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Twenty-foot equivalent unit 

A 40-foot long ISO container equals 2 TEU.
A 40-foot long ISO container equals 2 TEU.

The Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (often TEU or teu) is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals.[1] It is based on the volume of a 20-foot long shipping container, a standard-sized metal box which can be easily transferred between different modes of transportation, such as ships, trains and trucks.[1] A related unit, the forty-foot equivalent unit (often FEU or feu) is defined as two TEU.

One TEU represents the cargo capacity of a standard shipping container 20 feet long and 8 feet wide.[1] One source of ambiguity is the lack of standardization in container heights. The height of a TEU can range from a low of 4.25 feet (1.30 m) to the most common 8.5 feet (2.6 m) to 9.5 feet (2.9 m).[2] Also, it is common to designate 45-foot containers as 2 TEU, rather than 2.25 TEU.[3]

Contents

Equivalence

TEU capacities for common container sizes
Length Width Height Volume TEU
20 ft (6.1 m) 8 ft (2.4 m) 8.5 ft (2.6 m) 1,360 cu ft (39 m3) 1
40 ft (12 m) 8 ft (2.4 m) 8.5 ft (2.6 m) 2,720 cu ft (77 m3) 2
45 ft (14 m) 8 ft (2.4 m) 8.5 ft (2.6 m) 3,060 cu ft (87 m3) 2[3] or 2.25
48 ft (15 m) 8 ft (2.4 m) 8.5 ft (2.6 m) 3,264 cu ft (92.4 m3) 2.4
53 ft (16 m) 8 ft (2.4 m) 8.5 ft (2.6 m) 3,604 cu ft (102.1 m3) 2.65
High cube
20 ft (6.1 m) 8 ft (2.4 m) 9.5 ft (2.9 m) 1,520 cu ft (43 m3) 1[2]
Half height
20 ft (6.1 m) 8 ft (2.4 m) 4.25 ft (1.30 m) 680 cu ft (19 m3) 1[2]

As noted above, the TEU is an inexact unit, and hence cannot be converted precisely into other units. The most common dimensions for a 20-foot container are 20 feet long x 8 feet wide x 8.5 feet high. This corresponds to a volume of 1,360 cubic feet (39 m3). However, both 9.5 feet (2.9 m) tall High cube and 4.25 feet (1.30 m) half height containers are also reckoned as 1 TEU.[2][3] This gives a volume range of 680 cubic feet (19 m3) to 1,520 cubic feet (43 m3) for one TEU.

While the TEU is not itself a measure of mass, some conclusions can be drawn about the maximum mass that a TEU can represent. The maximum gross mass for a 20-foot dry cargo container is 24,000 kilograms (53,000 lb).[4] Subtracting the tare mass of the container itself, the maximum amount of cargo per TEU is reduced to approximately 21,600 kilograms (48,000 lb).[4]

The MV Emma Mærsk officially carries 11,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) although it is believed to actually carry up to 15,000.
The MV Emma Mærsk officially carries 11,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) although it is believed to actually carry up to 15,000.[5][6]

Similarly, the maximum gross mass for a 40-foot dry cargo container (including the 9.5 feet (2.9 m) high cube container) is 30,480 kilograms (67,200 lb).[4] After correcting for tare weight, this gives a cargo capacity of 26,500 kilograms (58,000 lb).[4]

Twenty-foot, "heavy tested" containers are available for heavy goods such as heavy machinery. These containers allow a maximum weight of 67,200 pounds (30,500 kg), an empty weight of 5,290 pounds (2,400 kg), and a net load of 61,910 pounds (28,080 kg).

See also

Nautical portal

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Rowlett, 2004.
  2. ^ a b c d "Container Shipping". damovers.com. damovers.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  3. ^ a b c businesspeek.com (2006). "Shipping Container Basics". businesspeek.com. businesspeek.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  4. ^ a b c d "Shipping containers". Emase. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
  5. ^ Odense Steel Shipyard (2006-12-08). "Namegiving of newbuilding L 203". Press release.
  6. ^ Koepf, Pam (2006), "Overachievers We Love", Popular Science 269 (6): 24

References

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