Choosing a bitumen supplier in Brazil starts with one thing most foreign exporters get wrong: Brazil does not buy 60/70. It buys CAP 50/70, specified by the ANP under a Brazilian standard with its own test set and its own limits. Get the nomenclature and the certification right and the cargo clears. Get it wrong and the material sits at Santos while your buyer argues with the despachante.
ZUMRUT INT Co. operates as a bitumen supplier in Brazil through direct export shipments, supplying penetration grade material against the CAP designations Brazilian contracts actually name, with a batch certificate of analysis issued before loading and third-party inspection accepted at the load port. This page covers the grade nomenclature, the specification limits, port and logistics options, what drives the delivered price, and the documentation a Brazilian import needs.
CAP grades: the nomenclature every bitumen supplier in Brazil must use
CAP stands for Cimento Asfáltico de Petróleo — petroleum asphalt cement. The Brazilian system is penetration-based, like the European one, but the bands are set differently and the specification tests are not identical. This is the single most common source of confusion when a foreign supplier quotes into Brazil.
| Brazilian grade | Penetration @25 °C | Closest international grade | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAP 30/45 | 30–45 dmm | 40/50 | Heavy traffic corridors, airport pavements, hot northern states |
| CAP 50/70 | 50–70 dmm | 60/70 | The default grade across most of Brazil. Federal and state highways, urban paving |
| CAP 85/100 | 85–100 dmm | 80/100 | Southern states, cooler regions, surface dressing, low-volume roads |
| CAP 150/200 | 150–200 dmm | 160/220 | Rare. Cold-region work and specific emulsion or cutback base |
The overlap is not an equivalence. A binder meeting 60/70 to EN 12591 usually falls inside the CAP 50/70 penetration band, but the CAP specification also imposes Saybolt-Furol viscosity limits at 135, 150 and 177 °C, a minimum ductility and specific RTFOT retention requirements. If your contract names CAP 50/70, the certificate of analysis has to show CAP 50/70 tested against the Brazilian limits. A certificate reading “60/70 conforming to EN 12591” will be questioned. We issue certificates against whichever standard the contract names.
Other Brazilian product designations
Worth knowing if the tender uses them, because they appear in Portuguese-language specifications without translation:
| Abbreviation | Portuguese | What it is | International equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAP | Cimento Asfáltico de Petróleo | Penetration grade paving bitumen | Penetration grade |
| AMP | Asfalto Modificado por Polímero | Polymer modified binder, e.g. AMP 55/75-E | PMB |
| EAP | Emulsão Asfáltica de Petróleo | Bitumen emulsion — RR-1C, RR-2C, RM-1C, RL-1C | Cationic emulsion |
| ADP | Asfalto Diluído de Petróleo | Cutback bitumen — CM-30, CR-250 | MC / RC cutback |
| CBUQ | Concreto Betuminoso Usinado a Quente | Hot mix asphalt concrete | HMA / asphalt concrete |
In the emulsion codes, RR is rapid setting (ruptura rápida), RM medium and RL slow. The C suffix marks a cationic emulsion. So RR-1C corresponds broadly to CRS-1 in the ASTM system.
CAP specification: what the certificate must show
The ANP sets the CAP specification, and the test set differs from the European one in two ways that matter. Brazil uses Saybolt-Furol viscosity rather than kinematic viscosity, and it imposes RTFOT retention requirements that penetration grading alone does not.
| Property | CAP 30/45 | CAP 50/70 | CAP 85/100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penetration @25 °C, 100 g, 5 s, dmm | 30–45 | 50–70 | 85–100 |
| Softening point, °C, min | 52 | 46 | 43 |
| Saybolt-Furol viscosity @135 °C, s, min | 192 | 141 | 110 |
| Saybolt-Furol viscosity @177 °C, s | 40–150 | 30–150 | 15–60 |
| Ductility @25 °C, cm, min | 60 | 60 | 100 |
| Flash point, °C, min | 235 | 235 | 235 |
| Solubility in trichloroethylene, %, min | 99.5 | 99.5 | 99.5 |
| Mass loss after RTFOT, %, max | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Penetration retained after RTFOT, %, min | 60 | 55 | 55 |
| Softening point increase after RTFOT, °C, max | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Indicative limits based on the ANP specification for CAP grades and its subsequent amendments. Specifications are revised periodically — confirm the current version with the Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis or your consulting engineer before contracting. Road works specifications are issued separately by DNIT at federal level and by the state highway departments.
