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Selling clothing, footwear and textiles in Brazil

In Brazil, textile products are labelled under INMETRO's Portaria 118/2021, the Mercosur textile labelling regulation: maker and tax ID, country of origin, fibres by percentage, care treatment and size, permanent and in Portuguese. Footwear labelling under Portaria 459/2025 applies to manufacturers and importers from 31 December 2026. Neither needs INMETRO registration.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Regulator
INMETRO
Textiles
Portaria 118/2021 (Mercosur textile labelling regulation)
Footwear
Portaria 459/2025, making ABNT NBR 16679:2018 compulsory
Language
Portuguese
Registration
Not required for textiles
Footwear deadline
31 December 2026 for makers and importers

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is it a textile product under Portaria 118/2021? Read more
  2. 2Does the label show the five mandatory items, in Portuguese? Read more
  3. 3Is the label permanent, legible and at least 2 mm high? Read more
  4. 4Is it footwear, and does it meet Portaria 459/2025? Read more
  5. 5Do distributors and shops keep the labels intact? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Textile labelling

What a textile product's label must show.

  • Textile labelling rests on Law 5.956 of 3 December 1973, Decree 75.074 of 10 December 1974 and Portaria 118 of 11 March 2021, which approved the Mercosur technical regulation on textile labelling (INMETRO FAQ).
  • Mandatory items: the name, company name or registered brand and the tax ID of the manufacturer, importer or brand owner; the country of origin ("Feito no(a)", "Fabricado no(a)" or "Indústria" plus the nationality); the names of the fibres or filaments and their percentages by mass; the care treatment; and the size or dimension, where applicable.
  • The information is permanent, visible and in Portuguese, on a label, seal, stamp, print or similar.
  • Portaria 118/2021 does not require registration of textile products with INMETRO.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your sewn-in label against the five mandatory items and keeps the fibre composition test report with the product. Ask about this

How the label is applied

Size, legibility and permanence.

  • The information is fixed where the consumer can easily see it, at a minimum height of 2 mm, with equal prominence, legible, indelible and permanently attached (Portaria 118/2021, Chapter VI, items 16 to 22).
  • Care treatment follows NM ISO 3758:2013, by symbols, text or both, in the mandatory order: washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional textile care (Chapter VII, items 23 to 25).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the label artwork and its specifications with the product, so a retailer's question about size or permanence is answered from the record. Ask about this

Footwear labelling

INMETRO's new labelling rule for shoes.

  • Portaria 459 of 19 August 2025 makes ABNT NBR 16679:2018 compulsory for footwear.
  • Mandatory items: a unique identifier such as a GTIN; the brand registered with INPI or, without one, the company name and CNPJ; the country of manufacture (not a trade bloc or flag); the predominant materials of the upper, lining, insole and sole; and the Brazilian size.
  • The information is in Brazilian Portuguese; other languages may be added.
  • From 31 December 2026, manufacturers and importers supply only conforming footwear; from 31 December 2027, distributors and shops sell only conforming footwear.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your footwear labels against the Portaria 459 items, and shows which models are not ready before the 31 December 2026 date. Ask about this

Selling and market checks

Duties of shops and what follows a breach.

  • Distributors and shops sell only products that meet Portaria 118/2021 and preserve the product, labels, mandatory information, packaging, instructions and warnings, in physical and online shops (INMETRO FAQ).
  • Breaches of INMETRO rules can lead to the penalties in Law 9.933/1999, with fines from R$100 to R$1,500,000 (Article 9).
  • The Consumer Defence Code requires correct, clear and prominent information in Portuguese on composition and origin (Article 31).

How we help: Compliant Always answers retailer questionnaires on fibre content, origin and care from the record of each product. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ManufacturerThe label content and its permanent attachment.Labels and fibre test reports kept with each style.
ImporterIts tax ID on the label and Portuguese labelling of imported goods.The supplier's labels and test reports read and dated before the goods ship.
Brand ownerThe label where it is named on it.Labels compared against the mandatory items, style by style.
Distributor or shopSelling conforming products and keeping labels intact.Questionnaires answered from the record of each product.

States and municipalities

Under the Consumer Defence Code, the federal government, the states and the Federal District make concurrent rules on production, distribution and consumption, and together with the municipalities they oversee and control production, distribution and advertising (Article 55).

Health surveillance is shared: state, Federal District and municipal health authorities license food establishments and receive the communication of start of manufacture for many foods, and INMETRO's delegated state bodies (IPEMs) inspect regulated and pre-packaged products on the market.

Questions businesses ask

What must a clothing label show in Brazil?
The maker, importer or brand owner's name or brand and tax ID; country of origin; fibre names and percentages by mass; care treatment; and size where applicable (Portaria 118/2021).
Do clothing labels in Brazil have to be in Portuguese?
Yes. The mandatory information is permanent, visible and in Portuguese (Portaria 118/2021).
Do textile products need INMETRO registration?
No. Portaria 118/2021 does not require or provide for registration of textile products.
How big must textile label text be in Brazil?
At least 2 mm high, with equal prominence, legible, indelible and permanently fixed (Portaria 118/2021, Chapter VI).
In what order are care symbols shown?
Following NM ISO 3758:2013, by symbols, text or both, in this order: washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional textile care (Portaria 118/2021, Chapter VII).
How is the country of origin written on a textile label?
As "Feito no(a)", "Fabricado no(a)" or "Indústria" followed by the nationality, for example "Indústria Brasileira" (Portaria 118/2021).
What must a shoe label show in Brazil?
A GTIN or similar identifier, the INPI-registered brand or company name and CNPJ, the country of manufacture, the predominant materials of upper, lining, insole and sole, and the Brazilian size (Portaria 459/2025).
When does the Brazilian footwear labelling rule apply?
From 31 December 2026 for manufacturers and importers, and from 31 December 2027 for distributors and shops (Portaria 459/2025).
Can a shoe label show a flag instead of the country of origin?
No. The country of manufacture is named; a trade bloc or a flag may not replace it (Portaria 459/2025).
What must shops do with textile labels?
Sell only conforming products and preserve labels, mandatory information, packaging, instructions and warnings, in physical and online shops (INMETRO FAQ).
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Brazil?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Brazil and what your paperwork needs to show.

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