Brazilian timber is finding its way back into the US market after a run of tariff reversals in Washington \u2014 though only in parts, and on terms that remain uncertain.<\/p>\n
The latest step is a temporary tariff of up to 15% under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision that allows duties to be imposed for up to 150 days without Congressional approval. It follows a series of rapid adjustments that have seen tariff levels move between 10% and 40% in a matter of months.<\/p>\n
Not long ago, duties of around 40% had effectively shut Brazilian wood products out of the US market. That changed after a Supreme Court decision removed part of those higher tariffs, reopening the door for certain product categories. The current 10\u201315% range now allows some shipments to return.<\/p>\n
But the reopening is uneven. While a portion of Brazilian timber exports is again viable at lower tariff levels, several processed products \u2014 including mouldings, fencing and plywood \u2014 continue to face duties of 40\u201350%. For these segments, little has changed.<\/p>\n
The result is a market that has reopened in slices rather than all at once. Lower-value or less processed products are able to re-enter, while higher value-added goods remain constrained by tariffs that continue to distort pricing.<\/p>\n
The earlier tariff increases had a visible impact. Shipments to the US dropped, sales channels narrowed and production was scaled back. The shift to lower tariffs now allows part of that volume to return, although not to previous levels.<\/p>\n
What complicates the picture is the pace of policy change. Tariffs have moved from 40% to 10%, then to 15%, with different product categories treated differently along the way. The current structure reflects those overlapping decisions rather than a single, coherent reset.<\/p>\n
Section 122 measures are temporary by design. The 150-day window leaves open the possibility of further changes before exporters can fully re-establish trade flows. That makes pricing decisions, contract negotiations and shipment planning more difficult than usual.<\/p>\n
Even at 10\u201315%, the US market is not automatically competitive. Brazilian suppliers still face competition from producers in countries less affected by US trade measures, as well as from domestic supply. Higher tariffs on processed products also shift the balance back toward less advanced exports.<\/p>\n
For now, the adjustment is enough to bring some Brazilian timber back into circulation in the US market. But with tariffs still high on key products and the policy horizon limited to a few months, the recovery remains partial and conditional.<\/p>\n
The US has lowered the barrier. It has not removed it.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98273,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5204],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n