Container trades need a common unit of capacity. A twenty-foot equivalent unit, or TEU, is the standard measure representing the cargo capacity of a twenty-foot intermodal container.

A forty-foot container counts as two TEUs. Vessel sizes, terminal throughput, and trade statistics are routinely expressed in TEUs. The measure allows comparison of capacity across ships, services, and ports regardless of the mix of container lengths.

High-cube and specialized containers still map to TEU for capacity accounting even when their physical volume differs. Understanding TEU figures is basic literacy in container logistics and liner shipping.

• Standard capacity measure equal to one twenty-foot container
• Forty-foot units count as two TEUs
• Used for ships, terminals, and trade volumes
• Common language of containerized capacity