Container shipping rate benchmarks with market analysis: what moves rates, how a spot rate is built, and how the major lanes differ. Updated every week. For the live rate on a specific port pair, search the Gateway Ocean Rates board.
Average all-in rate per corridor, across 321 lanes in this week's read (9,822 lanes and sizes tracked).
The Gateway Container Index was $7,260 for a 40-foot high-cube container in the carrier read of Nov 4, 2026, averaged across 321 lanes and down 2.5% week over week. In the same read, the average all-in spot rate (port to port, incl. BAF, THC and GRIs) for a 40-foot high-cube container was $11,059 from Asia to the US West Coast, $11,591 from Asia to the US East Coast, $11,050 from Asia to the US Gulf, $6,198 from Europe to the US West Coast, $4,366 from Europe to the US East Coast and $4,318 from Europe to the US Gulf.
Europe → US East Coast
$4,366
avg of 138 lanes
Asia → US East Coast
$11,591
avg of 71 lanes
Europe → US West Coast
$6,198
avg of 45 lanes
Asia → US Gulf
$11,050
avg of 34 lanes
Europe → US Gulf
$4,318
avg of 17 lanes
Asia → US West Coast
$11,059
avg of 16 lanes
Gateway Container Index
Lane-weighted average across 321 corridor lanes
Corridor averages exclude lanes that missed the latest weekly read, so they reflect the current market rather than an old quote. Your own lane will differ from its corridor average.
See your exact lane on the boardGet these numbers every week
The Gateway Container Index and the corridor averages, after each weekly carrier read.
Average 40' high-cube spot rate from each country to each US coast in the carrier data through Nov 4, 2026, across every lane on the board from that country. A figure needs at least 3 lanes behind it; for the rate on one port pair, look the lane up on the Gateway Ocean Rates board.
| Origin country | To US West Coast | To US East Coast | To US Gulf |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | $12,6838 lanes | $10,11339 lanes | $10,10224 lanes |
| Italy | $6,7448 lanes | $4,83236 lanes | $4,9644 lanes |
| Israel | $9,1455 lanes | $6,78418 lanes | $6,0964 lanes |
| Bulgaria | $4,8016 lanes | $3,56218 lanes | - |
| Poland | $6,2806 lanes | $4,32116 lanes | - |
| Spain | $6,7914 lanes | $4,13018 lanes | - |
| Germany | $5,9756 lanes | $4,04215 lanes | - |
| United Kingdom | $6,0926 lanes | $4,11011 lanes | - |
| Australia | $5,0294 lanes | $6,2249 lanes | $6,5263 lanes |
| Philippines | $9,1584 lanes | $13,6859 lanes | $13,6873 lanes |
| Egypt | $4,9573 lanes | $3,9439 lanes | - |
| Greece | $5,4343 lanes | $4,7179 lanes | - |
| Lebanon | $5,3773 lanes | $4,2189 lanes | - |
| Morocco | $4,8953 lanes | $3,9589 lanes | - |
| Romania | $4,9533 lanes | $3,7149 lanes | - |
| Taiwan | - | $13,5839 lanes | $13,5853 lanes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | $5,8833 lanes | $4,4619 lanes | - |
| Albania | - | $5,0119 lanes | - |
| Belgium | $5,9523 lanes | $4,0058 lanes | - |
| Croatia | - | $5,0199 lanes | - |
| France | $5,9913 lanes | $4,0448 lanes | - |
| Montenegro | - | $4,9839 lanes | - |
| Netherlands | $5,9803 lanes | $4,0338 lanes | - |
| Slovenia | - | $5,0049 lanes | - |
| China | - | $13,5279 lanes | - |
| Chile | $3,4863 lanes | $3,4925 lanes | - |
| Colombia | $2,2133 lanes | $2,2145 lanes | - |
| Sri Lanka | - | $12,2875 lanes | $12,6443 lanes |
| Argentina | $7,8473 lanes | $7,4554 lanes | - |
| Brazil | $7,7083 lanes | $7,3154 lanes | - |
| Ecuador | $3,1993 lanes | $2,9724 lanes | - |
| Mexico | $4,8203 lanes | $5,4284 lanes | - |
| Peru | $2,0393 lanes | $1,9104 lanes | - |
Average spot rate per corridor for a 20' standard, a 40' standard and a 40' high-cube container, from the same carrier read as the benchmarks above. A 40' costs well under twice a 20', so per cubic meter the larger box is almost always cheaper.
