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Call Us 24/7/365
+1 (818) 600-0008Every import container at San Pedro Bay is on a clock. This free calculator estimates what the steamship line will bill you past your Last Free Day, using demurrage rates verified against published carrier tariffs for every terminal at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. No login, no booking number, no email required.
The estimate above uses published tariff rates, and the spread between carriers is wide enough to matter. The same one-day miss costs $80 on an MSC container at TTI and $315 on a ONE container at ITS, four berths apart. The tables below show the verified rates for every carrier and the free time rules at all twelve LA and Long Beach terminals, so you can see exactly which clock your container is on. If the number on your screen is already real, dispatch answers 24/7 at (818) 600-0008.
Straight answers on demurrage charges, free time, and billing rules at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
Published carrier demurrage at LA and Long Beach runs roughly $65 to $315 per container per day in the first tier after free time, escalating to $120 to $440 per day by day nine. ONE charges $315/$360/$405 at ITS Pier G, ZIM charges $285/$380/$440 across LA and Long Beach, CMA CGM's California tariff runs $255/$345, and MSC's published rates at TTI Pier T are the lowest at $80/$150 for a 40 ft dry container. Rates vary by carrier, terminal, container type, and service contract.
Demurrage is charged while the container sits inside the terminal past its free time. Detention, often called per diem, is charged after the container leaves the terminal but is not returned empty within its free days. They run on separate clocks, so one delayed delivery can trigger both at once. This calculator estimates demurrage only.
Base terminal free time for import containers is four days under the port tariffs, and most carrier tariffs allow four working days. The clock typically starts at 3:00 a.m. after the container is discharged from the vessel. At Long Beach, weekends have counted against free time since September 1, 2022. Service contracts can extend free time beyond the published tariff.
Under the FMC's Demurrage and Detention Billing Requirements, effective May 28, 2024, a carrier or terminal may invoice only one party: either the party that contracted for the transportation or the consignee, never both at once. Invoices must be issued within 30 days, the billed party has 30 days to dispute, and an invoice missing the rule's required information removes the obligation to pay it.
No. The Traffic Mitigation Fee, $40.63 per TEU and $81.26 for larger containers as of August 1, 2026, funds extended gate hours and applies to nearly every loaded container regardless of timing. The Clean Truck Fund rate and Alameda Corridor charges are also separate. Demurrage is a penalty for exceeding free time; these fees apply even when your container moves on day one.
Track the vessel before arrival, book the earliest terminal appointment once the container shows available, and pull the box inside its free time. When your warehouse can't receive in time, a pre-pull to a local yard stops the terminal clock entirely, and yard storage always costs less than demurrage. AEEM tracks Last Free Days and runs pre-pulls daily across all twelve LA and Long Beach terminals.
