Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU)

A 40-foot container, including the 40-foot high cube, counts as 2 TEU, and a 45-foot container as 2.25 TEU. Carriers, ports and analysts use TEU to state vessel size, fleet capacity, port throughput and trade volumes.

What a TEU holds

• A 20-foot container has an internal volume of about 33 cubic meters and a maximum payload of roughly 28 metric tons, although U.S. road weight limits usually cap the cargo well below that
• A 40-foot container roughly doubles the volume (about 67 cubic meters) but not the payload. That is why dense cargo such as stone ships in 20-foot boxes and light cargo such as furniture ships in 40-foot high cubes

TEU vs. FEU in freight rates

Ocean rates are quoted per container, and a 40-foot box usually costs less than twice a 20-foot box, so the cost per TEU falls when your cargo fills a 40-footer. Compare both sizes in Airlift's rate search before deciding how to load, and if the cargo is heavy, check the weight rules on the India to USA lane page.

TEU in industry figures

• Vessel size: the largest container ships carry around 24,000 TEU; MSC's Irina class is rated at 24,346 TEU
• Carrier capacity: MSC, the largest carrier, operates roughly 6.5 million TEU of capacity
• Contracts and statistics: volume commitments and port throughput are expressed in TEU or in FEU (forty-foot equivalent units)