Rail Demurrage Calculator
Compute railcar demurrage with credit-style free days and daily debit rates, per car and per fleet.
Set a tier's days to 0 to mean “all remaining days”.
US Class I railroads typically allow 24–48 h free for loading/unloading (credits), then bill demurrage debits per car per day — rates roughly doubled across the industry after 2018.
With your numbers: 6 days − 2 free = 4 chargeable days = 3×$75 + 1×$150 = $375 per railcar × 3 = $1,125.
Sources & references
- STB — Policy Statement on Demurrage & Accessorial Rules (EP 757, 2020)
- Class I railroad demurrage tariffs (e.g., published demurrage items)
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.
Disclaimer: This tool is for general informational and estimation purposes only and is not professional financial, tax, accounting or legal advice. All figures are estimates — verify with a qualified professional before making decisions. Read the full disclaimer.
Rail demurrage is the railroad's charge for holding its cars (or occupying its serving tracks) beyond the free time allowed for loading and unloading — typically 24 to 48 hours from actual or constructive placement. Many North American roads run a credit/debit system: each car placed earns free-day credits, each day held beyond them earns debits billed monthly per car per day.
About Rail Demurrage Calculator
Enter days held, free days and the debit rates. The default (2 free days, $75 then $150 per car-day, 3 cars) shows how a fleet multiplies the bill: three cars held four chargeable days is twelve car-days, and at post-2018 rates — most Class Is now charge $75–$150+ — a slow unloading week costs four figures. The Surface Transportation Board has scrutinised exactly this escalation since its 2019 demurrage oversight hearings. Constructive placement is the trap to understand: if your siding is full and the railroad holds cars in its yard ready to deliver, the clock can run anyway. Demurrage management is therefore mostly pipeline management — matching inbound car flow to your actual unloading capacity, and disputing debits where the railroad's own service failures (missed switches, bunched deliveries) created the dwell.
How to use Rail Demurrage Calculator
- 1Enter days held for loading/unloading and how many railcars 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 Rail 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
What is constructive placement in rail demurrage?+
When the railroad is ready to deliver cars but can't because your track is full or you've restricted delivery, it 'constructively places' them in its yard — and the demurrage clock starts as if they were on your siding. It's the single largest source of disputed rail demurrage, and the railroad's service records (switch times, bunching) are your dispute evidence.
How much rail demurrage would 3 cars held 6 days cost?+
With the default tariff (2 free days, then $75 for 3 days and $150 after), each car owes 3 × $75 + 1 × $150 = $375, so three cars owe $1,125. Bunched deliveries that arrive together — a railroad service issue — can create exactly this picture and are disputable.
Do demurrage credits offset debits?+
Under traditional credit/debit tariffs, cars released early earned credits that offset debits in the same month. Several Class Is have curtailed or eliminated offsets since 2018, which is precisely what shipper groups challenged before the STB. Check the serving road's current demurrage tariff — the credit rules differ road by road.
Can I dispute rail demurrage for bunching?+
Yes. If the railroad missed switches and then delivered several days' cars at once, the dwell wasn't your doing. The STB's 2020 policy statement says demurrage should be assessed in a way that reflects carrier-caused service failures. Keep your placement records, switch requests and the road's service notifications — disputes citing specific bunched placements have a strong record.
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