The two tests foreign suppliers most often omit
Saybolt-Furol viscosity. Most refineries outside the Americas report kinematic viscosity in centistokes. Brazilian specifications call for Saybolt-Furol seconds. The conversion exists but a Brazilian engineer reviewing a certificate expects to see the figure reported in the unit the specification names. Ask any bitumen supplier in Brazil for it at the enquiry stage, not after loading.
Penetration retained after RTFOT. This is the number that tells a buyer how much the binder will harden during mixing and laying. CAP 50/70 has to retain at least 55 percent. A certificate without it is not certifying to the Brazilian standard, whatever the header says.
Grade selection for Brazilian conditions
Brazil spans from the equator to a subtropical south with genuine winters. A binder that performs in Bahia will crack in Rio Grande do Sul, and a binder suited to Curitiba will rut in Manaus.
| Region | Conditions | Grade | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|
| North — Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia | Equatorial, hot and very wet year-round | CAP 30/45 | High pavement temperature plus heavy rainfall. Harder binder resists rutting and stripping |
| Northeast — Bahia, Pernambuco, Ceará | Hot, semi-arid interior, humid coast | CAP 30/45 | Sustained high temperatures. CAP 50/70 acceptable on lower-volume roads |
| Centre-West — Goiás, Mato Grosso | Hot, marked dry and wet seasons, heavy agricultural truck traffic | CAP 50/70 | The workhorse grade. CAP 30/45 on grain corridors carrying loaded trucks |
| Southeast — São Paulo, Rio, Minas | Subtropical, high traffic density | CAP 50/70 | Default for highways and urban work. Modified binder on heavy corridors |
| South — Paraná, Santa Catarina, RS | Genuine winters, occasional frost inland | CAP 85/100 | Softer binder retains flexibility at low temperature and resists thermal cracking |
| Airports, ports, bus corridors | Slow and standing heavy loads | CAP 30/45 or AMP | Standing loads are more damaging than moving loads at the same axle weight |
Where the temperature range at one site is wide — a southern state with 38 °C summers and near-freezing winters carrying heavy traffic — no single unmodified CAP grade covers both ends well. That is where AMP, polymer modified binder, becomes the correct answer rather than simply the more expensive one.
Waterproofing and industrial applications
Brazil’s rainfall makes waterproofing a large secondary market, and the grades used are different from the paving ones.
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Roofing and membrane
Oxidized grades such as 85/25 and 90/40, and SBS and APP modified membrane. Penetration grades are the wrong product for a roof.
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Basement and foundation
Bituminous coatings and membrane below grade. Critical in coastal cities with high water tables.
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Bridges and viaducts
Deck waterproofing under the wearing course, plus hard oxidized grades in joint and sealing compounds.
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Tunnels and hydraulic works
Bituminous membrane and mastic where hydrostatic pressure is a factor.
Ports and logistics for a bitumen supplier in Brazil
Brazil’s coastline runs more than 7,000 km and the port you discharge at should be chosen by proximity to the project, not by which is largest. Inland freight in Brazil is expensive and slow.
| Port | State | Serves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santos | São Paulo | São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Centre-West | Largest port in Latin America. Best liner connections, highest congestion |
| Paranaguá | Paraná | Paraná, Santa Catarina, western interior | Strong southern gateway, often less congested than Santos |
| Rio de Janeiro / Itaguaí | Rio de Janeiro | Rio state, Espírito Santo | Good for southeastern coastal projects |
| Suape | Pernambuco | Northeast | Modern facility, shortest sailing from the Mediterranean and Gulf |
| Itaqui | Maranhão | North and northeast interior | Gateway for the northern grain corridor and road programmes |
| Rio Grande | Rio Grande do Sul | Far south | Southernmost option. Longest sailing but avoids costly inland haul |
| Salvador / Aratu | Bahia | Bahia and interior northeast | Useful for Bahia projects and inland Sergipe |
| Manaus | Amazonas | Amazon basin | River access. Free Trade Zone rules apply and change the duty position |
Sailing time from Jebel Ali, Mersin or Bandar Abbas to the Brazilian coast typically runs 30 to 45 days depending on routing and transhipment. Suape and Itaqui are the closest; Rio Grande the furthest. Build the certificate of origin and legalization timeline into that schedule rather than starting it after the vessel sails.
