According to the study published by Interconnection Consulting, the European sanitary pipes and fittings market has gone through an exceptionally demanding phase between 2023 and 2025. While the prolonged slowdown of the construction sector remains a central driver, market developments cannot be attributed to construction activity alone. Across Europe, country-specific geopolitical tensions, macroeconomic uncertainty and divergent policy frameworks have further weighed on investment decisions and market confidence. In addition, government-supported renovation schemes and the postponement of construction projects have disrupted the traditionally stable relationship between building activity and demand for sanitary pipes and fittings, resulting in a markedly less predictable market environment. In the Top 20 European countries, sales reached approximately 2.01 billion meters of sanitary pipes and 1.50 billion units of sanitary fittings in 2024. The overall market situation in 2025 remains challenging, although the pace of decline is expected to moderate compared to 2024. Current estimates point to a volume contraction of around -5.1% for sanitary pipes and -5.7% for sanitary fittings. Beyond the short-term pressure, however, the medium-term outlook shows signs of stabilization.  

Diverging Paths Across Europe´s Largest Markets 

The European sanitary pipes and fittings market is led by Germany followed by the UK, Poland, France, and Russia. While each of these countries is influenced by distinct internal factors that shape local demand and supply, they share a common role as trendsetters for the overall European market due to their significant market weight. Collectively, these five countries account for 61% of total market share, highlighting their outsized influence on market dynamics. Within this apparent commonality, however, substantial divergence exists: uneven infrastructure investments, fluctuating energy costs, and country-specific regulatory changes drive contrasting market developments. This divergence reinforces that a “one-size-fits-all” approach is no longer appropriate, and strategies must be carefully adapted to the specific dynamics, risk profiles, and growth potential of each market. 

Structural Differences: Nordics Markets vs. the Rest of Europe 

The Nordic countries display a markedly different performance compared to other European markets. In 2024, Scandinavia region experienced the sharpest declines among the Top 20 European countries, with Finland registering the most severe contraction, approximately -42.5% decline, making it the worst-performing market of the year. Norway, while facing a more limited decline, nonetheless recorded its highest drop in recent years. These negative outcomes are primarily driven by a significant slowdown in investments in the construction sector and in issuing permits, particularly residential construction, influenced by the post-pandemic normalization of building activity and national housing policies. At the same time, high interest rates also played a significant role. While the magnitude of the decline varies, the common factor underscores the sensitivity of sanitary pipes and fittings demand to structural shifts in construction activity and policy frameworks, highlighting the heterogeneous nature of market developments across Europe. 

Applications and Materials: From Standard Solutions to System Thinking 

The European sanitary pipes and fittings market in 2025 shows moderate fluctuations across its three main application segments. Hot and cold water installations maintain the leading position with a 39.7% market share, though closely contested by surface heating and cooling systems, which are gaining ground and are expected to occupy the first position in terms of quantity market share from 2026 onwards. Radiator connection pipes remain the smallest segment. In the Nordic countries, surface heating and cooling systems continue to dominate due to historical adoption patterns, energy efficiency priorities, and building practices. 

Material-wise, plastic remains the predominant choice for pipes across Europe, appreciated for its cost-effectiveness, light weight, ease of installation, and chemical resistance. For fittings, however, multilayer solutions take the lead, accounting for an estimated 32.5% market share in 2025 according to Interconnection data. These multilayer fittings combine the benefits of polymers flexibility, non-toxicity with those of metals, pressure and temperature resistance, dimensional stability, achieving optimal performance and enhanced durability, particularly in complex systems. Material selection is inherently linked to the type of application and is expected, according to industry experts, “to increasingly favor climate-friendly technologies in the coming years”. 

Outlook: A Gradual Rebalancing Rather then a Rapid Rebound 

The European sanitary pipes and fittings market is expected to stabilize in the coming years, with 2025 likely marking the end of the three-year negative trend observed across most countries. Looking ahead, the future looks bright and the market is expected to recover gradually. Interconnection projects a CAGR of 5% for sanitary pipes and fittings from 2025 through 2028, reflecting a steady rebound in demand across Europe. From 2027 onwards, a period of stronger short-term recovery is anticipated, driven by renewed investments in infrastructure and sustained expansion in both the construction and industrial sectors. Overall, the outlook points to a favorable market environment, characterized by stable and growing demand, an increasing preference for high-performance and sustainable materials, and continued adoption of system-oriented solutions. 

