Ship Machinery from USA to Brazil | Export Guide

Brazil buys American capital equipment across every sector: industrial machinery, agricultural and construction equipment, medical devices, oil-and-gas hardware, and technology. It is also, famously, one of the world's most demanding import environments — layered taxes, licensing systems, and documentation standards that punish improvisation and reward preparation.

AGF runs the US side completely and partners with veteran Brazilian customs specialists on the destination side — because on this lane, the shipment's success is decided in the paperwork weeks before the vessel sails.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Shipping Machinery & Equipment from USA to Brazil

The freight itself follows standard machinery logic: containerized when in-gauge, flat rack or breakbulk when not, 14–21 days on the water from Gulf and East Coast ports to Santos. The distinctive work is documentary: Brazilian import licensing (many machines require pre-approval), NCM classification agreed with the consignee's broker, and invoice precision to Brazilian standards.

Brazil's tax stack on imports — import duty plus IPI, ICMS, PIS/COFINS — can double a machine's cost, but capital-goods relief mechanisms (the ex-tarifário regime for equipment without Brazilian equivalents) can dramatically reduce it. That application happens before shipment, planned with the buyer.

Container/flat rack/breakbulk per machine dimensions
Import licensing confirmed before the vessel is booked
NCM classification pre-agreed with the Brazilian broker
Ex-tarifário opportunities flagged for eligible capital goods

What Drives the Cost

Brazil's layered import taxes — often exceeding the freight many times over
Ex-tarifário eligibility for capital equipment
Mode by machine dimensions
US inland and export packing
Licensing timeline built into the project schedule

HS Codes and Duty Notes

Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Codes are confirmed with the licensed customs representative at destination before you ship.

HS Code	Products	Notes
84 / 85 chapters (NCM in Brazil)	Machinery and electrical equipment	Brazil classifies under NCM (Mercosur nomenclature); the classification drives duty, tax treatment, licensing, and ex-tarifário eligibility — agreed with the Brazilian broker before shipping.
9018 / 9027	Medical and analytical equipment	ANVISA (health agency) registration requirements apply on the Brazilian side for medical devices — a consignee-side process to complete pre-shipment.

Regulations and Compliance

The tariff picture runs both ways

This guide covers US equipment going **into** Brazil, where Brazilian import duty and the ex-tarifário mechanism below are what matter. But if you also import from Brazil, note that the US side has moved repeatedly since 2025: a broad tariff in August 2025, agricultural exemptions in November 2025, then the Supreme Court's February 2026 ruling against the IEEPA tariffs and the surcharges that have applied since. Companies trading in both directions on this corridor have been repricing far more often than usual, and it is worth reviewing the return leg whenever you review this one.

Siscomex/RADAR — the Brazilian importer's license to import

Brazilian consignees must be enabled in the Siscomex system (RADAR license) with sufficient import capacity for the transaction value. Verifying the consignee's status is our first question on every Brazil shipment — cargo shipped to an unlicensed importer simply waits.

Import licensing (LI, moving to LPCO)

Many machinery categories require import licenses approved before shipment — historically the LI, which is being replaced by LPCO permits as Brazil moves imports onto its new single declaration, DUIMP; verify which applies to your goods with the Brazilian broker. License-before-vessel is the iron rule; we build licensing timelines into the project plan.

US export side

EEI filings and export-control screening (most machinery EAR99, with review for controlled categories) — the standard US export framework, handled as routine.

Ex-tarifário planning

Brazil grants duty reductions for capital goods without domestic equivalents through the ex-tarifário process — applications the Brazilian buyer files, with technical documentation we help assemble. On eligible equipment, it changes the entire project economics.

Door-to-Door Shipping Service

From US manufacturers and dealers to Brazilian plants: export packing verification, EEI and export formalities, the right vessel and equipment, and destination coordination with Brazilian customs specialists who live in Siscomex daily.

For complex projects, the pre-shipment phase is the service: licensing, classification, and tax planning aligned between buyer, broker, and freight before anything moves — the difference between clearance in days and cargo aging in Santos.

Ocean Freight Ground Transport Customs

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is shipping to Brazil considered difficult?

Because the import side is genuinely demanding: RADAR-licensed importers only, pre-shipment import licenses for many goods, layered taxes, and documentation standards enforced literally. None of it is a problem when planned — all of it is a problem when discovered after sailing. Planning is the product we sell on this lane.

How much tax will Brazilian customs add to my machine?

Brazil's stacked import taxes commonly add a substantial share of the machine's value, depending on NCM classification and state — but the ex-tarifário regime can cut duty dramatically for capital goods without Brazilian equivalents. The consignee's broker calculates precisely; we make sure the classification and applications support the best legal outcome.

How long does USA-to-Brazil machinery shipping take?

The ocean leg is 14–21 days to Santos; the honest timeline adds licensing and clearance — plan 5–6 weeks door to door for licensed, well-documented projects, and let the paperwork lead the schedule rather than chase it.

Machinery & Equipment is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.