What does the trade abbreviation TEU measure in container shipping?

TEU measures container shipping capacity as a twenty-foot equivalent unit.

One TEU corresponds to the capacity of a standard intermodal container measuring 20 feet long. A common 40-foot container is counted as two TEUs, although actual container dimensions and loading limits can vary. Ports, shipping lines and analysts use TEUs to compare container traffic across ships, terminals and countries.

TEU is a capacity and throughput measure, not a direct measure of weight or value. A container full of lightweight consumer goods and one carrying dense machinery each count according to their container size. For weight, shipping statistics may use tonnes or deadweight tonnage instead.

The related abbreviation FEU means forty-foot equivalent unit. Because most modern containers are not exactly the same internally, TEU figures are standardized comparators rather than precise statements about the number of physical boxes in every shipment.