42 | Focus on South America: Brazil


Greenplac is investing in MDF production


Claudia De Conto, an official spokeswoman of Guararapes Painéis, said the company continues to operate normally across its three industrial facilities in southern Brazil. Placas do Brazil, another major local player


is also considering expanding its domestic MDF capacities. The company, which is located in the municipality of Pinheiros, in the north of the state of Espírito Santo, in the Southeast region of Brazil in recent years has increased its monthly production to up to 35,000m³ of raw MDF and 24,000m³ of coated MDF, and is planning a further expansion. The company is located on a site area of 665,000m², using eucalyptus as a raw material.


In March 2026, Placas do Brasil invested another R$50m in its factory in Pinheiros. Of this, R$25m was allocated to a paper impregnation unit for MDF boards. “In addition to adding value to our production, we will have much more productive efficiency, since the new line will considerably reduce our raw material losses. Therefore, there will also be a cost reduction, greatly increasing our competitiveness,” commented Luis Cordeiro, founder and chairman of Placas do Brasil. “Our plan aims to add value and vertically


integrate production. Raw MDF basically goes to the furniture industry, which manufactures products with lower added


value; now, we are going to enter a design line, with more value. But we won’t stop there; in 2026 we will inaugurate our own resin factory for our own consumption, an investment of more than R$25m, and paper manufacturing is already on the horizon. The paper we will use in the new line comes from Curitiba. We have great prospects for the business,” Mr Cordeiro added. Finally, for Eucatex, another major player with almost 80 years’ history, a further expansion in the domestic market will be one of the priorities for the current year. Paulo Freitas, Commercial Director for


the Furniture Industry and Wood-Products Resale segment at Eucatex, in an exclusive interview said the company was focused on expanding investments in value-added technologies, with a focus on market niches. “Future investments are always under


consideration and discussion. Demand for laminate flooring and doors in the Brazilian market is warming up, driven by a positive moment for the construction sector, and we will be ready should there be a need to increase our capacity,” he said.


He expects demand for panels in Brazil to


continue to grow. “The panel market has been growing year


on year. In my view, distribution channels for furniture and panels have evolved significantly, and this certainly adds value to the market.


WBPI | Summer 2026 | www.wbpionline.com


“In Brazil, there are currently many property launches with very small floor areas, which requires increasingly customised projects. A large proportion of these projects have walls clad with boards. “This contributes not only to the quality of the project, but also to panel consumption. We have been monitoring some impacts on raw material costs, but, in any case, the numbers for the real estate market remain positive across much of Brazil. In short, there are many opportunities for the segment.” According to Pablo Bittencourt, a chief


economist of the Federation of Industries of the State of Catarina - one of the centres of panels production in Brazil - the growth of export markets, coupled with the resilience of the construction industry in Brazil, supports the upward projection. However, he believes the main challenge will be associated with the slowdown in domestic demand for furniture. So, a significant part of Brazil panels output will be targeted for exports. Brazil is one of the world’s largest panel exporters with the annual value of its panels exports up to US$400m. In general, the wood sector is one of the engines of the Brazilian economy, with a 4.7% share of the country’s total exports in 2025. Among the major sale markets for Brazil panels are North America, the EU and China.


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