Why Paraguay in 2026
Most sheet metal ductwork in Paraguay in 2026 goes into private towers and commercial buildings in Asunción, with a growing share from hospitals and a possible new source in data centres. Some of the projects below are built, some are tendered and some are only plans, so each one says where it stands.
Asunción: towers and mixed-use building
Asunción has had a high-rise boom. Infocasas Paraguay estimated in July 2025 that 800 to 1,000 buildings had gone up in the capital and nearby areas in about four years, and it says the figure is unofficial because no official database exists. Reports name Avenida Molas López as a hotspot with about 50 active projects, including the multi-tower Marena and Distrito Perseverancia complexes. Offices, apartments, shopping and mixed-use floors need supply air, fresh air, toilet extract and kitchen extract, and a shop that can turn out rectangular duct quickly wins this work.
A hot climate keeps cooling demand high
ABC Color reported that Asunción reached 41.4 degrees C on 18 February 2026, above the previous daily record of 38.5 degrees C set in 2012. Paraguayan press also reported record electricity demand during the 2025/26 summer. Air conditioning is a necessity here rather than a luxury, which supports steady demand for duct in new buildings and in refits of older ones.
Hospitals
Itaipu published a tender in February 2026 for a new national hospital at Itauguá, with an estimated budget of about USD 122 million, 1,039 beds and a 24 month build once awarded. We did not confirm an award, so treat it as a lead to follow. Other reports mention about USD 58 million for a Gran Hospital de Asunción and a government decree in August 2026 to transfer land for a Gran Hospital de Alto Paraná in Ciudad del Este. Operating theatres, isolation rooms and laboratories need tightly sealed, sometimes stainless ductwork; see our cleanroom duct guide and galvanised vs stainless comparison.
Data centres and industry
Paraguay has created special electricity tariffs for advanced technology, power-intensive industries, which include data centres and AI facilities, and ANDE announced the implementing rules on 23 October 2026. Several large projects have been announced, with very different investment figures, and these are company announcements rather than confirmed builds. White space is often cooled by room or in-row units with little duct, but electrical rooms, offices and smoke extract need sheet metal; see our data centre duct manufacturing guide. Paraguay also has a maquila regime for factories that assemble or process goods for export, and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce publishes monthly maquila reports. New factory buildings need ventilation and extract duct too.
Standards and codes for ductwork in Paraguay
We could not find a Paraguayan national standard for sheet metal duct construction. In practice a duct shop builds to what the consulting engineer's specification names.
- INTN: the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología, Normalización y Metrología is the national standards body and an ISO member. It publishes Paraguayan standards (NP). We found no INTN duct standard. Check whether your client names an NP or an international standard for galvanised coil; see our gauge chart.
- SMACNA, ASHRAE and consultant documents: designers on larger projects often use SMACNA and ASHRAE documents, and consultants from other countries may name EN or DW/144. We could not verify which is most common in Paraguay, so read the specification for each job. Our international duct standards comparison sets them side by side, our air leakage classes guide explains sealing classes, and the hangers and supports guide covers the support side.
Importing duct machinery into Paraguay
- Customs duty: Paraguay belongs to Mercosur. Mercosur Decision CMC 08/21 allows Paraguay to apply a rate other than the Common External Tariff, including 0%, to capital goods until 31 December 2030. Which rate applies to a duct forming or folding machine, usually in HS heading 8462, is for your customs broker to confirm. Galvanised coil is steel and should be classified separately.
- Investment incentives (Ley 7548/2025): this law created a new tax incentive regime for national and foreign investment and replaced the older Ley 60/90 in 2025, and a decree has since regulated it. Law firm and press summaries say it exempts import duty on capital goods and VAT on the first sale of imported capital goods, with the qualifying goods listed in an annex to a joint ministry resolution. Eligibility depends on an application and on the approved investment project, and we could not confirm the current forms or which duct machines are listed, so ask your broker or lawyer whether your company and machine qualify.
- VAT: the general rate is 10%. Whether it applies to a given machine depends on the regime above, so confirm with your broker.
- Conformity: we found no INTN conformity approval specific to duct machines. We supply specifications, photos and the Declaration of Conformity for your broker's file.
Paraguay is landlocked, so a container normally reaches you through a river or Atlantic port and then overland, and your forwarder will quote the route. Tell us where your workshop is when you request a quotation. Rates and exemptions change, so confirm landed cost with your agent. Our importing guide covers the general paperwork.
Power supply: 380 V three phase, 50 Hz
ANDE lists low voltage supply as 220/380 V, with 380 V between phases, at 50 Hz. Our standard machines are built for 380 V, 50 Hz, three phase, so most Paraguayan shops can connect without a transformer. We wire the motors, drives and control transformer to your measured site voltage. An auto duct line, a plasma table and a spiral tubeformer running together need a properly sized connection, so have your electrician confirm capacity with ANDE before the machines arrive. Press reports describe supply interruptions during peak summer demand, so consider surge protection or a generator if your area has outages. See also duct machine voltage and frequency by country.
