Beyond TEU: Redefining container efficiency through value density metrics
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container efficiency, value density, TEU, port benchmarking, HS codes, UN Comtrade, supply chain metrics
Abstract
Purpose. This paper develops a Value Density Efficiency Index (VDEI) to supplement TEU-based container and port performance measures with economic-intensity indicators that are more relevant to supply chain decision-making. Methodology. The study uses a conceptual modeling and pilot empirical illustration design. Publicly available HS-coded trade data are linked to container payload and cubic-capacity constraints to calculate value per kilogram, value per cubic meter of cargo or reserved capacity, and implied value per container. Results. An illustrative comparison of Canadian imports of coffee (HS 090111) and medicaments (HS 300490) shows that shipments with similar physical container requirements can carry sharply different economic value. In the pilot calculation, medicaments show approximately twenty times higher value per kilogram than coffee, demonstrating the limits of TEU-only efficiency indicators. Theoretical contribution. The paper contributes a reproducible metric family that connects transport economics, HS-coded trade statistics, and container-capacity constraints. It supports more disaggregated benchmarking of port and supply chain performance than a single TEU-output measure. Practical implications. VDEI can support carrier capacity allocation, port benchmarking, insurance and risk assessment, and disruption-prioritization decisions by showing the economic yield of constrained container space.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
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Copyright (c) 2026 Yoav Yosipovich
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