes mark it the ultimate material for thermal solar energy collectors. Solar energy is transferred to the circulating fluid, which is then transported further in the tube/pipe circuit. When the cool water goes through the copper tubes it absorbs solar heat and gets heated. The main reason for Solar’s success in Europe is its low cost. Solar power is often cheaper than any other technology and is true for retail electricity and, increasingly, wholesale power as well. And with the steepest cost reduction curve ahead, solar photovoltaics’ competitiveness will increase further. Generally, all the home owner wants a cost effective and a trouble free like corrosion resistance piping system for the lifetime of the installation for solar power, on the other hand installer wants a piping system that takes the least time to install and copper tubes are the most common and cost-effective pipping system when it comes to solar power specially in residential homes and so the demand for copper tubes in the solar power market is rising with time.  Thus, the growing demand of copper tubes owing to its properties like good heat transfer properties and long-term durability in solar energy sector in the region will certainly enhance the growth of Europe copper tubes market in the forecast period.

• Use of Copper Tubes in Electric Vehicles (EV)

Copper tube is used throughout electric vehicles, charging stations and supporting infrastructure because of the metal's durability, high conductivity and efficiency. Europe is fetching exceptional moves to phase out gasoline and diesel cars and bring an end to the almost 150-year-long era of the internal combustion engine. The UK’s 2030 ban on cars lacking a plug and Germany’s four-year extension of subsidies for electric vehicles reflect the desperate tactic governments are acquiring to getting auto companies to embrace batteries. In 2020 UK Government announced almost US$3.2 billion of subsidies and support for charging infrastructure, EV development and production. On the other hand, Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) AG announced that it will spend US$475 million to add an electric-car assembly at its main plant in Munich. By the end of 2022, each of its German plants will produce at least one fully electric vehicle. With the rigorous and fast developments and initiatives taken in adopting Electric Vehicles (EV) will certainly escalate the demand growth of Europe copper tubes market in the forecast period.  

Europe Copper Tubes Market Challenges

• Copper Tubes are Expensive

The major reason for the rise of alternative tubes/pipes is cost. Plumbing through copper tube is more expensive than plastic piping, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) since extracting metals from the mined ore can be complex and expensive process, on top of that taking into consideration the consequences of swelled up energy costs, cost of technology innovation to power mining can be very high.  Copper pipes are easy to work with, but take longer to install than PEX. The connections in copper are soldered which slows the installation process. The latter is quickly becoming a standard in many residential applications for its strength and flexibility. With an option with cheaper alternatives, the demand for copper tubes might downgrade and hamper the growth of Europe copper tube market.

Europe Copper Tubes Market Landscape

Technology launches, acquisitions and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the Europe copper tubes. Major players in the Europe copper tubes market include:

1. KME
2. Wieland
3. MST Edelstahlroh
4. Alcobra GmbH
5. Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing
6. Standard Metallwerke
7. Mittelrheinische Metallgiesserei
8. Aurubis
9. DEUPOL
10. EMH

Acquisitions/Technology Launches/ Product Launches  

Ø  In March 2019, KME SE, has signed an agreement with European Copper Tubes Ltd (ETC) to purchase its 49% shareholding in Tréfimétaux SAS and, therefore, obtain 100% control of such a company. Tréfimétaux SAS is a French company that carries out its copper tubes and copper rods.

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