Portuguese market consolidation continues

Jorge Vieira, President of APICER (Portuguese Association of the Ceramics Industry), highlights the main features of the Portuguese ceramics industry and the challenges it will be called upon to address.
The sector is made up of 49 companies, employing 3,543 workers and generating a production value of €406.6 million. Manufacturing companies are mainly located in the Aveiro region, which accounts for 76.8% of total turnover and concentrates 70.8% of the workforce.
Sales in foreign markets represent 58.6% of producers’ turnover, while the remaining 41.4% is generated by domestic sales.
Exports of Portuguese ceramics to the United States (10.2% of total value in 2024) have shown a relatively stable trend, despite the uncertainty caused by tariffs imposed by the US administration. For products subject to 15% duties, the tariff effect translates into an average increase of close to 8%.
As a highly energy-intensive sector, with natural gas as the main energy source (67.2% in 2024), the industry has adopted measures and implemented processes aimed at reducing its carbon footprint, particularly through investments in renewable energy generation.
However, Portuguese ceramics will have to face major challenges, given the excessively ambitious targets set by the European Commission in relation to the decarbonisation pathway.
The rationalisation of raw material consumption represents a further challenge, considering that natural resources are not unlimited and their use is an increasing concern for Portuguese companies.

Consumption of ceramic tiles has continued to grow, reaching 33.2 million square metres in 2024, with an estimated further increase of 3.6% for 2025. According to estimates provided by Prometeia, in a scenario characterised by extremely high uncertainty, the Portuguese market will continue its gradual expansion, exceeding 35 million square metres in 2026 (+2.6%), driven by growth in line with domestic sales (+2.4%) and imports (+2.9%).

Rita Pedro, Sales and Marketing Manager at Mantovani – one of the leading Portuguese ceramic distributors, with 2,000 m² of showroom space – outlines the current state of the distribution system in Portugal. Among the main challenges faced by the system is a significant shortage of skilled labour, which has a strong impact on some manufacturers. This is compounded by logistics and broader supply chain issues, affecting both efficiency and delivery times.

The Portuguese real estate market is currently very active, particularly in urban and high-demand areas, driven by both domestic and international buyers. At the same time, the market is under pressure due to rising construction costs, a lack of skilled labour and supply constraints affecting new developments.
2024 marked a period of “stabilisation” for the Portuguese real estate market. Although overall growth rates have moderated compared with the post-pandemic boom, the market has shown significant resilience in a context of higher interest rates and global economic uncertainty.
Construction investments in 2024 reached USD 25.4 billion, up +1.4% on the previous year, of which USD 8.7 billion was allocated to the residential sector (+3.3%). Prometeia’s forecasts for 2025 point to growth of +4.4% compared to 2024. The outlook for 2026 is also positive, with investments reaching USD 27.4 billion (+3.4%), including USD 9.5 billion in residential construction (+2.8%).
Looking ahead to 2025, cautious optimism prevails, fuelled by the potential easing of interest rates and sustained international attractiveness, balanced by supply constraints and affordability concerns. The market continues to evolve, increasingly favouring quality, sustainability and strategic location choices.

Elisabetta Trezzani, Partner at Renzo Piano Building Workshop, explains the many technical and expressive potentials of ceramics used on the façade of a residential project in Lisbon. It is a material that is resistant to weathering, impacts and corrosion. These properties make it suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications, ensuring long-term durability with minimal maintenance.
Moreover, it is easy to install on a wide variety of surfaces, as it can be shaped to adapt to different architectural forms and configurations.