Named measures ยท per container
Import container fees per container, not per shipment
Every fee counted per container, from shipments that carried exactly one container, next to the per-shipment figures on the fee pages. Plus how many containers shipments carry, and how 20 ft and 40 ft high cube boxes compare.
In Freight Benchmarks' invoice data, 86.2% of US import ocean container shipments first invoiced July 2024 to June 2026 carried a single container; on those, accessorial fees averaged $151 per container and the median demurrage bill was $404 per container.
Counted per shipment over all shipments, the same figures are $174 and $490: multi-container shipments carry larger bills, so per-container amounts run lower. 34.3% of single-container shipments paid at least one delay fee, against 34.8% of all shipments.
Cite this figure
Freight Benchmarks (2026). Share of US import ocean container shipments carrying one container: 86.2%. US import ocean container shipments first invoiced July 2024 to June 2026; data version 2026-10-22. https://freightbenchmarks.com/benchmarks/per-container/#fig-per-container-containers-per-shipment-one (CC BY 4.0)
Cite this figure
Freight Benchmarks (2026). Accessorial fees per US import container, average including containers that paid none: $151. Single-container US import ocean container shipments first invoiced July 2024 to June 2026; data version 2026-10-22. https://freightbenchmarks.com/benchmarks/per-container/#fig-per-container-national-expected-accessorial-usd (CC BY 4.0)
Cite this figure
Freight Benchmarks (2026). Share of US import containers billed demurrage, per diem, storage or chassis extra days: 34.3%. Single-container US import ocean container shipments first invoiced July 2024 to June 2026; data version 2026-10-22. https://freightbenchmarks.com/benchmarks/per-container/#fig-per-container-national-any-delay-fee (CC BY 4.0)
Cite this figure
Freight Benchmarks (2026). Demurrage bill per US import container, median when charged: $404. Single-container US import ocean container shipments first invoiced July 2024 to June 2026; data version 2026-10-22. https://freightbenchmarks.com/benchmarks/per-container/#fig-per-container-national-demurrage-median-usd (CC BY 4.0)
Every fee, per container and per shipment
| Fee | How often | Median bill when charged | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per container | Per shipment | Per container | 1 in 10 over | Per shipment | |
| Demurrage | 2.1% | 2.4% | $404 | $1,360 | $490 |
| Per diem (detention) | 3.5% | 3.7% | $350 | $2,287 | $370 |
| Storage | 8.2% | 9.5% | $110 | $350 | $135 |
| Customs exam | 0.5% | 0.5% | $412 | $1,624 | $412 |
| Port congestion surcharge | 1.3% | 1.1% | — | — | — |
| Wharfage | 8.4% | 9.0% | $110 | $110 | $110 |
| Chassis rental | 79.4% | 79.2% | $165 | $165 | $165 |
| Chassis split | 29.8% | 29.0% | $125 | $190 | $125 |
| Chassis extra days | 38.9% | 37.5% | $135 | $340 | $150 |
| Pre-pull | — | — | $155 | $200 | $160 |
| Driver waiting time | 4.6% | 5.6% | $150 | $420 | $170 |
| Overweight | 4.0% | 4.1% | $125 | $230 | $170 |
| Any delay feeDemurrage, per diem, storage or chassis extra days | 34.3% | 34.8% | — | — | — |
| Accessorial fees, averageAll containers or shipments, including those that paid none | — | — | $151 | — | $174 |
How many containers a shipment carries
Containers per shipment
Share of 8,298 shipments, importer-weighted. Gray: no container count on file.
86.2% of shipments carried one container, and the mean was 1.20 containers per shipment. Because each multi-container shipment carries two or more, 27.0% of all containers traveled on one.
That is why the per-container figures use single-container shipments: their bill is exactly one container's bill. Dividing a multi-container bill by its containers would spread a fee that hit one box over all of them, and a fee counted on any box of a shipment would overstate how often a single box is charged.