Storage on arrival
Cargo often waits in a customs yard while clearance completes, and in Brazilian heat that matters. Drummed bitumen holds its specification for around 24 months in sealed packing stored upright, on pallets and under cover, but drums stored on their side in monsoon rain collect water at the bung — which becomes a boil-over hazard when the material is later heated. Our bitumen shelf life and storage guide sets out the storage rules and the retest thresholds.
The Brazilian bitumen market
Brazil has one of the world’s largest road networks by length, but only a minority of it is paved — which is precisely why demand persists through economic cycles. Federal and state paving programmes, highway concession renewals and the agricultural export corridors in Mato Grosso and Pará are the structural drivers.
Domestic supply is dominated by Petrobras refineries, which produce the bulk of CAP consumed nationally. Imports fill the gap when domestic output tightens, when a regional shortfall opens, or when import parity favours it. That gap is where an international bitumen supplier in Brazil competes — not on displacing domestic volume, but on covering shortfalls and serving buyers who want a second source.
Established distributors in the Brazilian market
Buyers new to Brazil should know the domestic landscape. These are established names, and in many cases the right answer for a Brazilian buyer is a domestic distributor rather than an import.
| Company | Focus | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stratura Asfaltos | CAP, modified binders, emulsions | Long-established, national production footprint and technical support |
| CBB Asfaltos | Asphalt cement, cutbacks, emulsions | Broad distribution with its own technology centre |
| Anchieta Química | Asphalt, waterproofing materials, sealants | Operating since 1966, also exports within Mercosur |
| ZUMRUT INT Co. | Imported CAP, oxidized grades, emulsion, cutback | Export supply from Jebel Ali, Mersin and Bandar Abbas with batch COA against the named standard |
We list competitors because a buyer researching the market will find them anyway, and because we would rather be judged on where we genuinely compete: covering a shortfall, offering a second source, or supplying a grade or packing a domestic producer does not hold.
What drives the delivered price in Brazil
The FOB quotation is only part of the landed cost, and Brazilian import charges are heavier than most markets. Compare on landed cost, not on FOB.
| Cost component | Moves with | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base bitumen price | Crude and vacuum bottom | The largest single component. Tracks crude with a lag |
| Ocean freight | Vessel availability, routing | Long haul to Brazil. Moves independently of crude |
| Packing | Drum, jumbo bag or bulk | Drums carry a real cost per tonne. Bulk is cheaper if you have heated discharge |
| Import duty | NCM classification | Bitumen falls under NCM 2713.20.00. Confirm the current rate with your broker |
| ICMS and federal taxes | State of entry, importer status | ICMS is a state tax and rates vary by state. Often the largest surprise for new importers |
| Port and inland freight | Discharge port, distance to site | Brazilian inland haulage is expensive. Choosing the right port matters more than it does elsewhere |
| Exchange rate | BRL against USD | Bitumen is priced in dollars. Real exposure on a 45-day sailing |
Among the grades, CAP 50/70 is the benchmark because it is the highest-volume product and the base other grades price against. Harder and softer grades carry a differential. Cutback prices follow the solvent as much as the bitumen. Indicative levels are on our bitumen price page.
Importing bitumen into Brazil: documentation
Brazil does not operate a pre-shipment conformity scheme of the kind Nigeria or Kenya use, so there is no CoC to obtain before sailing. The requirements are customs and tax rather than certification, and they are administered through Siscomex.
| Document | Issued by | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | Seller | Value, parties, Incoterm, NCM code |
| Packing list | Seller | Drum count, net and gross weight, container and seal numbers |
| Bill of lading | Shipping line | Title and contract of carriage |
| Certificate of origin | Chamber of commerce at origin | Country of production; determines duty treatment |
| Certificate of analysis | Producer QC or independent lab | Batch conformity to the named CAP specification |
| FISPQ (safety data sheet) | Producer | Hazard information. Brazil expects it in Portuguese |
| Inspection certificate | SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek | Independent quality and quantity verification at loading |
| Import declaration (DI) | Importer via Siscomex | Customs clearance |
The safety data sheet in Brazil is the FISPQ — Ficha de Informações de Segurança de Produtos Químicos — and it is expected in Portuguese to the Brazilian standard format, not simply an English SDS. We supply it with the booking.
