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Average Materials Engineer Salary in Brazil for 2026

A materials engineer in Brazil earns about 91,380 BRL a year. That's 10% below the national average of 101,120 BRL.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Brazil sit around 45,600 BRL a year, while the very top stretches to 142,300 BRL. Everything on this page is in Brazilian real (BRL, symbol R$), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Brazil, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does a materials engineer make in Brazil?

Average salary
91,380 BRL
7,615 BRL per month
Lowest reported
45,600 BRL
3,800 BRL per month
Highest reported
142,300 BRL
11,858 BRL per month

A typical materials engineer working in Brazil brings home around 7,615 BRL a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 45,600 BRL, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 142,300 BRL for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior materials engineer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How materials engineer pay ranges in Brazil

A good way to think about salary in Brazil is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all materials engineers in Brazil earn less than 92,880 BRL a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 60,840 BRL (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 117,440 BRL (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of materials engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 45,600 BRL. The highest stretch to 142,300 BRL, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

45,600
Low
92,880
Median
142,300
High
60,840
25th
117,440
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BRL

Materials engineer pay by experience in Brazil

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a materials engineer in Brazil, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical materials engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    53,860 BRL
  • 2-5 Years
    +25% from previous
    67,360 BRL
  • 5-10 Years
    +36% from previous
    91,840 BRL
  • 10-15 Years
    +27% from previous
    116,540 BRL
  • 15-20 Years
    +7% from previous
    125,100 BRL
  • 20+ Years
    +4% from previous
    130,400 BRL

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 36%. That is the point at which a materials engineer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Materials engineer pay by education in Brazil

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving materials engineer pay in Brazil. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average materials engineer salary in Brazil broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    66,940 BRL
  • Master's Degree
    +55% from previous
    104,060 BRL

Materials engineer gender pay gap in Brazil

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Brazil is no exception. Male materials engineers in Brazil earn an average of 93,340 BRL a year, while female materials engineers earn around 84,740 BRL. That works out to a 10% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Materials Engineer gender pay gap

9%

Men earn this much more than women on average in Brazil.

Men 93,340 BRL
Women 84,740 BRL

Pay raises for a materials engineer in Brazil

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in Brazil sees a raise of about 12% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 9% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in Brazil, the national average raise is around 9% every 16 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Brazil:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Materials engineer bonus rates in Brazil

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

56%

56% of materials engineers in Brazil reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a materials engineer a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 44% of materials engineers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Brazil

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Materials engineer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Brazil is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

7%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Brazil on average.

Public sector 106,500 BRL
Private sector 99,460 BRL

Materials engineer salary by city in Brazil

Materials engineer pay is not even across Brazil. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Fortaleza
  • Brasilia
  • Recife
  • Sao Paulo
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Salvador
  • Campinas
  • Maceio
  • Belem
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Rio de JaneiroCity102,620 BRL111,000 BRL48,160-164,200 BRL
FortalezaCity99,340 BRL103,900 BRL45,600-154,700 BRL
BrasiliaCity98,820 BRL95,760 BRL50,980-151,800 BRL
RecifeCity96,520 BRL89,960 BRL51,400-148,300 BRL
Sao PauloCity96,180 BRL96,160 BRL48,760-151,800 BRL
Belo HorizonteCity95,980 BRL95,980 BRL48,640-152,100 BRL
SalvadorCity95,860 BRL96,680 BRL47,120-148,300 BRL
CampinasCity95,620 BRL92,900 BRL48,160-142,300 BRL
MaceioCity92,900 BRL96,520 BRL44,800-146,200 BRL
BelemCity92,680 BRL102,240 BRL41,820-151,800 BRL
CuritibaCity91,580 BRL96,500 BRL43,340-142,300 BRL
Porto AlegreCity90,900 BRL83,400 BRL49,700-136,200 BRL
ManausCity90,620 BRL83,100 BRL50,080-138,200 BRL
GoianiaCity89,340 BRL89,340 BRL44,780-138,800 BRL
TeresinaCity88,620 BRL85,440 BRL42,960-136,200 BRL
NatalCity87,000 BRL90,980 BRL42,320-136,200 BRL
Sao LuisCity86,520 BRL81,960 BRL42,960-130,400 BRL
AracajuCity86,520 BRL88,620 BRL42,320-136,100 BRL
Joao PessoaCity85,020 BRL92,240 BRL39,800-136,100 BRL
MacapaCity84,780 BRL89,800 BRL40,420-130,400 BRL
Vale do AcoCity83,060 BRL79,500 BRL43,520-128,500 BRL
VitoriaCity82,200 BRL84,780 BRL39,560-125,700 BRL
SantosCity81,880 BRL78,160 BRL44,800-125,100 BRL
Petrolina and JuazeiroCity80,840 BRL75,280 BRL45,060-123,400 BRL
LondrinaCity80,280 BRL78,960 BRL44,140-124,400 BRL
CuiabaCity80,060 BRL80,060 BRL42,040-124,400 BRL
MaringaCity78,160 BRL77,860 BRL36,020-119,700 BRL


Materials Engineer in Brazil: FAQs

  • How much does a materials engineer make per month in Brazil?

    A materials engineer in Brazil earns about 7,615 BRL a month before tax, based on an annual average of 91,380 BRL.

  • What's the salary range for a materials engineer in Brazil?

    Entry-level materials engineers in Brazil start near 45,600 BRL. Top-end pay reaches around 142,300 BRL. The middle 50% of earners sit between 60,840 and 117,440 BRL.

  • Is the median materials engineer salary in Brazil higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 92,880 BRL, higher than the average of 91,380 BRL. Half of materials engineers in Brazil earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for materials engineers in Brazil?

    Men working as a materials engineer in Brazil earn around 10% more than women on average (93,340 vs 84,740 BRL a year).

  • Do materials engineers in Brazil get bonuses?

    About 56% of materials engineers in Brazil reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do materials engineers earn more in the public or private sector in Brazil?

    In Brazil, the public sector pays a materials engineer about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do materials engineers in Brazil get a pay raise?

    A materials engineer in Brazil sees a raise of around 12% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.