Transportation, Freight & Distribution worked example

Demurrage Exposure at 43% share of containers at risk of dwelling: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop share of containers at risk of dwelling to 43%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate port, rail, or container demurrage exposure from chargeable days, daily rate, risk share, and fixed broker or drayage charges.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Chargeable demurrage days beyond free time: 5 days (held at the documented default)
  • Carrier demurrage rate per container: 175 $ / day (held at the documented default)
  • Share of containers at risk of dwelling: 43 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 60)
  • Fixed release and drayage cost: 300 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Variable demurrage exposure = chargeable demurrage days × demurrage rate × at-risk container share.
  • Total demurrage exposure works out to 676 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Demurrage cost per day works out to 135 $ / unit at these inputs.
  • Variable demurrage exposure works out to 376 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed charges works out to 300 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share of containers at risk of dwelling sits at 60% and the headline result is 825 $, this scenario comes in 18.03% below the baseline at 676 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to share of containers at risk of dwelling, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It assumes a single blended daily rate; real tariffs often escalate in tiers (higher per-diem after day 5 or 10), so long dwells can understate true exposure.

Results at a glance

  • Total demurrage exposure: 676 $ (headline result)
  • Demurrage cost per day: 135 $ / unit
  • Variable demurrage exposure: 376 $
  • Fixed charges: 300 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Demurrage Exposure calculator, set share of containers at risk of dwelling to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.