Why choose ZUMRUT as your bitumen supplier in Brazil
Payment terms are 30% by TT in advance with the balance settled against a copy of the bill of lading, and an irrevocable letter of credit at sight for repeat contracts. That structure secures production while protecting the buyer, because the balance falls due only once the cargo is on the water and documented.
- Certification against the standard your contract names, whether that is the ANP CAP specification, ASTM D946 or EN 12591. Say which at the enquiry stage.
- Batch COA before loading, with the lot number and production date stated, not a generic typical-values sheet.
- Third-party inspection accepted at the load port by SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek or the surveyor you name.
- New sealed steel drums rather than reconditioned, with a stuffing photo set and recorded seal numbers.
- Packing to suit the discharge point — 180 kg and 200 kg drums, 300 kg jumbo bags, or bulk bitutainer where heated facilities exist.
- Minimum order 100 MT, roughly seven 20-foot containers of drummed product or five bitutainers. Mixed grades accepted where each grade fills a container.
Frequently asked questions about choosing a bitumen supplier in Brazil
What bitumen grade is used in Brazil?
CAP 50/70 is the default across most of the country and the highest-volume grade. CAP 30/45 is used in hot northern and northeastern states and on heavy-traffic corridors, and CAP 85/100 in the cooler southern states. CAP stands for Cimento Asfáltico de Petróleo and the grading is penetration based.
Is CAP 50/70 the same as bitumen 60/70?
They overlap but they are not the same specification. Most 60/70 material falls inside the CAP 50/70 penetration band of 50 to 70 dmm, but the Brazilian specification also imposes Saybolt-Furol viscosity limits, a minimum ductility and RTFOT retention requirements that European penetration grading does not. If a contract names CAP 50/70, the certificate must show CAP 50/70 tested against the Brazilian limits.
Who regulates bitumen specifications in Brazil?
The ANP, the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, sets the product specification for CAP and other asphalt products. Road works specifications are issued separately by DNIT at federal level and by each state highway department, and those documents are what a project actually cites.
How do I choose a bitumen supplier in Brazil?
Compare on landed cost rather than FOB price, because Brazilian import duty, ICMS and inland freight change the picture substantially. Then check three things on the supply side: that the certificate names the CAP specification rather than a European equivalent, that it carries a batch number and production date, and that the supplier accepts third-party inspection at loading. A domestic distributor is often the right answer; an import makes sense for covering shortfalls or securing a second source.
Which port should I discharge at?
Choose by proximity to the project rather than by port size, because Brazilian inland freight is expensive. Santos for São Paulo and the Centre-West, Paranaguá for the south, Suape or Itaqui for the northeast and north, Rio Grande for the far south. Suape and Itaqui also have the shortest sailing from the Mediterranean and the Gulf.
Does Brazil require a pre-shipment certificate of conformity?
No. Brazil does not operate a PVoC or CoC scheme like Nigeria, Kenya or Saudi Arabia. The requirements are customs and tax based, administered through Siscomex, and the buyer’s despachante handles clearance. What matters on the supply side is a proper batch certificate of analysis against the named specification and a FISPQ in Portuguese.
What is the HS or NCM code for bitumen in Brazil?
Petroleum bitumen falls under NCM 2713.20.00, which follows HS heading 2713.20 under the Mercosur Common Nomenclature. Bitumen emulsion and cutback fall under 2715.00. Confirm the full code and the current duty rate with your customs broker before contracting.
How long is the sailing time to Brazil?
Typically 30 to 45 days from Jebel Ali, Mersin or Bandar Abbas, depending on routing and transhipment. Suape and Itaqui are shortest, Rio Grande longest. The bill of lading is issued three to seven days after sailing and the certificate of origin follows two to five days after that, so plan document timing against the voyage rather than after it.
What is AMP bitumen in Brazilian specifications?
AMP is Asfalto Modificado por Polímero, the Brazilian designation for polymer modified binder, written in the form AMP 55/75-E where the numbers refer to the softening point range and elastic recovery class. It is specified where a single unmodified CAP grade cannot cover both the high and low temperature ends, typically on heavy corridors in the south.
Can you supply oxidized bitumen and emulsion to Brazil?
