The coat of arms consists of the central emblem surrounded by coffee (at the left) and tobacco (at the right) branches, which were important crops in Brazil at that time.

In the blue circle in the center, the Southern Cross (Portuguese: Cruzeiro do Sul) can be seen. The ring of 27 stars around it represents Brazil's 26 states and the Federal District.

The blue ribbon contains the official name of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil — Federative Republic of Brazil) in its first line. In the second line, the date of the federative republic's establishment (November 15, 1889) is written.