Americas
Container Shipping from the UK to Brazil
Santos is Latin America's largest container port, serving São Paulo and the industrial southeast, with Paranaguá covering the south.
Container shipping from the UK to Brazil runs full container load to Santos (BRSSZ) and Paranaguá (BRPNG). There is no scheduled less than container load service to Brazil at present. Sea transit is 20–27 days port to port and air freight 2–4 days. We collect from any UK address and handle UK export clearance; customs charges in Brazil are not included.
Where we ship
Ports in Brazil
Full container load and groupage both go to Santos and Paranaguá. Select a port for its location, code and indicative transit.
- UK door
- UK port
- Santos or Paranaguá
Packed and sealed at your premises, then straight to the port — usually Southampton.
Less than container load
There is no scheduled groupage service to Brazil at present. Smaller consignments are quoted case by case — tell us the volume and we will say which option is genuinely cheaper.
Get a price for Brazil
The three modes are quoted separately — they are priced on different things entirely: a container, a cubic metre and a kilo.
Indicative pricing
Starting points for sea freight from the UK, not port-specific figures — the rate for your shipment depends on the arrival port, the sailing and the commodity. Customs charges, duty and taxes in Brazil are payable there and are not included.
| Service | From | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| FCL — 20ft General Purpose | £1,780.00 | per 20ft container |
| FCL — 40ft General Purpose | £2,820.00 | per 40ft container |
| LCL groupage | £92.00 | per cubic metre |
| Air freight | Please check with our team | per 100kg chargeable weight |
These are starting prices for the freight, not shipment totals. A groupage rate is what one cubic metre of cargo costs, so a 10 cubic metre consignment costs roughly ten times the figure shown. Figures are indicative, in GBP, and cover the sea freight from the UK only — customs charges, duty and taxes in the destination country are payable there and are not included. Your firm quote depends on the exact route, the cargo and the sailing.
What can you ship to Brazil?
Industrial machinery and spares, oil and gas equipment, scientific and medical instruments, automotive components and chemicals in packaged form move through Santos and Paranaguá.
Cargo needs to be palletised, shrink-wrapped and labelled with the consignee, because groupage is handled several times between your loading bay and the delivery address. Anything containing lithium batteries, aerosols, paints, solvents or compressed gas needs declaring at booking — it usually still travels, it just changes the packing and the paperwork rather than simply the price.
What tax and duty applies on import into Brazil?
Brazil taxes imports through a stack of federal and state charges rather than one rate, applied in sequence — import duty, then IPI, then PIS and COFINS, then state ICMS — so the total routinely exceeds the value of the goods themselves. Customs duty is separate and runs at Import duty typically 0–20%, before federal and state taxes, set by the commodity code of the specific goods.
Brazil is the most demanding market on this list and it is worth planning for properly. The consignee must hold a RADAR licence to operate in the Siscomex system before they can import anything at all, and an import declaration (DI) has to be filed against an NCM classification. Effective tax loads of 40 to 60% of CIF value are normal rather than exceptional, so quoting freight alone badly understates what your customer will actually pay.
What are the import restrictions in Brazil?
Four things are worth checking before you book rather than after the vessel sails.
What documents do I need to import into Brazil?
These cover the far end of the journey and belong to your consignee. We prepare and file the transport and commercial paperwork, but their own registrations are issued to them by their own authorities and cannot be obtained on their behalf.
What documents do you need in the UK to export?
A second, separate set of paperwork — and this one is yours rather than your consignee's. It is the part first-time exporters are most often caught by, because the destination requirements get all the attention and the British side looks like a formality until it stops a booking.
Duty depends on the commodity code of the specific goods, and rates change. This is general guidance, not tax or legal advice. Customs charges, duty and taxes in the destination country are payable there and are not included in our freight quote. Rates last reviewed .
UK to Brazil shipping: FAQs
How long does shipping from the UK to Brazil take?
Sea freight runs about 20–27 days port to port, and air freight 2–4 days airport to airport. Santos is the quickest sea gateway on this lane at around 20 days. These are indicative figures measured port to port; the transit for your exact collection address and delivery address, including the inland legs at both ends, is confirmed at quote stage.
Which ports do you ship to in Brazil?
We move cargo through 2 ports in Brazil: Santos (BRSSZ), Paranaguá (BRPNG). Full container load goes to Santos and Paranaguá. We have no scheduled groupage service to Brazil at present, so part loads are quoted case by case. Each port page lists its location, code and indicative transit.
Do you handle customs clearance for Brazil?
We handle the UK side: we file your export declaration with HMRC against your GB EORI number and raise the transport and commercial documents that travel with the shipment. Customs charges in Brazil — duty, import tax and any local clearance fees — are payable there by the consignee and are not included in our rates, unless you have agreed a DDP Incoterm that puts them on you. Budget for them separately; they are the most common reason a landed cost comes in above the freight quote.
What should I know before shipping on the Brazil lane?
Brazilian import formalities are document-heavy and unforgiving of inconsistencies between the invoice, packing list and bill of lading. Getting those three to match exactly before shipping prevents most of the delays seen on this lane. Cargo commonly moving on this lane includes industrial machinery and equipment, chemicals and specialty materials, automotive and aerospace components.
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Other countries we ship to and from
Rates and transit times for countries near Brazil — each one works as an origin or a destination.
United States
Import & export · Los Angeles
LCL from
£88.00
per cubic metre
12+ days
View lane
Canada
Import & export · Vancouver
LCL from
£85.00
per cubic metre
10+ days
View lane
Mexico
Import & export · Veracruz
LCL from
£88.00
per cubic metre
18+ days
View lanePlan the rest of the move
Shipping to Brazil? Get a quote.
Any country to any country, import or export — send us the origin, destination and cargo details and we'll come back with a competitive rate within one business day.