Container freight rate

A container freight rate is the price to move one container, quoted per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit), per FEU (forty-foot equivalent unit), or per slot, on a port-to-port liner service. The all-in rate usually splits into a base ocean rate plus surcharges: bunker adjustment factor (BAF), currency adjustment factor (CAF), peak-season surcharge, and terminal handling charges. Spot rates are published in indices such as the SCFI and the Freightos FBX; long-term contract rates are tracked by the Xeneta XSI. The rate is volatile on headhaul lanes and far weaker on the backhaul leg, which is why carriers price the round voyage, not the single leg.