Brazil is a land of opportunities for US exporters. The two countries have great international relations and many of the goods in need for the South Americans are amongst the top produced and delt by America.
It goes way beyond final products such as final electronic devices (smartphones, home assistants, etc.), clothes, and tools.
In fact, Brazil’s economy leans heavily towards Agropecuary and Manufacturing Consequently, there is a running need to feed those sectors with commodities, machinery (and their substitute parts), chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides, among many others.
In this article, you are going to know Brazil’s top imports – overall and from the US –, what is the current situation of the balance of trade between the two countries, and tips on how to find buyers.
- The current state of US-Brazil balance of trade
- Brazil’s top imports in 2022 (until July)
- Brazil’s top imports from the US (until July)
- How do you find buyers in Brazil?
The current state of US-Brazil balance of trade
The Covid-19 pandemic impacted global trade operations heavily, and it will still take many years for it to fully recover. Even now, countries are facing complex challenges like semiconductor shortage and ports congestion.
That being said, we cannot look only from a pessimist point of view. As the borders reopened, companies and transporters worked hard to embrace the ever-growing necessities of consumers and industries.
A notable example of those efforts is how the balance of trade between the US and Brazil has been recovering. According to the US Census Bureau, the total value transactions in exportations (US to Brazil) in 2021 was U$ 46.9 billion – 35,73% more when compared to 2020.
And the 2022 scenario is as promising as it could be. The US/BR exports reached 31.8 billion in July, already 28,9% more than the same period in 2021.
Still not doing business with Brazilian companies? Don’t miss these opportunities. But first, you need to learn about the import requirements, check it out by clicking here!
Brazil’s top imports in 2022
Alright, now you have an idea of how the deals between the two nations have been increasing, in volume and value. The next step is to know what Brazilian companies and industries need, according to their most imported products overall.
Why not just go directly to the goods they bring from the US?
Well, you can focus on them, but then you might miss important trends. For instance, you can bypass opportunities to absorb demands that suppliers from other countries are not able to take in; or maybe you can notice early the rising necessities by analyzing transactions.
By being in touch with trends and having this analytical approach, you’ll certainly put yourself in a position to make better deals and pioneer the market.
Got it?
So those are Brazil’s top 15 imports in 2022 (until July):
Brazil’s top imports
| NCM Code | NCM Description | US$ FOB |
| 12019000 | Soybeans, whether or not crushed, except for sowing | 35.206.368.572 |
| 27090010 | Petroleum oils, crude | 23.147.178.071 |
| 26011100 | Iron ores not agglomerated, and concentrates | 15.819.619.623 |
| 27101922 | Fuel oil | 6.542.278.118 |
| 02023000 | Frozen bovine meat, boneless | 6.208.856.286 |
| 09011110 | Coffee not roasted or decaffeinated, in grain | 4.886.751.863 |
| 23040090 | Soybean waste, solid | 4.511.304.237 |
| 17011400 | Other cane sugar | 4.311.467.213 |
| 47032900 | Chemical wood pulp of n/conif., soda/sulfate, semi/bleach | 4.169.991.902 |
| 02071400 | Fowls spec.gal.domest.cuts and offal, frozen | 3.920.303.873 |
| 72071200 | Ot.semi-finis.prod.iron/steel, c<0.25%, rec.sq.cross-sec | 3.246.204.310 |
| 10059010 | Maize (corn) in grain, except for sowing | 2.918.091.442 |
| 15071000 | Crude soya-bean oil, whether or not degummed | 2.193.335.947 |
| 26011210 | Iron ore agglomerate by pelletizing process | 2.009.379.553 |
| 28182010 | Calcined alumina | 1.927.927.657 |
Brazil’s top imports from the US
| NCM Code | NCM Description | US$ FOB |
| 27090010 | Petroleum oils, crude | 2.711.801.142 |
| 72071200 | Ot.semi-finis.prod.iron/steel, c<0.25%, rec.sq.cross-sec | 2.346.717.349 |
| 09011110 | Coffee not roasted or decaffeinated, in grain | 1.006.192.944 |
| 72011000 | Non-alloy pig iron cont.by weight<=0.5%phosphorus | 767.706.824 |
| 47032900 | Chemical wood pulp of n/conif., soda/sulphate, semi/bleach | 600.510.993 |
| 88024090 | Oth.airplanes/aircraft,weight>15000kg,empty | 569.384.484 |
| 72249000 | Semi-manufactured products, of other alloy steel | 438.668.899 |
| 44091000 | Coniferous wood, continuously shaped | 313.684.877 |
| 84291190 | Other bulldozers and angledozers, of a flywheel | 302.519.968 |
| 28182010 | Calcined alumina | 299.474.844 |
| 16025000 | Prepared preserved edible, of bovine | 291.922.453 |
| 02023000 | Frozen bovine meat, boneless | 291.869.654 |
| 44123900 | Other plywood, veneered panels, thickness <=6 mm | 274.543.953 |
| 26011210 | Iron ore agglomerate by pelletizing process | 256.687.907 |
| 88023039 | Oth.airplane. turbojet,etc.7000kg<weight<=15000kg, empty | 215.051.288 |
Read also: 7 Key Steps to Doing Business in Brazil
How do you find buyers in Brazil?
As shown above, you have a lot of opportunities in doing business with Brazilian companies, but there is still a fundamental mission to be tackled: finding the right buyers.
There are a lot of elements to put in perspective, but from the start, you should self-impose the questions below:
- What is the market you are trying to enter like?
- How many possible buyers can you reach?
- Is there a demand for your product?
Those three simple questions will be enough to put you on track with the information to seek. And how to get them? The five places below might be a good start:
- Search on suppliers’ directories, like Oberlo, Alibaba, AliExpress, IndiaMart, Sourcify
- Do an Internet search
- Talk to other exporters
- Go to Industry events
- Use government pages, like Comex Stat
Finally, you can go even further using the power of global trade management platforms to help you have an analytical view in a centralized and organized fashion – without having to search, build, and query databases yourself. Be sure to check it out!
