Wood and paper trade between LATAM forests and US mills — compliant, profitable, sustainable.

Forest products and paper are among the most traded commodity groups between the United States and Latin America, with growing participation from select African nations. The US is the world’s largest consumer of paper and paperboard, importing over $8 billion worth annually, while Latin America supplies roughly 40% of US wood pulp imports (USITC 2024). For US buyers, the region offers cost-competitive, sustainably managed fiber sources; for Latin American and African exporters, the US market presents a stable, high-volume demand base for everything from softwood lumber to tissue paper.

Navigating tariffs, phytosanitary regulations, and sustainability certification requirements, however, demands specialized trade advisory. Coppermont works with forest product suppliers and US buyers across the entire value chain—from raw logs and wood chips to finished paper products and packaging materials—to build compliant, profitable trade corridors.

Exporting Forest Products & Paper to the US

Latin America is the dominant foreign supplier of wood pulp to the United States, accounting for 43% of total US pulp imports in 2023 (USITC 2024). Brazil alone exported $2.1 billion in chemical wood pulp to the US that year, followed by Chile ($1.4 billion) and Uruguay ($680 million). These countries benefit from fast-growing eucalyptus and pine plantations, which yield high-fiber pulp ideal for tissue, printing, and packaging papers.

Beyond pulp, Latin American exporters supply significant volumes of sawnwood (Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia), plywood (Brazil, Ecuador), and wood chips (Chile, Uruguay). For African suppliers, the picture is smaller but growing: South Africa exports hardwood pulp and paperboard to the US; Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire ship tropical hardwoods like mahogany and iroko; and Kenya has begun exporting wood chips for energy and particleboard. US buyer types for these products include paper mills, packaging manufacturers (e.g., corrugated box producers), construction material distributors, tissue converters, and furniture makers.

Each buyer segment has distinct specifications—fiber length, brightness, moisture content, formaldehyde limits—that exporters must meet to secure contracts. Coppermont helps suppliers identify the right buyer segments for their product grade, prepare samples, and navigate US customs classification (HTS codes 4701–4707 for pulp, 4401–4421 for wood, and 4801–4823 for paper).

Importing Forest Products & Paper from the US

While the US is a net exporter of forest products overall, certain grades and specialty items are imported from Latin America and Africa to fill domestic gaps. For example, US tissue mills import bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEK) from Brazil and Uruguay because it offers superior absorbency and softness compared to domestic northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK). Similarly, US construction firms import tropical hardwoods from Peru and Ghana for decking, flooring, and millwork, as domestic sources of such species are limited.

The US also imports recycled paper and paperboard from Mexico and Central America for reprocessing into containerboard. In the African direction, the US imports cork products from Portugal (though not Latin American or African), but does bring in certain niche items like papyrus paper from Egypt and handmade paper from South Africa for the arts and crafts market. Coppermont advises US buyers on sourcing strategies: evaluating supplier reliability, verifying legal harvest certifications (FSC, PEFC), negotiating Incoterms, and managing logistics from mill to port to US warehouse.

Given the bulk nature of forest product shipments, freight cost optimization and container availability are critical—Coppermont’s logistics partners ensure consistent shipping lanes from Santos (Brazil) and San Antonio (Chile) to major US ports.

Regulatory and Compliance Overview

Forest products are subject to some of the most stringent US import regulations, primarily focused on legality, sustainability, and phytosanitary safety. The Lacey Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 3371–3378) requires importers to declare the species, country of origin, and legal harvest provenance for all wood products. Plants under CITES Appendix II—such as bigleaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) from Peru and Brazil—require an export permit from the country of origin and a CITES import permit from the US.

Failure to comply can result in seizure, fines, or criminal penalties. Additionally, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates the import of raw wood and wood packaging material to prevent introduction of pests like the Asian longhorned beetle. All solid wood packaging must be heat-treated or fumigated and marked with the IPPC logo.

For paper products, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) enforces lead limits in printing inks (16 CFR 1303), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA Title VI). Exporters must maintain chain-of-custody certification (FSC or PEFC) to access premium buyers who require certified fiber. Coppermont assists suppliers with Lacey Act declarations, CITES permit applications, and APHIS compliance documentation, ensuring smooth customs clearance.

Countries and Trade Corridors

Coppermont’s active trade corridors in forest products span the major producing regions of Latin America. In South America, Brazil is the anchor: the state of São Paulo and the southern region (Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul) host massive pulp mills (e.g., Suzano, Klabin) and sawmills. Chile’s Biobío and Los Ríos regions are centers for radiata pine and eucalyptus, with direct shipping to the US West Coast.

Uruguay has emerged as a top pulp exporter since the startup of UPM’s Paso de los Toros mill in 2023, shipping primarily to China but also increasing US-bound volumes. In Africa, South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces produce hardwood pulp and paperboard for export; Ghana’s timber industry, centered in the Western Region, supplies tropical sawnwood; and Kenya’s coastal region exports wood chips for energy generation. Other active corridors include: Peru (mahogany, cedar, and other tropical hardwoods from the Madre de Dios region), Ecuador (balsa wood for lightweight composites), and Mexico (recycled paper and pine lumber).

Coppermont maintains on-the-ground relationships with mills, exporters, and logistics providers across its Latin American corridors, enabling fast due diligence and reliable supply chain management.

How Coppermont Advisory Works

For forest product exporters in Latin America and Africa, Coppermont provides a structured market entry process. We begin with a market opportunity assessment: analyzing US demand for specific product grades, identifying target buyer segments (e.g., paper mills, lumber distributors, packaging converters), and benchmarking competitor pricing. Next, we conduct a compliance audit covering Lacey Act readiness, CITES requirements, phytosanitary protocols, and sustainability certification gaps.

We then connect qualified suppliers with pre-vetted US buyers through our trade network, facilitate sample shipments, and negotiate terms (price, volume, delivery schedule, Incoterms). For US buyers seeking reliable sources of pulp, lumber, or paper products, Coppermont offers supplier scouting, factory audits, quality control inspections, and ongoing logistics coordination. Whether you are a Brazilian pulp mill looking to diversify into the US market, a Peruvian hardwood exporter needing CITES guidance, or a US packaging manufacturer seeking consistent BEK supply, Coppermont’s bilingual team (English, Spanish, Portuguese) manages every step.

We have facilitated over $50 million in forest product trade since 2018, with a 99% customs clearance success rate. Contact us to begin your market entry or sourcing project.