Brazilian pig iron, included in the US import tariff exemption list in November 2025, was not included in the new list announced by the US Trade Representative (USTR) on May 29.
Brazilian pig iron will be subject to a 25 percent import tariff in the US, raising concerns from the Minas Gerais Federation of Industries (FIEM) about the future of the sector.
According to Secretariat of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (Secex), the state of Minas Gerais exported 2.47 million metric tons (MT) of pig iron to the United States in 2025, valued at US$1.01 billion.
In the first four months of 2026, these figures amounted to 644,700 tonnes, valued at US$258 million.
In his statement, Fiemg said that The 25 percent import tariff has created uncertainty for local producers, especially in Sete Lagoas, the state's main iron-exporting city, where 85 percent of production is shipped to the United States.
Independent Brazilian iron producers also have plants in Espirito Santo, in the southeast, Pará, in the north, and Maranhão, in the northeast.
Brazilian authorities are in talks with the USTR, according to local press reports. to avoid exclusion of cast iron from the list of tariff benefits.
