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Glossary

TEU meaning: the twenty-foot equivalent unit

TEU is how the container trade counts boxes, ships and ports. This page will help you read TEU figures: what one TEU is, how 40 ft containers count, and why it matters to an importer only now and then.

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By the Ebbrate editorial team · checked 18 October 2026 against the sources at the end

TEU meaning

TEU stands for twenty-foot equivalent unit. The Federal Highway Administration describes it as a standard size intermodal container: the 8 by 8 by 20 foot container is used as a basic measure in many statistics.

How containers are counted

  • A 20 ft container is 1 TEU.
  • A 40 ft container is 2 TEU, also called one FEU (forty-foot equivalent unit).
  • High cube containers count by length, so a 40 ft high cube is also 2 TEU.

Where you will see TEU

Ship sizes (“a 20,000 TEU vessel”), port volumes, and freight indexes quoted per forty-foot unit. For your own shipment, what matters is the container type and its inside size. See container dimensions.

Container counts and your freight price

Lines price full containers per box by type, not per TEU. Loose cargo is priced by volume or weight instead. See FCL vs LCL.

Sources

A guide, not legal advice: rules change, and your customs broker has the last word on your entry.

Questions

Common questions

What does TEU mean?

Twenty-foot equivalent unit: the capacity of one 20 ft container, used to measure ships, ports and container volumes.

How many TEU is a 40 ft container?

Two TEU, also called one FEU.

Does a high cube container count as more?

No. The unit counts by length, so a 40 ft high cube is 2 TEU, like a standard 40 ft.

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