A list of important pipe materials in plumbing history must include clay, cast-iron, and copper. That is not exactly the order of their historical usage, as the earliest copper pipes in Egypt predate by far the earliest know application of cast iron pipes in Germany. Other materials were also common. The early Roman plumbers often used lead pipe. This has given us the word plumber, from the Latin word for lead, plumbum.
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Copper pipe was not commonly used until the mid 20th century, as modern manufacturing plants could produce it in affordable quantity. We also became aware of the dangers of lead poisoning, which caused lead pipes to fall from favor.
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Your thoroughly modern local plumbing contractor will still consider clay, cast-iron, and copper when selecting materials for your next plumbing repair or renovation. But your plumbing technician will also have a wide variety of modern pipe and tube materials from which to choose.