Twenty-foot equivalent unit

, a standard-sized metal box which can be easily transferred between different modes of transportation, such as ships, trains and trucks. 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. One source of ambiguity is the lack of standardization in container heights. The height of a TEU can range from a low of convert|4.25|ft|m to the most common convert|8.5|ft|m to convert|9.5|ft|m.cite web |url=http://www.damovers.com/container-shipping/ |title=Container Shipping |accessdate=2008-03-22 |author= |date= |work=damovers.com |publisher=damovers.com] Also, it is common to designate 45-foot containers as 2 TEU, rather than 2.25 TEU.cite web |url=http://businesspeek.com/manufacturing/shipping-containers.html |title=Shipping Container Basics |accessdate=2008-03-22 |author=businesspeek.com |date=2006 |work=businesspeek.com |publisher=businesspeek.com]

Equivalence

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 convert|1360|cuft|m3. However, both convert|9.5|ft|m tall "High cube" and convert|4.25|ft|m "half height" containers are also reckoned as 1 TEU. This gives a volume range of convert|680|cuft|m3 to convert|1520|cuft|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 convert|24000|kg|lb.cite web |url=http://www.emase.co.uk/data/cont.html |title=Shipping containers |publisher=Emase |accessdate=2007-02-10] Subtracting the tare mass of the container itself, the maximum amount of cargo per TEU is reduced to approximately convert|21600|kg|lb.

Similarly, the maximum gross mass for a 40-foot dry cargo container (including the convert|9.5|ft|m high cube container) is convert|30480|kg|lb. After correcting for tare weight, this gives a cargo capacity of convert|26500|kg|lb.

Twenty-foot, "heavy tested" containers are available for heavy goods such as heavy machinery. These containers allow a maximum weight of convert|67200|lb|kg, an empty weight of convert|5290|lb|kg, and a net load of convert|61910|lb|kg.

ee also

* Containerization
* Container ship
* Container terminal
* Panama Canal Toll System

Notes

References

*cite web |url=http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/bmethods/info/data/new/coded/en/gl000976.htm |title=Glossary: TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) |accessdate=2008-03-20 |author=CIRCA |date=2008 |work= |publisher=The European Commission
*cite web |url=http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictT.html |title=How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement |accessdate=2008-03-20 |last=Rowlett |first=Russ |coauthors=University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |date=2000 |work= |publisher=University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
*cite web |url=http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/twenty-foot-equivalent-unit-TEU.html |title= twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) |accessdate=2008-03-20 |author=BusinessDictionary.com |date=2008 |work= |publisher=BusinessDictionary.com
*cite journal
url= http://www.iso.org/iso/container0109.pdf
title= ISO's container standards are nothing but good news
accessdate= 2008-03-20
last= Bohlman
first= Michael
authorlink=
coauthors=
date=
year= 2001
month= September
format=
work= ISO Bulletin
publisher= International Organisation for Standardisation
pages= 15
language=
doi=
archiveurl=
archivedate=
quote=
*cite web |url=http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=4313 |title=Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) |accessdate=2008-03-20 |author=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |coauthors= |date=2002-06-19 |work=Glossary of Statistical Terms |publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development