By port
Paid at least one delay fee, per container
Single-container shipments at each published port
Dashed rule: all ports, 34.3%.
| Port or rail hub | One container | Delay fee, per container | Per shipment | Accessorials per container | Per shipment | Containers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis / St. Paul | 89.3% | 73.9% | 74.4% | $309 | $360 | 523 |
| Omaha | 91.3% | 52.7% | 52.6% | $186 | $236 | 549 |
| Chicago | 87.4% | 46.1% | 44.9% | $179 | $191 | 654 |
| Seattle | 88.2% | 33.6% | 35.5% | $156 | $250 | 111 |
| Los Angeles | 82.0% | 30.2% | 35.3% | $123 | $183 | 474 |
| Houston | 92.1% | 28.5% | 28.0% | $149 | $161 | 197 |
| Port Everglades | 83.0% | 26.9% | 28.7% | $229 | $248 | 78 |
| New York / New Jersey | 81.0% | 24.8% | 29.3% | $86 | $155 | 300 |
| Long Beach | 83.7% | 17.3% | 20.5% | $92 | $129 | 656 |
| Miami | 66.7% | 15.7% | 12.6% | $66 | $63 | 637 |
| Savannah | 77.7% | 9.6% | 13.4% | — | $102 | 115 |
| San Juan | 78.3% | 6.6% | 7.3% | — | $35 | 393 |
| Tampa | 70.1% | — | 23.0% | — | $261 | 61 |
20 ft against 40 ft high cube containers
On a door-delivered 20 ft container, charges beyond the ocean freight were 38.5% of the bill, against 22.9% on a 40 ft high cube: trucking, chassis, port and customs charges are billed per box or per shipment, not per cubic meter, so they weigh more on a smaller box's bill. Customs exams were billed on 2.3% of 20 ft shipments and 0.3% of 40 ft high cube shipments.
Size goes with the goods and the importer: heavy or dense cargo ships in 20 ft boxes, so these are differences in the data, not effects of the box alone.
| Container | Share of bill beyond freight | Paid a delay fee | Customs exam | Shipments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft | 38.5% | 18.9% | 2.3% | 481 |
| 40 ft high cube | 22.9% | 35.4% | 0.3% | 6,545 |
| 40 ft standard | — | 16.2% | under 5.0% | 100 |
How these are measured
- Shipments that carried exactly one container, counted from the shipment's container records, so the shipment's bill is that container's bill. Multi-container shipments are left out rather than divided.
- A rate counted per shipment and a rate counted per container differ on multi-container shipments, where a fee may hit one box of several. These figures avoid that by using single-container shipments only.
- Per-container and per-shipment figures describe different sets of shipments: the per-shipment figures include multi-container shipments and their larger bills.
- Containers are counted from the shipment's container records; 1.7% of shipments have no count on file and are left out of the per-container figures.
- The same publication rules as the fee pages, plus one: a new share is published exactly only when the shipments behind it come from at least 3 importers. See the methodology.
Questions
Are the fee figures on this site per container or per shipment?
The fee and port pages count per shipment. This page counts per container, using shipments that carried exactly one container, which were 86.2% of US import ocean container shipments first invoiced July 2024 to June 2026.
What does demurrage cost per container?
On single-container shipments charged demurrage, the median bill was $404 per container, and 1 in 10 was over $1,360. 2.1% of single-container shipments were charged it.
How much should I budget for extra fees per container?
Accessorial fees averaged $151 per container across single-container shipments, including the ones that paid none, and 34.3% paid at least one delay fee: demurrage, per diem, storage or chassis extra days.
How many containers does a typical import shipment carry?
86.2% of shipments had a single container and 8.6% had two. Since each multi-container shipment carries two or more, 27.0% of all containers traveled on one.
How do fees compare on 20 ft and 40 ft high cube containers?
On door-delivered single-container shipments, charges beyond the ocean freight were 38.5% of the bill on a 20 ft box and 22.9% on a 40 ft high cube. Trucking, chassis, port and customs charges are billed per box or per shipment, not per cubic meter. 18.9% of 20 ft shipments and 35.4% of 40 ft high cube shipments paid at least one delay fee.
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