Port of Houston Demurrage Calculator
Estimate import container demurrage at the Port of Houston (USA) with editable free time and tariff tiers.
Set a tier's days to 0 to mean “all remaining days”.
Example tariff shaped for Houston import flows — replace with your carrier's published USA tariff or service-contract terms for exact figures.
With your numbers: 11 days − 5 free = 6 chargeable days = 3×$145 + 3×$225 = $1,110 per container.
Sources & references
- Port of Houston / terminal operator published tariff (storage & free time)
- Carrier demurrage & detention tariff for the relevant trade lane
Demurrage, detention and storage tariffs are set by each carrier, terminal and contract and change frequently. The preloaded figures are editable industry-typical examples, not quotes — always verify against the current published tariff or your service contract before paying or disputing an invoice.
Importers routing through Houston — the Gulf Coast's leading container port at Bayport and Barbours Cut, with heavy petrochemical resin export flows — face the same two-clock reality as every major gateway: carrier demurrage on the box and terminal storage on the ground slot. This tool models the demurrage layer with Houston-realistic defaults (5 free days, escalating to $320/day).
About Port of Houston Demurrage Calculator
Export resin surges periodically pack the yards — Port Houston has imposed sustained-import-dwell fees during such crunches. That local context matters when disputing: charges driven by the port's own dynamics rather than your idleness are the recoverable kind, and knowing the pattern is half the evidence. Work the math before the deadline, not after: enter days since discharge, your contracted free time and the tariff tiers. The per-tier breakdown mirrors how the carrier's billing system itemises the invoice, so any mismatch you find is a concrete dispute line — not a feeling that the bill is high.
How to use Port of Houston Demurrage Calculator
- 1Enter days since discharge and how many containers are affected.
- 2Set your free days and edit the tariff tiers to match the published tariff or your contract — every figure is editable.
- 3Read the per-tier breakdown and the worked example showing exactly how the total is built, day by day.
- 4Change the inputs to compare scenarios (pick up now vs later) before the charges harden into an invoice.
Why use Port of Houston Demurrage Calculator?
- ✓Per-tier breakdown mirrors how carrier and terminal billing systems itemise invoices
- ✓Every figure — free time, tier days, rates — is editable to match any published tariff
- ✓Instant what-if comparisons before charges harden into an invoice
- ✓Free and private — all math runs in your browser
Frequently asked questions
How much demurrage would a container at Houston owe after 11 days?+
Under the preloaded example (5 free days, then $145 for 3d, $225 for 4d, $320 after): 6 chargeable days = 3 × $145 + 3 × $225 = $1,110 per container. Your tariff's actual brackets may differ — edit the tiers to match before relying on the figure.
When does free time start counting at Houston?+
Per your carrier's tariff — typically from container discharge or from when it becomes available for pickup (which can lag discharge during big exchanges). The trigger definition is the first thing to check on a disputed invoice: a one-day difference in the start date often equals a whole top-tier day at the end.
Does Port Houston charge its own dwell fee?+
It has during crunch periods: Port Houston introduced a sustained dwell fee for long-sitting import containers (echoing the West Coast playbook) on top of normal storage. Whether a surcharge is active changes year to year — check the current Port Houston tariff circular, then add any active fee as a fixed fee in this calculator.
Demurrage vs detention — which one is this?+
This models demurrage: the box inside the Houston terminal past free time. Detention/per diem — the clock after gate-out until empty return — runs on separate free time and rates. Use our container detention calculator for that leg; on a slow door move you may genuinely owe both.
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