Container Shipping Cost Calculator [2024] - Freightos (2024)

How to calculate your container costs and determine your freight rates, instantly.

Our free container shipping calculator delivers accurate container rate estimates. Just tell us about your shipment to get an estimate from the world’s largest freight rate database. Then join Freightos to compare, book, and manage your upcoming shipments using our freight rate calculator.

The digital freight shipping platform with a free container shipping cost calculator

Instantly compare air, ocean, and trucking freight quotes from 75+ providers with the perfect balance of price and transit time.

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Our Freight Team is available to help with every step of your shipment process, from documentation to delivery specifics.

Container Shipping Rates Chart and Prices

Below is a port-to-port container shipping rates chart for cost ranges of common international shipping destinations (from Shanghai, China):

You can view live international freight rates, prices, and trends, updated daily from the world’s largest freight rate index on theFreightos Baltic Index (FBX).

Week of February 13th, 2024 Container Shipping Rates and Prices

Ocean rates – Freightos Baltic Index:

• Asia-US West Coast prices (FBX01 Weekly) increased 11% to $4,859/FEU.
• Asia-US East Coast prices(FBX03 Weekly) climbed 3% to $6,589/FEU.
• Asia-N. Europe prices(FBX11 Weekly) fell 8% to $4,697/FEU.
• Asia-Mediterranean prices(FBX13 Weekly) fell 7% to $5,758/FEU.

Ocean Freight Rates and Trends:

• Ocean operations are improving as the Lunar New Year begins, schedules stabilize and container availability improves. Pressure on ocean operations continued to ease last week as the pre-Lunar New Year rush came to an end, more empty containers arrived back at export hubs, and schedules stabilized as carriers added vessels to accommodate diverted lanes.
• Eighty percent of logistics professionals think the worst of container traffic disruptions are behind us, with optimism for rate relief ahead. Our poll of logistics professionals found that 80% think the worst of the impact on container traffic and rates is behind us, with a third expecting disruption levels and ocean rates to decline in the coming weeks.
• Asia-Europe ocean rates take a dip, signaling a potential shift in the tide of ocean freight costs. Ocean rates from Asia to N. Europe and the Mediterranean are now 15% lower than their late January peaks. Prices to N. America continued to climb last week, though less sharply than in January, with daily rates so far this week showing some leveling off.
• Red Sea route redirections are starting to impact transatlantic rates, highlighting the ripple effect of global shipping adjustments. The shift of vessels to Red Sea lanes is absorbing much of the excess capacity in the market. Transatlantic rates climbed 25% last week, suggesting that this shift of capacity is also impacting non-Suez lanes to some extent.
• Maersk forecasts gradual rate declines due to fleet growth even if Red Sea diversions persist. But as the global fleet continues to grow, Maersk reports that rates are likely to decline gradually throughout the year if diversions persist, and will fall sharply if Red Sea traffic resumes in the near term.
• The Red Sea crisis is fueling air cargo increases in some markets, while ocean freight is showing price corrections as the Lunar New Year begins. A Red Sea crisis-driven increase in sea-air demand has pushed air cargo rates from Dubai to some European hubs up 35% since the start of the year. Improvements in ocean operations and the arrival of LNY though, saw China – N. America rates fall sharply last week to less than $4/kg.

Israel Ocean and Inland Logistics:

• Operations continue amid the ongoing war.
• Israeli air cargo export rates to Europe and the US increased by 20% or more.
• Import container rates in line with regional rates.
• Congestion was reported due to labor shortages, security concerns, and a war risk premium.

Air Cargo Trends:

• High rates from China to the US and Europe due to increased volumes and a shift to the spot market.
• Ongoing pessimism about a sustained air cargo rebound.

As a marketplace for international container shipping,Freightos.comleverages volumes of live pricing data from vetted logistics providers on our platform.

Use the cost calculator and keep up to date with container shipping pricing trends to get a better idea of what your total landed costs will be.

• China – N. America weekly prices decreased 35% to $3.91/kg
• China – N. Europe weekly prices increased 13% to $3.51/kg.
• N. Europe – N. America weekly prices fell 1% to $2.03/kg.

How much does it cost to ship 20ft and 40ft containers?

When comparing prices for container shipping and transport, the size of the container will affect the price.

While there are over a dozen different-sized containers, 20-foot (TEU) and 40-foot (FEU) containers are the most frequently used.

20-foot container shipping costs:

What fits in aTEUwill determine the cost of shipping. The cost also depends on the type of goods transported and how efficiently these can be packed and loaded into the container.

The dimensions of a TEU are as follows:

• Length: 19.4 ft (5.9 m)
• Width: 7.7 ft (2.35 m)
• Height: 7.9 ft (2.39 m)

Therefore, the total cubic capacity of a TEU is 1,172 cu ft (33.2 m3) and the payload capacity is 55,126.9 lbs (25,000 kg).

This means that a 20-ft container can generally accommodate 9-10 standard pallets.

40-foot containershipping costs:

An FEU has double the capacity of a TEU but is not charged at double the price.

If you want to ship a 20-foot container instead of a 40-foot container, it’s worth noting that the latter usually costs just 20-25% more than the former.

These are the dimensions of a FEU:

• Length: 39.5 ft (12.03 m)
• Width: 7.7 ft (2.35 m)
• Height: 7.9 ft (2.39 m)

The total cubic capacity of an FEU is 2,389 cu ft (67.7 m3) and the payload capacity is 61,200 lbs (27,600 kg).

This means you can fit between 20-21 standard pallets in an FEU.

How are container shipping prices, rates & transport costs calculated?

Container shipping rates and prices are determined by the form of the cargo, the mode of transport, the weight of your goods, and the distance and popularity of the delivery destination from the point of origin.

Understanding the total cost of importing or exporting your goods is vital to determining the total landed cost of the goods and what your bottom line will be. Check out the Container Shipping Cost Calculator to help you estimate what it will cost to ship your goods.

How much does it cost to ship from China/Central Asia to the United States?

The cost of container shipping initially increased dramatically with the pandemic but fell sharply over the course of 2022.

Rates in early 2023 have dipped below $2,500, bringing them back to levels not seen since June 2020.