Brazil’s tire trade balance shows the largest deficit in its historical series in the first quarter of 2026.

Brazil recorded its largest trade deficit in tires in the first quarter of 2026, a period that began in 1997. Data released by the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex) and analyzed by DATAGRO show that the negative balance reached 168,560 tons in the first three months of the year, already exceeding the deficits accumulated throughout 2021 and 2022. In March, Brazilian tire exports totaled 19,000 tons, a 7.28% decrease compared to the previous month. Despite the monthly decline, the accumulated volume shipped over the last 12 months showed a growth of 17.22%, totaling 249,310 tons. Foreign exchange revenue followed this trend: it reached US$ 97.22 million in the month, a 7.91% decrease, but accumulated US$ 1.27 billion over 12 months, a 16.49% increase. On the import side, the country received 77,410 tons of tires in March, an increase of 11.97% compared to February. Over the past 12 months, external purchases reached 747,730 tons, a 16% increase. According to DATAGRO, the average prices of imported products registered a slight increase compared to the previous month, but remain significantly below the levels of a year ago, especially in the cargo and passenger tire segments—which together accounted for more than 80% of the imported volume in the month. Among passenger tires, the average price fell 9.87% compared to the previous year, to US$ 2.66 per kilo, despite a monthly increase of 1.23%. Cargo tires, however, saw an even sharper decline: a drop of 19.46% year-on-year, to US$ 2.72 per kilo, even with a slight increase of 0.52% compared to February.

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.