Brazil Sold Less to the US in August and Earned More
BRAZIL · TRADE
Key Facts
- —The split Brazilian exports to the United States fell 17.3 percent by volume in August and rose 12.1 percent by value.
- —The volume The smallest August volume since 2021.
- —The tariffed goods Products facing United States tariffs of 25 to 37.5 percent fell 10.5 percent.
- —The source Comexstat data compiled by Amcham Brasil in its Monitor do Comercio Brasil-EUA.
- —Published 9 September 2026.
- —What it means Higher average prices are carrying the value figure while quantities shrink.
Brazil sold less to the United States in August and was paid more for it. That is not growth. It is a price effect wearing growth’s clothes.
Brazilian exports to the United States fell 17.3 percent by volume in August while rising 12.1 percent in value, according to Comexstat data compiled by Amcham Brasil and published on 9 September.
The Two Directions
Volume fell 17.3 percent year on year, the smallest August volume since 2021. Value rose 12.1 percent over the same comparison.
The gap is entirely a price effect. Brazil shipped materially fewer physical goods and received more dollars for them, because average prices rose faster than quantities fell.
Products subject to United States tariffs in the 25 to 37.5 percent range declined 10.5 percent.
Why This Reading Matters
A headline that says exports to the United States rose 12 percent is technically accurate and substantively misleading. Value growth driven by price, with volume contracting sharply, is a weaker position than flat value on flat volume.
Prices can reverse. The customer relationships and the logistics capacity behind a volume are harder to rebuild once they have moved elsewhere.
The tariffed categories tell the more direct story. A 10.5 percent decline in goods facing 25 to 37.5 percent duties is what a tariff is designed to produce.
The Data Itself
The underlying source is Comexstat, Brazil’s official foreign trade statistics system run by the development, industry and trade ministry. The compilation and framing come from Amcham Brasil’s Monitor do Comercio Brasil-EUA, published on 9 September.
That distinction is worth keeping. The numbers are official. The monitor is a chamber of commerce publication with an interest in the bilateral relationship, and its selection of comparisons is its own.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Brazilian exports to the US in August?
Volume fell 17.3 percent year on year while value rose 12.1 percent.
Is that good news?
Not straightforwardly. The value increase is a price effect. Physical volume was the smallest for an August since 2021.
What happened to tariffed goods?
Products facing US tariffs of 25 to 37.5 percent fell 10.5 percent.
Where does the data come from?
Comexstat, Brazil’s official trade statistics system, compiled by Amcham Brasil in its Monitor do Comercio Brasil-EUA.
When was it published?
9 September 2026.
Sources: Comexstat, Amcham Brasil.
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