Yes. Alongside CAP grades we ship oxidized bitumen for waterproofing and industrial use, cationic and anionic emulsion corresponding to the RR, RM and RL designations, cutback grades matching CM and CR, and SBS and APP membrane.
What are your payment terms?
30% by TT in advance with the balance settled against a copy of the bill of lading, and an irrevocable letter of credit at sight for repeat contracts. The balance falls due only once the cargo is on the water and documented, so the buyer is not paying in full against an undelivered shipment.
What is the minimum order quantity?
100 MT, roughly seven 20-foot containers of drummed product or five bulk bitutainers. Packing options are 180 kg and 200 kg new steel drums, 300 kg jumbo bags and bulk bitutainer. Mixed grades in one shipment are accepted provided each grade reaches one full container.
Do you provide documents in Portuguese?
The FISPQ safety data sheet is supplied in Portuguese to the Brazilian format. Commercial documents are issued in English as standard, which is accepted for customs clearance, with Portuguese versions available where a buyer or a tender requires them.
Reference sources
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Product specification
CAP grades are specified by the ANP, Brazil’s national petroleum regulator.
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Road works standards
Federal road specifications are published by DNIT; state highway departments issue their own.
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Test methods
Penetration, softening point, ductility and RTFOT methods are maintained by ASTM International.
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Grade cross-reference
Our bitumen grade equivalence chart maps CAP, penetration, VG, PG and AC systems against each other.
Other markets we supply
Country-level supply detail and discharge port options for every market we ship to are in the global bitumen supply guide. See also our pages for South Africa, Iraq, Nigeria and the Philippines.
Specifications
Bitumen 60/70 — equivalent to CAP 50/70
| Bitumen 60/70 | Test method | Unit | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specific gravity @ 25°C | ASTM D70 | Kg/cm3 | 1.01/1.06 |
| Penetration @ 25°C | ASTM D5 | mm/10 | 60/70 |
| Softening point °C | ASTM D36 | °C | 49/56 |
| Ductility @25 °C | ASTM D113 | cm | 100 min |
| Loss on heating(wt) % | ASTM D6 | wt % | 0.2 max |
| Drop in penetration after heating % | ASTM D5-D6 | % | 20 max |
| Flashpoint °C | ASTM D92 | °C | 232 min |
| Solubility in Trichloroethylene | ASTM D2042 | wt % | 99 min |
| Spot test | A.A.S.H.O.T102 | Negative |
Bitumen 80/100 — equivalent to CAP 85/100
| Bitumen 80/100 | Test method | Unit | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specific gravity @ 25°C | ASTM D70 | Kg/cm3 | 1.01/1.06 |
| Penetration @ 25°C | ASTM D5 | mm/10 | 80/100 |
| Softening point °C | ASTM D36 | °C | 42/50 |
| Ductility @25 °C | ASTM D113 | cm | 100 min |
| Loss on heating(wt) % | ASTM D6 | wt % | 0.2 max |
| Drop in penetration after heating % | ASTM D5-D6 | % | 20 max |
| Flashpoint °C | ASTM D92 | °C | 250 min |
| Solubility in CS2(wt) % | ASTM D4 | wt % | 99.5 min |
| Spot test | A.A.S.H.O.T102 | Negative |
Bitumen 40/50 — equivalent to CAP 30/45
| Bitumen 40/50 | Test method | Unit | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specific gravity @ 25°c | ASTM D70 | Kg/cm3 | 1.01/1.06 |
| Penetration @ 25°c | ASTM D5 | mm/10 | 40/50 |
| Softening point °c | ASTM D36 | °C | 52/60 |
| Ductility @25 °c | ASTM D113 | cm | 100 min |
| Loss on heating(wt) % | ASTM D6 | wt % | 0.2 max |
| Drop in penetration after heating % | ASTM D5-D6 | % | 20 max |
| Flash point °c | ASTM D92 | °C | 250 min |
| Solubility is CS2(wt) % | ASTM D4 | wt % | 99.5 min |
| Spot test | A.A.S.H.O.T102 | _____ | Negative |
Contact your bitumen supplier in Brazil
Send us the grade as your contract names it, the quantity, the packing and the discharge port. We will confirm what the certificate of analysis will state, quote FOB, CFR or CIF, and tell you honestly if a different grade suits the region better than the one specified.
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