The Brazilian furniture industry is redesigning the map of its exports. The United States remains the main destination for the sector in the country, but saw its share fall from 28.3% in 2024 to 16.5% in the accumulated of 2026, dropping by almost half in two years. In the same period, Latin America, led by Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Paraguay, advanced from 53.1% to 64.5% of national furniture exports. The movement is even more advanced in Rio Grande do Sul, the largest furniture hub in the country: there, the United States has already fallen from 1st to 6th position among the state’s destinations, a picture of what could become a trend for the rest of Brazil.
The change reflects a combination of factors. On one hand, the increase in tariffs applied by the United States to Brazilian products since August 2025 has reduced the competitiveness of exports to that market. On the other hand, Brazilian industries accelerated their presence in Latin American countries, favored by geographical proximity, more efficient logistics, and prospects of expanding international trade agreements, such as Mercosur-European Union.
According to the International Director of the Furniture Industry Syndicate of Bento Gonçalves (Sindmóveis), Cleberton Ferri, the tariff hike is the immediate factor that explains the change: “no entrepreneur takes their foot off the United States on their own, unless a situation like this happens,” he believes. According to him, the speed of the measure forced industries to move quickly in search of market alternatives – a movement that, according to him, is already more advanced in Rio Grande do Sul, but tends to spread to the rest of the national industry.
United States loses steam, but resists in the lead
In 2024, the US accounted for 28.3% of everything Brazil exported in furniture. In 2025, the share dropped to 22.4%. In the accumulated of 2026 (January to May), the share fell to 16.5%, a drop of almost 12 percentage points in two years, even with the country remaining at the top of the destination ranking in all periods.
Despite the decline, the director points out that the United States will hardly cease to be a priority for the Brazilian furniture sector – after all, they remain the largest consumer market in the world. According to the director, industries may have taken “their foot off the gas,” but they haven’t stopped looking there: they maintain contact with buyers and continue making offers, betting that the tariff will drop or be renegotiated at some point. For him, this is a long-term strategy.
Latin America consolidates as the largest buying block
Although the United States remains in the first position, the distance to Latin American competitors has decreased sharply. Combined, Uruguay and Argentina – 2nd and 3rd in the national ranking – already buy more Brazilian furniture than the United States alone: US$ 74.4 million compared to US$ 54.3 million between January and May 2026.
Ferri’s explanation for the advancement of these markets is straightforward: none of the three has its own furniture production on a relevant scale and all are very close to the Brazilian market. Historically, these countries were already a constant presence among the buyers at Movelsul Brasil, which gave the national industry a proximity that quickly translated into more sales as soon as American demand receded.
Rio Grande do Sul: an indicator of what comes next
The behavior of Rio Grande do Sul, the largest furniture export hub in the country, acts as an early picture of what may become a national trend. In the state, Latin America already accounts for 82.5% of exports in the accumulated of 2026, well above the 64.5% observed in Brazil as a whole, and the United States fell to the 6th position among destinations, with only 6.8% of the total, compared to 16.5% in the national average.
New markets: Argentina, Venezuela, and still underexplored destinations
In addition to the destinations that already lead the new map, the market is betting on markets that are gaining ground again or remain underexplored by the Brazilian industry. Argentina, which was once one of the largest export markets for the sector in the past and had lost strength due to political and commercial barriers, is back on the radar. The favorable exchange rate helps, but the main point is the strategic and historical relationship between businesspeople from both countries, which has strengthened again with the change of government. “The expectation is that Argentina will not surpass Uruguay as early as next year, but will approach it quickly. This is already apparent in the significant number of Argentines registered to come to Movelsul, that is, qualified buyers looking for our furniture,” he highlights. Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Peru, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Bolivia, and Nicaragua are other Latin American countries already confirmed for the 25th Movelsul Brasil.
Product adapted to the Latin American consumer
Regarding the style of the manufactured products, adapting the elaboration of furniture to the Latin American consumer mainly involves size and measurement adjustments: smaller homes and families change, for example, the ideal configuration of a bedroom line. Brazilian design, however, is already well accepted in these markets, which explains, according to the director, how quickly sales grew as soon as exports to the United States lost momentum.
Movelsul reflects the sector’s new international strategy
The 25th edition of Movelsul Brasil, scheduled for August 17 to 20, 2026, in Bento Gonçalves (RS), arrives at a strategic moment for the sector, reinforcing the diversification of markets as a way to reduce dependence on a single destination and sustain the growth of Brazilian furniture exports in the coming years. With the growing interest of buyers from Argentina and other Latin American countries, business opportunities will be even hotter during the event.
Organized by Sindmóveis (Furniture Industry Syndicate of Bento Gonçalves), Movelsul Brasil is one of the main furniture (mass-produced and custom-planned), mattress, and upholstery fairs in Latin America, attracting shopkeepers, architects, interior and product designers, importers, and other specifiers from the national and international furniture sector.
