Container slot capacity (TEU/FEU)

Container slot capacity is the number of standard container slots a ship can carry, counted in TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) and sometimes split out as FEU (forty-foot equivalent units, one FEU = two TEU). A slot is one cell position in the hold or on deck sized for a 20-foot ISO container; a 40-foot box fills two adjacent slots. Nominal TEU capacity is a geometric count of all slots, while the practical intake is lower because of stack-weight limits, the GM and lashing limits in the securing manual, and reefer plug counts. Capacity is reported by bay, row, and tier. The largest container ships exceed 24,000 TEU nominal.