In the mineral trade, the margin lives in the clauses.
Iron ore deals are settled in the contract, not on the price screen. Base price, reference index, grade and moisture tolerances, penalties, sampling rules and payment terms determine how much each side actually receives or pays. Whether you are the Brazilian exporter or the buyer abroad, the margin lives in the clauses — and that is where it is quietly won or lost.
Our role is to structure and negotiate that contract from your specific position: on the seller's side, protecting the receivable and containing deductions; on the buyer's side, securing the contracted quality and keeping penalties balanced. In either case the aim is the same — clear measurement criteria, predictable settlement, and dispute mechanisms that work before a disagreement turns into a loss.
The anatomy of a mineral contract
Before price comes structure: the type of contract, the committed volume, exclusivity and the way to resolve deadlock define the balance of the operation over years.
Quality is proven twice
In ore transactions, price is a function of grade — and grade is a claim that must be proven, at loading and at discharge. A well-built contract protects both sides: the seller, against undue rejection or penalty; the buyer, against cargo that arrives off-specification.
The ship and the clock
In bulk, time is price. Coordinating the sale contract with the transport contract keeps a vessel's demurrage from consuming the operation's gain.
The regulatory and tax layer of export
On top of the contract sits a layer specific to the mineral sector — royalty, mining title, export taxation — that must be reflected in the operation and in the price.
Licensing, dams and what halts the operation
An environmental or regulatory event can stop the mine and, with it, the supply. The contract must anticipate who bears that risk.
The right question: where are the assets?
In cross-border mineral trade, the clause that sets where and how a conflict is resolved is worth as much as the price. We act for either side — the Brazilian exporter or the foreign buyer — starting from the same question: where are the counterparty's assets? Enforceability is what turns a favourable ruling into actual recovery, the clause's validity always being assessed on the facts of each case.
Sellers and buyers of ore, in Brazil and abroad
We act for either side of an ore deal — those who sell and those who buy, inside or outside Brazil — always from the standpoint of the party who retains us.
There is no single formula or guaranteed result: each operation depends on the contract, the applicable regulation and the technical elements of the concrete case.
This is a specialization of our international trade practice. For the overview — clearance, import taxation, customs regimes and maritime transport — see the Customs & Trade Law page.
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Does your mineral contract reflect the real grade, index and logistics of the operation?
Early legal review of the contract makes it possible to align the quality specification, the pricing mechanism, the port logistics and the regulatory risk with what the operation actually supports.