GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jul 18, 2026
TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit)
TEU stands for Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit and is the internationally used unit for counting container capacity: one TEU corresponds to a 20-foot ISO container of around 6.06 metres in length; a 40-foot container counts as two TEU.
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Source: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Glossary:Twenty-foot_equivalent_unit_(TEU)
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Definition & Explanation
TEU stands for Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit and is the internationally used unit for counting container capacity: one TEU corresponds to a 20-foot ISO container of around 6.06 metres in length; a 40-foot container counts as two TEU. Shipping lines state the slot capacity of their vessels in TEU – from feeder vessels with a few hundred TEU to Ultra Large Container Vessels exceeding 24,000 TEU. Ports and terminals measure their container throughput in TEU per year, which is why the unit also serves as the yardstick for capacity expansions, for example when a port expands its handling capacity from 3.5 to 5 million TEU. The standardised container dimensions are based on standard ISO 668. As a pure counting unit, a TEU says nothing about the weight or value of the cargo; the actual shipment data remain decisive for freight calculation and customs. Not to be confused with FEU (Forty-foot Equivalent Unit), the corresponding unit for 40-foot containers to which many freight rate indices refer.
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