Typical Paraguayan shop set-ups and the machines that fit
Contractor shop, rectangular duct for offices, towers and fit-outs
Most HVAC duct in Paraguayan commercial buildings is rectangular, and many installers make their own in a small workshop. A practical set starts with the Rectangular Duct Line II SBAL-II (0.5 to 2.0 mm sheet, 1,250 or 1,550 mm widths, feeding up to 18 m/min) or the Auto Duct Line SBAL-III, which has the same sheet range with two electrical feeding units and hydraulic notching and shearing. Add a Pittsburgh lockformer (SBLC series), which forms Pittsburgh seams in 0.4 to 1.2 mm and snap lock in 0.7 to 1.5 mm, a TDF flange forming machine (SBTDF, 35 mm flange height) for transverse joints, and a pneumatic folder (up to 1.5 mm on the 1,500 mm model) for fittings. That covers straight duct, TDF joints and most fittings with a small crew.
Volume shop for towers, hospitals and large projects
A shop supplying several towers at once, or bidding for hospital packages, needs output and consistent quality over thousands of square metres. The Auto Duct Line SBAL-V is a U-shape line for 0.5 to 1.5 mm sheet at 18 m/min, and is about 14.5 m long, so check your building length first. Pair it with the Duct Zipper SBHF-1.5×1500TDF to close seams on 0.8 to 1.5 mm duct up to 1,500 mm long, an auto corner making machine and the pneumatic corner inserting machine SBCC for TDF corners, a Plasma Cutter SBPC1550 (0.4 to 4 mm, 12 kW) for fittings from nested drawings, and a hydraulic folder for heavier gauges, up to 2.0 mm on the 1500 mm model. Hospital work to tight leakage classes rewards this consistency, because machine-formed seams and flanges seal more reliably than hand work.
Round duct
Spiral duct suits exposed ceilings, car parks, warehouses and industrial extract. The Spiral Tubeformer SBTF-1500 forms Φ80 to Φ1500 mm duct in galvanised steel from 0.4 to 1.2 mm. The SBTF-1602 extends this to Φ1600 mm and 1.3 mm, and handles aluminium as well. The Spiral Duct Flanging Machine SBFB-1600 turns flanges on round duct ends. For a real example, see Kavanagh Industries in Sydney, which added an SBTF-1602 in October 2026.
Space and logistics
The auto duct line is the longest item, with coil racks at one end and a run-out table at the other. Ask us for a layout drawing based on your building before you sign a lease, and leave room for coil deliveries, finished duct storage and truck loading. Most new building is in and around Asunción, so a shop in the metropolitan area is close to its customers. Our factory layout guide has worked examples. We have not quoted labour costs here because we could not verify a current figure for skilled sheet metal workers.
Working with Taokron from Paraguay
- Machines built since 1994 and supplied to 100+ countries, with 60+ patents, from an ISO 9001:2015 factory
- CE marked with a Declaration of Conformity
- Wired for your 380 V three phase 50 Hz supply
- Installation and commissioning quoted per engineer-day
- Replies within 12 hours by email at [email protected] or on WhatsApp at +61 435 074 994
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FAQ
Which ductwork standards are used in Paraguay?
We could not find a Paraguayan national standard for sheet metal duct construction. INTN, the national standards body, publishes Paraguayan standards (NP) and is the ISO member for Paraguay, but duct work is normally built to what the consulting engineer names in the specification. Consultants often name SMACNA or ASHRAE documents, though we could not verify that as a rule, so read the specification for each job. Our international duct standards comparison sets the main documents side by side.
What voltage and frequency do duct machines need in Paraguay?
ANDE, the national power company, lists low voltage supply as 220/380 V, and the frequency is 50 Hz. Taokron standard machines are built for 380 V, 50 Hz, three phase, which matches the 380 V between phases. Confirm the supply at your own workshop with ANDE or your electrician, and tell us the measured voltage so we wire the motors, drives and control transformer to suit.
What taxes apply when importing duct machinery into Paraguay?
Paraguay is in Mercosur, but a Mercosur decision (CMC 08/21) lets Paraguay apply a rate different from the Common External Tariff, including 0%, to capital goods until 31 December 2030. Under the investment incentive law of 2025 (Ley 7548/2025, which replaced Ley 60/90), import duty on qualifying capital goods and VAT on their first sale are exempt for a company that applies and qualifies. Outside that regime the general VAT rate is 10%. The exact tariff line for duct machines, and whether your company and machine qualify, are questions for your customs broker. Rules change, so confirm the landed cost before you order.
Do I need a registered company to claim the Paraguayan investment incentives?
Investment incentives under Ley 7548/2025 are claimed by application on the basis of an approved investment project, so you should expect to need a registered company and the supporting paperwork. We could not confirm the current forms, so ask a Paraguayan lawyer or customs broker whether your company and machine qualify. A sole trader in particular should check whether the route fits. We supply the pro forma invoice, specifications and photos for your file.
Where is ductwork demand in Paraguay coming from in 2026?
Mostly from private building in Asunción and its suburbs: office and apartment towers, plus shopping and mixed-use projects. Public hospital projects are adding work, including a large national hospital at Itauguá put out to tender by Itaipu and a reported Gran Hospital de Asunción contract, though award and start dates should be checked. ANDE's special electricity tariffs for data centres, with rules announced in October 2026, have also drawn announced projects, but many of these are plans. Hot summers, with Asunción recording 41.4 degrees C on 18 February 2026, keep cooling demand high.
Which machines should a new Paraguayan duct shop start with?
A contractor shop making rectangular duct for offices, towers and fit-outs usually starts with a rectangular duct line or auto duct line, a Pittsburgh lockformer, a TDF flange former and a folder. Add a duct zipper, corner machines and a plasma table as volume grows, and a spiral tubeformer when round duct becomes regular work. Send your duct sizes, gauges and monthly output and a Taokron engineer will propose a machine set within 12 hours.
