Key takeaways
- Women's woven suits, dresses, skirts and trousers (HS 6204) were US$57 million of the US$207 million Brazil bought from India in our categories in 2025 (UN Comtrade).
- Rugs (US$16 million) and ceramic tableware (US$17 million) are Brazil's other notable lines, mostly from Bhadohi, Panipat, Mirzapur and Khurja.
- INMETRO's textile rule wants the origin written as Feito no(a), Fabricado no(a) or Indústria plus the country adjective, in Portuguese, on a permanent label. Flags and trade-bloc names are not accepted.
- The India–Mercosur PTA covers about 450 tariff lines each way. Check whether your HS code is one of them before relying on a preference.
What Brazil buys from India
India reported exports to Brazil of US$207 million in 2025 across the categories Clear To Load inspects, 4% more than in 2024. Woven clothing is close to half of it, and most of that is women's wear. Brazil's other notable lines are rugs and ceramic tableware.
| Category (HS) | 2025, US$ million |
|---|---|
| Woven apparel (62), of which women's suits, dresses, skirts and trousers (6204) 57, blouses (6206) 8, scarves and stoles (6214) 5 | 92 |
| Home textiles (6301–6304): bed, table and kitchen linen (6302) 10, furnishing articles (6304) 10 | 21 |
| Ceramic tableware (6911, 6912), of which non-porcelain (6912) 14 | 17 |
| Rugs and carpets (57): tufted (5703) 6.5, woven and flatweave (5702) 6.0 | 16 |
| Worked stone (68) | 11 |
| Knitted apparel (61) | 9 |
| Steel and metal household articles (7323) | 6.5 |
The US$16 million recorded under seats (9401) is almost all parts of seats, not furniture; finished furniture under 9403 was under US$1 million. Woven apparel grew from US$79 million in 2024 to US$92 million in 2025.
Where Brazil's orders are made in India
Women's woven wear comes mainly from Delhi NCR, where Gurgaon and Noida are Towns of Export Excellence for apparel and Faridabad was added in the Foreign Trade Policy 2023. See dresses, kaftans and resortwear and scarves and stoles.
Rugs come from Bhadohi and Panipat, Towns of Export Excellence for carpets and floor coverings, and Mirzapur, added for handmade carpets and dari in 2023: see hand-tufted rugs and dhurries and kilims. Non-porcelain tableware is made in Bulandshahr district (Khurja), the Uttar Pradesh ODOP district for ceramic products and home of the Khurja Pottery geographical indication; see stoneware dinnerware inspection. Panipat is also listed for bed linen.
Portuguese textile labels under INMETRO Portaria 118/2021
Brazil's Consumer Defence Code (Law 8.078/1990, art. 31) requires product information, including composition, origin and risks, in Portuguese. For textiles, INMETRO Portaria 118 of 11 March 2021 adopts the consolidated Mercosur technical regulation on textile labelling. INMETRO lists what a textile product for sale must show:
| Required item | What the inspector checks |
|---|---|
| Name or registered brand of the manufacturer, importer or brand owner, with its tax identification | Your Brazilian company details exactly as approved, not the Indian factory's alone |
| Country of origin | Preceded by Feito no(a), Fabricado no(a) or Indústria with the country adjective; no flag or trade-bloc name |
| Fibre names and percentages by mass | Portuguese fibre names, percentages against the fabric test or mill certificate |
| Care treatment | Care symbols present, legible and suited to the fabric |
| Size or dimensions, where applicable | Size on garments; measured dimensions on sheets, throws and cushion covers |
The information must be permanent, visible and in Portuguese, on a label, seal, print or stamp. A removable hang tag is not enough on its own. We check sewn-in labels on sampled units against your artwork, and check that a label in Spanish for another Mercosur market has not been sewn in by mistake.
Rules that apply and the India–Mercosur PTA
For goods other than textiles, such as tableware, the Consumer Defence Code still asks for Portuguese information on the product or its packaging, including origin and any risks. Ceramics that touch food may need lab tests your buyer specifies; see lead and cadmium in ceramics. For dyes in apparel and rugs, see azo dyes and restricted substances, and for origin marking generally, country of origin labelling.
Trade agreement. The India–Mercosur Preferential Trade Agreement, signed on 25 January 2004, has been in force since 1 June 2009. It gives preferences on a limited list: 450 tariff lines on India's side and 452 on Mercosur's. A first additional protocol signed in September 2026 makes electronic certificates of origin valid. Ask your despachante aduaneiro whether your HS code is on Mercosur's list; we do not quote duty rates.
Working hours, reports and booking
India Standard Time is UTC+5:30 and Brasília is on UTC−3 all year, so India is 8:30 ahead. Our office hours, 9:30 am to 6:30 pm IST from Monday to Saturday, run from 1:00 am to 10:00 am in Brasília and São Paulo. Between 8:00 and 10:00 am your time we are still in the office, which makes a short call about a Hold easy to arrange.
The report arrives within 24 hours of the inspection, after supervisor review. A pre-shipment inspection costs US$249 per man-day: one inspector, one factory, eight hours. Travel is US$99 per man-day in Delhi NCR, free in Jodhpur and at actual cost elsewhere, such as Bhadohi, Panipat or Khurja, quoted before you book. See pricing, then book an inspection and attach your Portuguese label artwork.
Sources
- UN Comtrade: India's exports by partner and HS heading, 2025
- Planalto: Lei nº 8.078/1990, Código de Defesa do Consumidor (consolidated)
- INMETRO: what the textile regulation requires (Portaria 118/2021)
- INMETRO: how to indicate the country of origin of textile products
- INMETRO: main provisions of Portaria 118/2021
- All India Radio News: India and Mercosur sign first additional protocol to the PTA (14 Sep 2026)
- Department of Commerce: India–Mercosur PTA
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence
- PIB: Foreign Trade Policy 2023 announced (new Towns of Export Excellence)
- IP India GI registry: Khurja Pottery (application 178)
- ODOP Uttar Pradesh: Bulandshahr ceramic products
- timeanddate.com: India Standard Time