Are these surcharge amounts the exact rates my carrier charges?

No. Surcharges change frequently and vary by carrier, contract, and season. These are indicative ranges to help you budget and sanity-check invoices. Always confirm the live figure on your carrier's tariff or quote before committing.

What is the difference between PSS and PCS?

A peak season surcharge (PSS) applies during high-demand months regardless of port conditions. A port congestion surcharge (PCS) is levied when a specific port has delays, extra anchorage time, or yard backlog. Both are per-container add-ons on top of base freight.

Why do surcharges differ between TEU and FEU?

Most surcharges are quoted per container, and a 40ft (FEU) box is usually charged roughly double a 20ft (TEU) one, mirroring the base freight ratio. Some carriers quote a flat per-container fee that is identical for both sizes, so always check the unit.

Can I dispute a surcharge on an invoice?

You can question a surcharge if it was not disclosed at booking, if the triggering condition no longer applies, or if it exceeds the carrier's published tariff. Having an indicative reference and the carrier's own tariff notice strengthens the dispute.

Do surcharges apply to LCL shipments too?

Yes, but they are usually prorated to your cubic metres or revenue tonnes rather than charged per full container. The consolidator absorbs the per-box surcharge and passes a share to each LCL shipper, so the unit on an LCL invoice is per CBM.

Port Congestion Surcharge Reference

Ocean freight invoices rarely stop at the base ocean rate. Carriers layer on a stack of surcharges — peak season, port congestion, bunker adjustment, and general rate increases — that can add a large fraction to the bill. This reference lists the common ones by trade lane so you can budget accurately and spot-check what appears on an invoice.

How it works

Each surcharge is a per-container add-on that the carrier files in its tariff. The total surcharge load on a shipment is simply the sum of the applicable charges, scaled by container count and size:

lane_total = sum(surcharge_per_teu × teu_count + surcharge_per_feu × feu_count)

A 40ft (FEU) container is normally charged about twice the 20ft (TEU) amount, mirroring the base-freight ratio. Pick your lane, enter how many boxes of each size you ship, and the tool sums the indicative surcharges for that corridor.

Notes and tips

These figures are indicative budgeting ranges, not live carrier tariffs — surcharge amounts shift month to month and differ between carriers and contracts. Use them to build a freight budget and to sanity-check invoices, then confirm the exact figure against your carrier’s published tariff before you commit. If a surcharge appears on an invoice that was never disclosed at booking, or its triggering condition (such as port congestion) has cleared, that is grounds to question the charge with supporting tariff evidence.