Twenty-foot equivalent unit

[1] It is based on the volume of a 20-foot-long (6.1 m) intermodal container, a standard-sized metal box that can be easily transferred between different modes of transportation, such as ships, trains, and trucks.

The length of such a combination is within the limits of national road regulations in many countries, requiring no special permission.

Although longer than 40 feet, these variants are put in the same class of forty-foot equivalent units.

The maximum gross mass for a 20-foot (6.1 m) dry cargo container is 24,000 kilograms (53,000 lb).

[5] Subtracting the tare mass of the container itself, the maximum amount of cargo per TEU is reduced to about 21,600 kilograms (47,600 lb).

[5] After correcting for tare weight, this gives a cargo capacity of 26,500 kilograms (58,400 lb).