Brazilian Container Trade in 2026: China Gains Ground as U.S. Share Falls

Brazilian container trade grew during the first eight months of 2026, but the expansion came with significant shifts among products and trading partners. According to Datamar, exports increased 4.9% and imports rose 7.8% compared with January through August 2025. While meat, cotton and pulp accounted for a significant share of outbound growth, China increased its weight as a supplier to Brazil and the United States lost ground in both trade flows.

The results show trade expanding amid tariff changes and logistics uncertainty. All Datamar volumes and percentage changes presented in this article refer to January through August 2026 compared with the same period in 2025 and are measured in TEUs, the equivalent of one 20-foot container.

Brazilian exports grow on strength in meat, cotton and pulp

Brazilian export growth came with very different performances across products. Meat and cotton were the main contributors to the additional volume, with shipments rising 8.0% and 27.3%, respectively. Together, they accounted for about 70% of the net increase in exports. Pulp also gained ground, rising 13.1%, while food-industry residues and fruit advanced 53.6% and 15.0%.

The weight of these commodities points to the importance of agro-industrial supply chains in supporting Brazilian shipments. For cotton, the expansion coincides with a period of abundant supply: in its September survey, Conab estimated a record cotton lint crop for 2025/26. Datamar data also show stronger sales to China, India and Bangladesh, illustrating the role Asian markets are playing in absorbing Brazilian output.

The gains were not broad-based across the export basket. Sugar, paper, tobacco and plastics recorded declines in containerized exports. The contrast shows why higher overall volume does not automatically translate into better conditions for all exporters: performance depends on the cargo mix and the markets being served.

China and Europe gain ground as U.S. share falls

The contrast is even clearer when China and the United States are compared. Brazilian container exports to China rose 14.4%, while shipments to the United States fell 15.6%, according to Datamar. Pulp and cotton were among the stronger performers in the Chinese market. In the United States, wood and paper volumes declined, although meat shipments increased.

The shift comes as access conditions in the U.S. market have tightened. According to a July note from Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), new U.S. measures introduced additional tariffs that, when combined, reach 37.5% on certain Brazilian products, including wood products, furniture, footwear and apparel. Other goods, including meat, coffee and most pulp exports, were excluded from those additional tariffs and from the sector-specific measures cited in the note.

Different treatment across products helps explain why trade risks are not the same for every company. Even so, the performance of the first eight months cannot be attributed entirely to the measures introduced in July. In September, MDIC itself highlighted the difficulty of isolating the effects of the tariffs and determining whether the same cargoes had been redirected to other markets.

The data nevertheless show that other destinations helped support Brazilian sales. In addition to China, shipments to the Netherlands and Italy increased 20.4% and 25.1%, respectively. The gains come amid new trade opportunities: the European Commission confirmed that provisional application of the Mercosur-European Union trade agreement began in May.

Brazilian imports rise as China expands its share

On the import side of Brazilian container trade, the most significant change is the growing concentration of supply from China. The country accounted for 53.7% of Brazil’s imported container volume, up from 48.5% a year earlier. The increase in Chinese volume exceeded the net growth in Brazil’s total imports, offsetting declines among other suppliers. Imports from the United States, for example, fell 31.8%, largely because of lower plastic shipments.

Vehicles and auto parts led the increase in imported volume, rising 50.5%. Rubber advanced 37.4%, while the category comprising reactors, boilers and machinery increased 7.6%. These goods serve both consumption and industrial production, so the rise in imports reflects different trends at the same time: purchases of finished goods, component sourcing and supplies for production chains.

The automotive sector illustrates that combination. According to Agência Brasil, the government maintained its schedule for higher tariffs on electrified vehicles in June while approving a new zero-tariff quota for completely and semi-knocked-down vehicles.

Tariffs and conflicts keep logistics risks elevated

Greater concentration around a single partner also increases exposure to that market’s decisions. Beef exports are one example: Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture reported that China established a quota for the country, with an additional 55% tariff on volumes above the limit. On September 30, media reports said the quota had been fully used, with the additional tariff taking effect in October. The development adds risk for the months ahead, although it is not reflected in the January-August figures.

The expansion in Brazilian container trade is also taking place while conflicts continue to weigh on logistics predictability. In an analysis published by the United Nations, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) linked disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz to higher energy, insurance and transportation costs, as well as risks to fertilizer supplies. In the Red Sea, Maersk said in September that the return of specific services through the Suez Canal did not yet amount to a broader normalization of its network.

Argentina and Uruguay also expand container exports

Among the other countries tracked by Datamar, Argentina increased its exports by 17.7%, led by vegetables and wood, whose shipments rose 31.8% and 34.4%, respectively, while imports fell 7.0%. Uruguay recorded a 10.7% increase in exports, supported by wood and pulp, which advanced 18.5% and 63.0%, respectively, while imports increased 3.7%.

Imports | Jan-Aug | TEUs

Source: DataLiner – Explore our trade data.

Exports | Jan-Aug | TEUs

Source: DataLiner – Explore our trade data.

More volume, but cost and predictability remain in focus

This environment adds a dimension that volumes alone cannot capture: exporting more does not necessarily mean operating at lower cost or with greater predictability. In Brazil, Datamar’s data show the country’s ability to increase shipments even in a challenging environment, while also revealing where the main exposures lie: supplier concentration, restrictions affecting specific products and dependence on markets where access conditions can change.

Explore DataLiner data and track foreign trade flows by country, product, port, company and route.