| Corridor | 20' standard | 40' standard | 40' high cube |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe → US East Coast | $3,490138 lanes | $4,366138 lanes | $4,366138 lanes |
| Asia → US East Coast | $9,95571 lanes | $11,58871 lanes | $11,59171 lanes |
| Europe → US West Coast | $4,86645 lanes | $6,19845 lanes | $6,19845 lanes |
| Asia → US Gulf | $9,77234 lanes | $11,04834 lanes | $11,05034 lanes |
| Europe → US Gulf | $3,45217 lanes | $4,31817 lanes | $4,31817 lanes |
| Asia → US West Coast | $8,45916 lanes | $11,05716 lanes | $11,05916 lanes |
Asia to the US Gulf moved most in the Nov 4, 2026 read, down 9% week over week to an average of $11,050 for a 40-foot high-cube. Asia to the US East Coast fell; Europe to the US East Coast, Europe to the US West Coast, Europe to the US Gulf and Asia to the US West Coast held flat.
Shipping steady volume? Contracted rates hold a price across a committed period instead of moving with the spot market. What you save depends on the lane and the commitment, so talk to us about your volume.
Benchmarks show the market. These give you your number.
A spot rate is a snapshot of what the market will charge for the soonest sailing on a lane. It is not a fixed price, and it moves for reasons that are largely predictable. These are the forces that decide what you pay for a container.
Carriers add or withdraw sailings to match demand. When a service is suspended or ships are moved to another trade, the remaining space is bid up and spot rates rise within weeks. Capacity is the single biggest swing factor on any lane.
Bunker fuel is recovered through a Bunker Adjustment Factor that moves with oil prices and with low-sulphur fuel regulations. It is a pass-through, so it can lift an all-in rate even in a soft market.
Rates climb into the pre-holiday push from roughly August through October, and again ahead of Lunar New Year as factories race to ship before closing. Booking into those windows costs more and space gets tighter.
Canal transits, drought restrictions and security diversions change both transit time and cost. A rerouted service burns more fuel and more vessel days, and that shows up in the rate long before schedules recover.
Duty changes move sourcing, and sourcing moves freight demand. When duty rises sharply on one origin, volume shifts to another and the receiving lane tightens. Rates follow the cargo.
A rate is only real if there is a container where you need it. Empty repositioning after an imbalanced trade can make a nominally cheap lane expensive, or simply unbookable at the quoted number.
Quotes are not comparable unless you know what each one covers. An all-in port-to-port rate normally bundles these four components.
These are billed separately and are where landed cost usually surprises people.
Duty is the one most people underestimate. You can price it for your exact HTS code and origin with the Gateway tariff calculator.
Transit time, routing and capacity all differ by corridor, which is why one origin can move while another sits flat in the same week. Live pricing for every lane below is on the Gateway Ocean Rates board.
The shortest transpacific routing, typically around two weeks to Long Beach. It reacts fastest to capacity changes because the sailing cycle is short, so rate moves show up here before they reach the East Coast.
Longer routings via canal transit, commonly four weeks or more. Rates carry the extra vessel days and any canal restrictions, and they move more slowly because the cycle is longer.
A shorter, more stable corridor with different capacity dynamics from the transpacific trades. It usually prices well below Asia origins and moves on its own cycle.
The Gateway Ocean Rates board publishes current spot rates across thousands of port pairs, with the weekly trend on each one. Search your exact origin and destination instead of working from an average.
Common questions about ocean freight and container shipping rates
Ocean freight spot rates are current market prices for shipping containers on specific trade lanes. Unlike contract rates (locked for months), spot rates fluctuate based on supply, demand, fuel costs, and seasonal factors. They are updated regularly and represent real-time market conditions.
Gateway reads ocean freight spot rates from the carriers every week. The corridor benchmarks and the averages by country and container size on this page, and the per-lane rates on the Gateway Ocean Rates board, all come from that weekly read, and each shows the date of the read behind it.
In Gateway's weekly carrier read of Nov 4, 2026, the average all-in spot rate (port to port) for a 40-foot high-cube container from China was $13,527 to the US East Coast. Rates move every week; the Gateway Ocean Rates board shows the current rate for each port pair.
Ocean freight rates are influenced by: fuel prices (bunker costs), container availability, port congestion, seasonal demand (peak season surcharges), geopolitical events (e.g., Red Sea disruptions), carrier capacity, and global trade volumes. Rates tend to peak August-October for Asia-USA routes.
Gateway offers contracted rates that hold a price across a committed period instead of moving with the spot market. What you save depends on the lane, the volume and the length of the commitment, so we quote it against your actual shipping pattern rather than a blanket percentage.
A 40ft costs more than a 20ft but nowhere near double, so the cost per cubic meter is lower. A 40ft High Cube holds 67.7 cubic meters against 33.2 for a 20ft, which is why volume cargo almost always ships cheaper in the larger box. The spread between the two sizes moves with the market, so compare both on the live board for your lane rather than working off a fixed percentage.