Importing Steel from China to Brazil: Duties, Anti-Dumping and Landed Cost
Verified 2026-10-29 against official Brazilian and WTO sources. Brazil has no free trade agreement with China, so the MERCOSUR Common External Tariff (TEC) applies — plus anti-dumping duties on most Chinese flat steel.
Import duty (Imposto de Importação) on steel
| NCM heading | Product group | Standard II rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7208 | Hot-rolled flat, non-alloy (HRC, plate) | 10.8–12% | Raised to 25% on selected lines (e.g. 7208.37.00, 7208.38.90, 7208.39.10) by GECEX, 12-month measures |
| 7209 | Cold-rolled flat | 12% | — |
| 7210 / 7212 | Coated flat (galvanised, prepainted) | 12% | Prepainted from China also carries definitive anti-dumping (see below) |
| 7213–7215 | Bars, rods, wire rod | 10–12% | — |
| 7216 | Sections (angle, channel, beam) | 12% | — |
| 7225 | Alloy flat (incl. wear plate, electrical steel) | 12% | Grain-oriented electrical steel (7225.11.00) raised 12.6% → 25%; pickled HRC lines (7208.26.90/27.90) raised 10.8% → 25% |
| 7226 | Alloy flat, cut lengths | 12% | Where NM / high-strength plate is typically classified |
| 7303 / 7304 / 7306 | Tubes and pipes | 12% | OCTG / line pipe from China carry anti-dumping of US$340–743/t |
| 7308 | Steel structures | 12% | — |
Sources: GECEX/Camex resolutions as reported by Brazil's Foreign Trade Chamber (Jan 2026) and MOFCOM country briefs; MERCOSUR TEC. Confirm your exact 8-digit NCM line with a customs broker — Brazil's GECEX revises steel lines frequently.
Anti-dumping measures on Chinese steel (in force)
| Product | NCM | Duty | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot-rolled flat from China | 7208 | US$ 211.56 / t | Since 2019; renewed after 2025 sunset review |
| Cold-rolled flat from China | 7209 | US$ 211.56 / t | Since 2019; renewed 2025 |
| Prepainted steel from China & India | 7210.70 | — (rate varies by producer) | Definitive 5-year duties confirmed by GECEX, Jan 2026 |
| OCTG and line pipe from China | 7304 / 7306 | US$ 340.42–743.09 / t | In force, producer-specific |
| Steel wire rod from China | 7213 | — | Producer-specific duties in force |
What this means for wear plate buyers: heat-treated wear plate (NM400–NM500) and QT high-strength plate normally classify under 7225/7226 rather than 7208, so the US$211.56/t hot-rolled duty does not automatically attach — but classification depends on the exact delivery condition and dimensions. We confirm the NCM line with our Brazilian customs partner before every quotation.
The full landed-cost cascade
Brazil stacks several charges on top of the II, each calculated on the previous total:
| Charge | Typical level | Base |
|---|---|---|
| II — import duty | 12% (selected lines 25%) | CIF value |
| IPI — industrialised products tax | 0–15% by product | CIF + II |
| PIS/COFINS-Importação | 9.25% combined | CIF + II + IPI |
| ICMS — state VAT | ≈17–18% (varies by state) | cumulative base incl. above |
| AFRMM — merchant marine fund | 25% of ocean freight | freight value |
| SISCOMEX / DUIMP fee | R$ 185 + R$ 29.5 per extra NCM | per declaration |
Rule of thumb for 2026: on flat steel at the standard 12% II, non-recoverable import charges roughly add a mid-teens percentage on top of the duty itself. Companies with Brazilian tax registration typically recover IPI and PIS/COFINS as credits; ICMS recovery depends on the state and resale chain.
Documentation that matters
- Commercial invoice and packing list consistent with the BL — Brazil fines misdeclared weights hard.
- Certificate of origin: China–Brazil has no FTA, so no preferential certificate exists; a standard C/O (e.g. CCPIT) is used for statistics and banking.
- Mill test certificate: Brazilian converters expect the original MTC per heat for grade verification.
- Wood packaging ISPM 15 stamping is enforced.
Official sources for this page
- Camex / GECEX resolutions — import-duty increases and anti-dumping determinations (gov.br)
- Receita Federal — TEC/NCM duty lookup (gov.br)
- WTO Tariff Download Facility — applied MFN rates
Gazette references for each row are maintained with our Brazilian customs partner; portal links let you re-verify every figure at the source.
Change log — what moved, and when
| Date | Change (source: GECEX/Camex via official gazette) |
|---|---|
| 2026-01-28 | GECEX raised import duty to 25% on nine steel categories (12-month measure) and confirmed five-year anti-dumping on prepainted steel from China and India. |
| 2026-02 | Grain-oriented electrical steel (7225.11.00) raised 12.6% → 25%; pickled hot-rolled lines (7208.26.90 / 7208.27.90) raised 10.8% → 25%. |
| 2025-06 | GECEX raised 19 NCM lines to 25%, incl. 7208.37.00, 7208.38.90 and 7208.39.10 (HKTDC Research country brief). |
| 2025 | Sunset review completed: anti-dumping on Chinese hot-rolled (7208) and cold-rolled (7209) flat maintained at US$211.56/t. |
Brazil steel tariff FAQ
Does the China–Brazil FTA exist?
No. Negotiations have been discussed for years but no agreement is in force (unlike the EU–Mercosur deal, which covers European — not Chinese — origin). Chinese steel pays the full MERCOSUR TEC rate.
Is the 25% rate applied to all Brazilian steel imports?
No. The 25% figures are GECEX measures on specific NCM lines (for example certain hot-rolled and electrical-steel lines), usually for 12-month periods. Most steel lines remain at the standard TEC rate of about 12%. Check the exact NCM line before quoting.
How much is the anti-dumping duty on Chinese HRC/CRC exactly?
US$211.56 per metric tonne, ad valorem equivalent varies with price (at a US$600/t CIF price that is roughly 35% extra). It was renewed after the 2025 sunset review and remains in force as of our 2026-10-29 verification.
Can I avoid anti-dumping by shipping via a third country?
No — rebadging or minor processing in a third country is circumvention and Brazil's customs (and China's export rules) treat it as such. Genuine substantial transformation with origin change is a legal question for customs counsel, not a routing decision.
来源与核实说明
- 1Receita Federal do Brasil — TEC import tariff schedule
- 2Comex Stat — Brazilian foreign trade statistics (MDIC)
- 3WTO Tariff Download Facility
- 4MDIC/DECOM — Brazilian trade-remedy decisions (CAMEX/GECEX resolutions)
本页数据已于 2026-10-29 对照下列官方来源逐项核实，并每月滚动复核更新，每次复核日期见本页标注。
