Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU)
A Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) is a standard measure in maritime logistics, quantifying the cargo-carrying capacity of a container ship. A TEU corresponds to the volume of a standard shipping container that is 20 feet in length, 8.5 feet in height, and 8 feet in width, commonly used in the shipping industry.
Container vessels can vary in size, indicated by the number of TEUs they can accommodate. A small feeder has a capacity of up to 1,000 TEUs, while an Ultra Large Container Vessel (ULCV) can hold 14,500 TEUs and above.
TEUs streamline the task of assessing and managing container ship capacity. This standardized unit of measurement enables uniformity in describing and comparing cargo-handling capabilities in the industry across the globe. TEUs are also used to gauge the traffic and effectiveness of a port.
Another common measurement is the Forty-Foot Equivalent Unit (FEU), which corresponds to 40 feet in length, 8.5 feet in height and 8 feet in width. One FEU is equal to two TEUs.
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