Brazil’s container trade through May: growth holds, but second-half pressures are building

New data from Datamar’s Business Intelligence team show that Brazil container trade remained on an upward path in the first five months of 2026, even as signs of a more volatile second half began to emerge. Brazilian containerized exports rose 4% year on year from January through May, reaching 1,334,081 TEUs shipped abroad.

The chart below, prepared with DataLiner data, compares Brazilian containerized exports in the January-May period since 2022:

Brazilian Exports | Jan-May | 2022-2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Meat products remained Brazil’s leading containerized export cargo in the first five months of 2026, with volumes up 11.3% from the same period last year. Wood ranked second, despite a 4.7% decline in shipments, followed by cotton, which grew 24.3%.

China remained Brazil’s top destination for containerized exports, with volumes up 21% from January-May 2025. The United States ranked second, with shipments down 25.3%, followed by Mexico, where volumes rose 5.3%.

Imports keep moving higher

On the import side, Brazil container trade showed even stronger momentum. Brazilian containerized imports reached 1,531,102 TEUs from January through May 2026, up 8.7% from the same period in 2025.

The chart below, also prepared with DataLiner data, compares Brazilian containerized imports in the first five months of each year since 2022:

Brazilian Imports | Jan-May | 2022-2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Auto parts were Brazil’s leading containerized import cargo in the first five months of the year, with volumes up 42.7% from the same period in 2025. Plastics ranked second, with inbound volumes up 6.4%, while reactors, boilers and machinery slipped 0.1% year on year.

China also remained Brazil’s main source of containerized imports, shipping 21.3% more volume to the country than in the first five months of 2025. The United States followed, with volumes down 35%, while India ranked third, up 7.2%.

Why the second half may look different

Although the January-May figures confirm that Brazilian container movement continued to expand in 2026, the second half of the year is likely to be shaped by a new set of trade pressures.

On the export side, one of the main issues to watch is the possible exhaustion of China’s tariff-rate quota for Brazilian beef. Since meat products lead Brazil’s containerized exports and grew 11.3% in the period, any slowdown in shipments to China could curb the pace of growth seen so far, especially in the third quarter.

Another key risk is the new U.S. tariffs announced for Brazilian products. If implemented as planned, the measures could deepen the decline in exports to the U.S. market, which were already down 25.3% between January and May.

On the import side, recent changes to Brazil’s tax policy for electrified vehicles could also reshape cargo flows. Since July 1, fully built imported vehicles, known as CBUs, have been subject to the full 35% import duty, completing the tariff restoration schedule that began in 2024. At the same time, the government created a new temporary zero-tariff quota for completely knocked down and semi-knocked down vehicles, known as CKD and SKD kits, to encourage local assembly.

That shift could change the composition of containerized imports. Automakers are expected to gradually reduce imports of fully built vehicles and step up local production. In that context, auto parts have become even more relevant. They were Brazil’s top containerized import cargo from January through May, with volumes up 42.7%.

If manufacturers accelerate local assembly in response to the new rules, imports of auto parts, components, batteries, electric motors and CKD/SKD kits could remain strong, or even increase, in the months ahead. In other words, the tax change may not necessarily reduce overall container movement, but it could alter the makeup of imported cargo, especially on routes from China, Brazil’s leading origin for containerized imports.

A positive trend, but a more volatile outlook

Even so, Brazil container trade should continue to benefit from Chinese demand for other commodities, a recovery in industrial activity and the diversification of export destinations. For that reason, the outlook for container movement in 2026 remains positive overall.

Still, the second half is likely to be more challenging and more volatile than the first five months. The latest data suggest that growth is holding, but the conditions behind that growth are becoming less predictable.