TEU

What it means

Eurostat, as quoted in a UN glossary, defines it as "a statistical unit based on a 20-foot long ISO container (6.10 m) to provide a standardized measure of containers of various capacities and for describing the capacity of container transport carrier or terminals," counting a 40-ft container as 2 TEU.^[1] UNCTAD notes that the 20-ft and 40-ft containers form the basis of the two main units, the TEU and the forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU).^[2]

Ship capacity, terminal throughput and port statistics are all stated in TEU; the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reports its monthly volume that way, as summarized in the Port Newark freight corridor guide. One FEU equals 2 TEU.^[3]

Example

A terminal that handles 1,000 forty-foot containers and 500 twenty-foot containers in a week has handled 2,500 TEU: 1,000 x 2 plus 500 x 1.