A container ship sits at the port of Santos in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in mid-July. Brazilian exports to the United States totaled $21 billion between January and July 2026, down $2.9 billion from the same period in 2025, Photo by Isaac Fontana/EPA
Aug. 11 (UPI) — Brazilian exports to the United States fell 12.2% in the first seven months of the year, as U.S. tariffs that ranged from 25% to 37.5% weighed heavily on trade flows, according to data from AmCham Brazil.
Brazilian exports to the United States totaled $21 billion between January and July 2026, down $2.9 billion from the same period in 2025, according to the latest edition of AmCham Brazil’s U.S.-Brazil Trade Monitor. The decline brought Brazilian exports to the United States to their lowest level in three years.
The drop was even sharper among products subject to the highest additional tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, the report said. Exports of those products have fallen 31.5% so far this year to $3.2 billion from $4.6 billion last year.
“The figures show a significant loss of momentum in bilateral trade, with a more pronounced impact on products subject to the highest tariffs. As long as the current tariff environment persists, the trend is for trade between the two countries to continue losing momentum, to the detriment of both economies,” AmCham Brazil President Abrão Neto said.
Trade restrictions come from Section 232 of U.S. trade law, which covers national‑security issues involving steel and aluminum, and Section 301 of the trade law, which addresses unfair foreign trade practices.
The U.S. share of Brazil’s total exports fell to 9.4% during the first half of the year, the lowest level since the data series began in 1997.
Products that have recorded some of the largest declines so far this year include crude oil, semi-finished iron and steel products, beef tallow, plywood, doors, tobacco, softwood, granite, faucets and fruit juices.
Imports, however, changed course in July. After seven consecutive months of declines, Brazilian purchases of U.S. products rose a modest 0.6% to $4.3 billion.
During the first half of the year, Brazilian imports of U.S. products fell 10.4% to $23.2 billion.
With exports declining, Brazil recorded a $2.3 billion trade deficit with the United States from January through July, an increase of 122.3% compared with the same period in 2025.
While exports to the United States contracted, Brazil’s overall exports to the rest of the world grew 10.5% during the same period, reflecting a shift toward other markets, including China.