Talent, diversity, Brazilianness, and flexibility are some of the Brazilian advantages in the housing and civil construction segment. The strength of the construction industry and related services is noticeable in the architectural firms, the processed plastic products, lighting, handicrafts, ceramic tiling, furniture, non-ferrous metals, components and supplies for the furniture industry, equipment and services for retail, utility and decorative glass, furniture design, and ornamental rocks.

Brazil is among the top five countries in number of college-degree architects, together with Japan, Italy, USA, and Germany. The country ranks third in the world regarding the number of sustainable buildings.

The Brazilian ceramic tiling industry is the second largest international producer, and its ornamental rocks have the greatest diversity of granite in the world, known for its varieties such as the rare Blue Bahia.

The Brazilian furniture industry brings together almost 30,000 manufacturers, ranking the country as the world's fifth largest furniture manufacturer. Today there is a wide range of brands in Brazil that stand out for their innovation in products and processes,and for their  growing investment in the talent and creativity of designers. The components industry is so diverse that all furniture development stages are done domestically.

Brazilian plastic processing companies compete globally in technological innovation, such as the case with green plastic.

Lighting products exports grew 80% in 2013, compared to 2012. The countries doing most business with this industry are Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, Germany, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Peru.

Learn more about the productive sectors attended by Apex-Brasil.