Ever wondered how the cost of shipping your toaster from China was calculated? Here we take a closer look at the container indices that measure the cost of the ocean leg of moving finished goods from around the world to you.

Containers, or boxes, are used to move finished goods from the factory gate to their final destination. Moved by road, rail and sea, the ocean leg of the journey is handled by containerships. These boxes generally come in two sizes, 40-foot equivalent unit (FEU) or 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU). Specialist containers such as tank containers for liquids and refrigerated containers (reefers) for perishable commodities are also used.

The indices which measure the containership market focus on either the cost of chartering the ships, or the cost of moving the boxes. Index data for container ships is calculated in earnings per voyage day or time-charter basis.