The RPA surveyed 17 tubing manufacturers about the number of feet of tubing sold. Of those surveyed, eight (or 77 percent of the total represented tube sales in North America) responded. The 138.7 million figure shows an almost 14 percent increase over the 1998 figures. Though the figures show growth, there has been a decline in the growth rate shown in previous years.
The survey also found that 1/2-inch tubing sizes dominated the field and rose from 51.3 percent to 64.2 percent of all tubing sold, with a decline in all other sizes.