Last year, more than 2 billion meters were sold in Europe’s Top 20 markets as the market for Sanitary Pipes & Fittings suffers by the declining housing market and other problems. The long-term growth trend remains intact and surface heating and cooling will become more important in the next few years. Regarding the material types, metal pipes will see its market shares decline from 18.2% in 2021 to 15.9% in 2027, as the latest study by InterConnection Consulting shows.

Radiator Connection Pipes Have, Are and Will Lose Market Shares

The Sanitary Pipes and Fittings market is segmented into surface heating and cooling, radiator connections, and hot and cold water installations. The market share for radiator connections is expected to decline from 25.5% in 2021 to 23.5% by 2027, driven by Europe’s shift to energy-efficient heating solutions. However, the surface heating segment may not see consistent gains across all countries. In Germany, for example, the number of radiators installed in renovations has increased recently due to cost and ease of installation, leading to a temporary rise in market share. Nevertheless, the long-term outlook for surface heating and cooling pipes is strong, with a projected market share of 36.5% by 2027 in Europe.

Plastic Pipes Are The Most Popular Choice

Plastic pipes hold a dominant market share of approximately 46%, with slight growth expected in the coming years. Multilayer pipes are the biggest gainers, projected to increase their market share from 35.3% in 2021 to 37.0% by 2027. Conversely, metal pipes are expected to decline in relevance due to rising prices for materials like copper and steel. Within the plastic segment, PEX (Crosslinked Polyethylene) commands the largest share, primarily used for surface heating and cooling systems, while multilayer pipes are favored for radiator connections and hot and cold water installations. Regional variations are notable; for instance, plastic pipes account for only about 11% of the market in Germany due to concerns over water quality, compared to 36% in the Czech Republic for the same application.

The Majority of Pipes Are Bought First by Wholesalers

Most companies prefer to sell their products through wholesalers and retailers, with indirect distribution channels dominating the market. In Russia, these channels account for 68% of sales, while in Poland, nearly 100%. The average market share across Europe is about 94%. This dominance is driven by the convenience of a “one-stop-shop” for installers, efficient supply chains in countries like Norway, and the strong market power of building product stores in Germany and Switzerland.

Producers of sanitary pipes and fittings should strategically pivot towards developing plastic and multilayer pipes, particularly in the surface heating and cooling segment, while considering regional preferences for these materials. Implementing customer loyalty and retention programs, alongside fostering direct relationships with installers, will enhance market share in this growing segment.

After a difficult year, the market for pipe fittings can expect robust growth rates again in the coming years. Overall, the industries sales increased by 2.3% in the top 6 European markets (Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, Poland, Benelux). For the next few years, Interconnection Consulting expects an average annual growth of 2.0% by 2020 due to a new published study.

Germany sets the Tone

The largest market for pipe fittings is Germany, which shows – despite the already large volume – an above average market growth. According to the Interconnection Study, the market volume is expected to increase by 4.4% this year. Around 6.000 additional pipe connections are to be set on the market. An even stronger upward trend is expected in France, where sales are expected to increase by 4.8% this year. Italy and Poland also have good growth prospects. Only Great Britain is slowly catching up with the Brexit ghost and is likely to record declines in sales this year (-0.3%).

Hot & Cold Water most Popular Application Segment

The biggest application segment for pipe fittings in the examined markets are hot and cold water installations. In Italy, this segment accounts for 78.2% of the market, Germany follows on the second place with a usage of 76.0%, UK has the lowest market share of 61.3%. In contrast, the usage of radiator connection fittings is correspondingly high in the United Kingdom, with a market share of 38.5%. Italy on the other side has the lowest share of 21.2%. A niche position is taken up by the pipe fittings in the area of underfloor heating and cooling. Pipe fittings are used in Italy (59.1%) and Poland (51.0%) very often for multilayer pipes. In the United Kingdom, most pipe connections are applied for metal pipes (51.5%) and in France plastic pipes are the highest-selling segment for pipe connections (52.8%).

Different Competitive Landscape

Across countries, the top 10 companies achieved a market share of 41.6%. The market concentration is the highest in the Benelux countries and in Germany. Big players like Wavin (NL), Geberit (DE), Viega (DE), KME (DE) are headquartered there. By contrast, the dominance of the top companies in Italy, France and Poland is significantly lower. This is mainly because these 3 markets have a large number of local production facilities and import only a small proportion of tubes. The decline in the market share of metal pipes is causing problems for metal pipe manufacturers such as Mueller Industries (UK) and KME (DE) as PVC and multi-layers are on the rise.