China’s Pipe Export Market Restructures, North Africa and Southeast Asia Become Core Growth Markets for Water Pipes

Latest statistics from the General Administration of Customs show that China’s total steel pipe exports reached 6.7417 million tons from January to July 2026, rising slightly by 0.25% year-on-year. Among them, seamless pipes for oil, gas and water projects accounted for about 2.05 million tons, representing 62% of total seamless pipe exports and serving as the main export category. Notable shifts have taken place in market structure. North Africa sees robust growth: China exported 119,800 tons of seamless pipes to Algeria from January to April, a year-on-year surge exceeding 337%. Algeria’s USD 50 billion infrastructure program continuously fuels demand for pipes in water supply and pipeline networks. Currently, the top five destination countries for pipe exports are Algeria, Thailand, Oman, Indonesia and Nigeria, together accounting for 34.42% of China’s total seamless pipe exports. Industry analysis indicates that China’s pipe foreign trade is upgrading from simple product sales to integrated delivery of pipeline projects and technical standards. Demand for water and municipal water supply pipes keeps expanding in infrastructure projects of emerging markets.