Import fee benchmark
Storage: how often it hits and what it costs
Daily storage at a terminal, warehouse, CFS or trucker's yard while the container or cargo waits.
The short answer. In our data, 9.5% of ocean container shipments into US ports were charged storage. When it was charged, the median bill was $135 per shipment. The middle half of bills ran from $65 to $315, and 1 in 10 was over $605.
Shipments from July 2024 to June 2026. Updated October 22, 2026.
What are storage charges?
Storage covers the days your container or cargo waits somewhere other than its final destination. It is billed by a terminal, a container freight station (CFS), a warehouse, or the trucker’s yard after a pre-pull. It is often the visible end of another problem, such as a customs hold, a missing document or a full warehouse.Storage by port
How often shipments at each published port were charged storage. Ports with too few importers are left out, and a dash means too few bills to publish a cost.
| Port or rail hub | How often | Median bill | Shipments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa | 20.7% | — | 87 |
| Los Angeles | 19.4% | $195 | 578 |
| Houston | 14.7% | — | 211 |
| New York / New Jersey | 14.5% | — | 343 |
| Long Beach | 9.7% | — | 736 |
| Omaha | 8.2% | — | 554 |
| Minneapolis / St. Paul | 8.2% | — | 536 |
| Chicago | 7.3% | — | 712 |
| Savannah | 5.2% | — | 145 |
| Seattle | 5.2% | — | 123 |
| Miami | 4.8% | — | 964 |
| San Juan | under 1.1% | — | 460 |
| Port Everglades | under 5.3% | — | 94 |
| All ports in the data | 9.5% | $135 | 8,298 |
How to avoid storage
- Clear customs before arrival so cargo does not sit waiting for release.
- Schedule the delivery appointment with the warehouse before the container is pulled.
- If you pre-pull, agree on the yard storage rate first.
Questions
What are storage charges?
Daily storage at a terminal, warehouse, CFS or trucker's yard while the container or cargo waits. Storage covers the days your container or cargo waits somewhere other than its final destination. It is billed by a terminal, a container freight station (CFS), a warehouse, or the trucker's yard after a pre-pull. It is often the visible end of another problem, such as a customs hold, a missing document or a full warehouse.
How often do importers pay storage?
In our data, 9.5% of ocean container shipments into US ports were charged storage at least once (95% range 8.8% to 10.1%).
How much does storage cost?
When it was charged, the median storage bill was $135 per shipment. Half of all bills fell between $65 and $315, and 1 in 10 was over $605.
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