Brazil Clothing Label Compliance: INMETRO Portuguese Labelling & Fibre Content

Brazil is Latin America's largest clothing market, but its labelling rules differ from both Europe and the US: every mandatory item must appear in Portuguese, the supplier identity must point to a responsible party in Brazil, and fibre content must be stated as percentages by mass. Non-compliant shipments can be forced into rework, returned, or pulled from retail shelves.

This guide covers the Brazilian labelling framework, the six mandatory items, the fine print on Portuguese wording and fibre percentages, care treatment and size, plus sampling and compliance review tips for shipping to Brazil.

1. The Brazilian Framework: INMETRO and the Consolidated Regulation

• INMETRO Ordinance 118/2021 (Portaria INMETRO nº 118, of 11 March 2021) — the consolidated textile labelling regulation, issued on 11 March 2021, which merged several earlier scattered labelling rules
• Scope — products made of at least 80% textile fibres and/or filaments by mass fall under the regulation (apparel, household textiles and many accessories included)
• Mercosur framework — Brazil's textile labelling technical regulation is harmonised within Mercosur, so brands also selling to Argentina and Uruguay can often use one shared layout
• Consumer protection law — Brazil's Consumer Defence Code requires product information in Portuguese and prohibits misleading wording, adding a second layer of obligation on top of the labelling regulation

2. The Six Mandatory Label Items

3. Portuguese Wording in Practice

Brazil recognises Portuguese only. English or Spanish may appear alongside, but Spanish cannot replace it — the two languages look similar, so many brands assume Spanish is close enough, and that is exactly what gets flagged as a missing item.

• Use Portuguese care phrases as consumers expect them: Lavar à mão (hand wash), Não alvejar (do not bleach), Passar em temperatura baixa (iron at low temperature)
• Introduce fibre data with Composição or Composição do tecido, and use Brazilian size letters PP / P / M / G / GG
• Portuguese uses accented characters such as ã ç õ á é í ó ú â ê ô. Care label layouts need a font covering them, and on woven labels you must confirm the jacquard can actually weave the accents, or characters come out broken or wrong
• Keep type readable: a common industry practice is a minimum cap height around 1.5 mm for composition and care text, so long as every mandatory item on the label stays clearly legible

4. Where Fibre Declaration Usually Goes Wrong

• Percentages that do not add up to 100% — the declared figures must total 100%, calculated from actual weighings at sampling stage, not replaced by approximations or ranges
• Recycled fibres left undeclared — when recycled polyester or recycled cotton is used, mark it as reciclado separately instead of merging it with virgin fibre
• Unclear handling of trim and lining — where ornamentation, lace or lining makes up a small portion, the label should state whether the declared composition excludes decoration
• Hang tag and care label disagreeing — the composition shown on the hang tag, main label and care label of one style must match exactly; discrepancies are treated as misleading labelling in audits

5. Practical Advice for Shipping to Brazil

1. Confirm the responsible party first — get the importer's CNPJ and registered address before any care label layout begins
2. Proof the Portuguese at sampling — make a physical sample with composition, care and size, and check it item by item against the regulation to avoid rework after bulk production
3. Let the care label carry compliance, the hang tag carry marketing — put mandatory items on the permanently attached care label or main label and keep the hang tag for brand story and selling points
4. Leave layout headroom for regulation updates — for styles whose composition or care wording changes often, reserve a spare line in the layout to keep reprints cheaper