Container Shipping Cost & Rates Calculator [2026]

Calculate Your Container Costs Freight Rates

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.

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Key Factors Affecting Container Shipping Costs

Your Shipping Route

An international container being sent from Shanghai to Los Angeles, for example, is always going to be less costly to ship than one being sent on a less common route.

Size of Your Container

The standard container dimensions are 20 and 40 feet. But there are also other variations, including different sizes and refrigerated units.

Supply and Demand

The global freight industry is dictated by basic economics. During the busiest shipping seasons, container rates go up – sometimes substantially.

Container Rates Today: 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 the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX).

Week of December 21st, 2025 Container Shipping Rates and Prices

Ocean Rates – Freightos Baltic Index:

• Asia-US West Coast prices (FBX01 Weekly) rose 8% to $2,127/FEU.
• Asia-US East Coast prices (FBX03 Weekly) fell 3% to $3,069/FEU.
• Asia-N. Europe prices (FBX11 Weekly) rose 11% to $2,707/FEU.
• Asia-Mediterranean prices (FBX13 Weekly) rose 15% to $3,850/FEU.

Ocean Freight Rates and Trends

Transpacific ocean rates continued their Q4 pattern of ups and downs, with Asia–US West Coast prices increasing 8% last week to about $2,100/FEU as carriers increased blanked sailings during a low-demand period.

Asia–US East Coast rates decreased 3% last week, though daily rates this week are up by about $300 to more than $3,350/FEU.

Asia–Europe rates continued to rise, supported by more disciplined capacity management and reports of increasing demand tied to an early start to pre-Lunar New Year orders.

Air Cargo Freight Rates and Trends

Air cargo demand patterns have shifted following changes to US de minimis rules, with China–US e-commerce air shipments reportedly dropping by up to 50% since the exemption was eliminated for China in May.

• China – N. America: weekly prices fell 7% to $7.47/kg.
• China – N. Europe: weekly prices rose 6% to $3.71/kg.
• N. Europe – N. America: weekly prices decreased 1% to $2.51/kg.

How Much Does It Cost to Ship 20FT and 40FT Containers?

20-Foot Container Shipping Costs

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 Container Shipping 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.

Note: If you’re shipping temperature-sensitive, hazardous, or oversized cargo, you may need a specialized container such as a reefer, open-top, or flat rack.

If you don’t need a full 20′ or 40′ container, you may not need full container load shipping (FCL) and may want to consider less than container load (LCL) shipping. With LCL, you only pay for the space your cargo takes up. One caveat: LCL shipments typically have longer transit times than FCL since they need time for consolidating smaller shipments into a single container.

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.

In addition to base transport costs, shipping quotes often include surcharges such as fuel adjustments (BAF), peak season fees (PSS), terminal handling charges (THC), and currency adjustment factors (CAF).

Your total shipping cost includes components such as pickup from origin, export documentation, origin terminal handling, the ocean leg, import customs, destination terminal handling, and final delivery.

Your costs will also vary depending on the incoterm you choose (e.g. FOB, CIF, DDP), which defines whether the buyer or seller is responsible for each segment of the shipment.

How Much Does It Cost to Ship From China/Central Asia to the United States?

Currently, prices are around $2,100/FEU on the China/Central Asia to North America West Coast route and about $3,350/FEU on the China/Central Asia to North America East Coast route.

What a Container Calculator Can and Cannot Tell You

A calculator gives you an estimate built from assumptions about lane, date, and inclusion set — useful for sizing decisions, dangerous as a booking number without quotes.

Quick answer: Use calculator outputs for mode and timing decisions only; get live quotes for anything you will book.

Component	What it covers	Who sets it	Watch-out
Base ocean rate	Port-to-port carriage	Carrier/market	Spot vs contract basis differs
Bunker/currency adj.	Fuel & FX recovery lines	Carrier	Named differently across quotes
Origin charges	THC, docs, export clearance	Origin agent	Often excluded from teaser rates
Destination charges	THC, handling, docs	Dest. agent	The classic surprise line
Inland legs	Trucking both ends	Local carriers	Detention rules apply

Questions buyers actually ask

• Why do calculators disagree? — Different data vintages, route coverage, and inclusion assumptions.
• What is included in an all-in estimate? — Base rate, surcharges, origin and destination charges, and often inland legs.
• When do I trust the number? — For mode/timing decisions yes; for bookings, only live quotes.

Watch out: Index levels are market averages; your lane, date, and inclusion set can diverge substantially.

Useful next steps on this site: our free CBM tool for sizing · CBM method step by step · why indices move: SCFI history

Sources checked 2026-08-25 including SSE — Official SCFI Index Page. Rates and timelines change — always confirm with a current quotation.

Frequently asked questions

Why do calculators disagree?

Data vintage, route coverage, and inclusion assumptions differ between tools.

Frequently asked questions

Why do calculators disagree?

Data vintage, route coverage, and inclusion assumptions differ between tools.