What is meaning of TEU? What is the coversion of TEU? The twenty feet equivalent unit (TEU) is the standard unit of measurement used in container shipping, based on a standard container length of 20 feet. For example, one TEU is equivalent to one 20-foot container, while 40GP and 40HQ are both equivalent to two TEUs. Other container sizes are converted to standard units based on this standard.

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What is the equivalent of a twenty-foot unit? 

A twenty-foot unit (TEU) measures 20 feet in length, 8 feet in width, and 8 feet 6 inches in height, with a volume of 5.69×2.13×2.18 meters. The concept of the standard container was introduced primarily for the convenience of calculating and comparing container quantities. The container specifications used throughout the world are generally standardized based on the 13 types of containers established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Among these, the four most widely used in international trade in China are 20GP, 40GP, 40HQ, and 45HQ (where 45HQ is equivalent to 2.25 standard containers, while 40-foot containers are calculated as 2 standard containers). The 20GP is referred to as the standard container (usually abbreviated as “box”).

TEU conversion example

Suppose there is a container ship with a cargo capacity of 5,000 standard twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). If the ship is loaded with 2,000 twenty-foot containers and 3,000 forty-foot containers, how would you calculate the TEU utilization rate?

We can calculate the TEU as follows:

– 2,000 twenty-foot containers = 2,000 TEU

– 3,000 forty-foot containers = 3,000 x 2 = 6,000 TEU

Therefore, the TEU utilization rate of the ship is:

(2,000 + 6,000) / 5,000 = 1.6

This means that the TEU utilization rate of the ship is 160%, exceeding its cargo capacity, indicating that the ship’s transport efficiency is high.