Per diem calculator
What the delay costs — and whether pulling early would have been cheaper. The typical figure we hold for Los Angeles is $185 a day per container; yours is on your carrier's tariff or contract, and you can model it here.
Representative figures — not a live feed. Turn times, congestion, free time and per-diem rates here are typical values for planning. No terminal feed is behind them, and free time and per diem are set by your ocean carrier and contract. The calculator starts from these typical figures; change the free days to match your contract.
Exposure
Last free day2026-10-17
- Days held
- 6
- Free days
- 4
- Chargeable days
- 2
- Rate
- $185/day
Per diem owed
$370
Compare: pre-pull
Pulling early and storing at the yard costs about $185 for 1 container.
Pre-pull saves about $185.
Per diem, demurrage, detention — which is which
The three get used interchangeably and they are not the same charge. Demurrage is charged by the terminal for a loaded container sitting inside the gate past its free time. Per diem is charged by the ocean carrier for their equipment being out in the street past free time. Detention is what the trucker charges you for their driver and chassis waiting at your dock.
The calculator above models the ocean carrier's per-diem clock, which is the one that runs longest and costs most. It starts the day the container becomes available — not when the ship arrives, and not when customs releases it.
Free time by port
| Port | Typical free days | Typical per diem / day | 5 days late |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 4 | $185 | $925 |
| Long Beach | 4 | $180 | $900 |
| New York / New Jersey | 5 | $165 | $825 |
| Savannah | 5 | $150 | $750 |
| Houston | 5 | $145 | $725 |
| Seattle | 4 | $160 | $800 |
| Tacoma | 4 | $155 | $775 |
| Oakland | 4 | $175 | $875 |
| Charleston | 5 | $150 | $750 |
| Norfolk | 4 | $155 | $775 |
| Baltimore | 5 | $145 | $725 |
| Miami | 4 | $160 | $800 |
Free days and per-diem rates are typical figures for the gateway, not a live feed. Your actual free time and rate come from the ocean carrier's tariff or your service contract, and can differ by container type and trade lane.