Glossary · Costs & free time
Free time on reefer containers
Also known as Free days and Laytime.
The days after discharge a container costs you nothing to hold. Reefers get 2 to 4 where dry gets 5 to 7 — the shortest clock on the most perishable cargo.
Published
A furniture importer with seven free days has room to absorb a slow customs clearance. An importer with three days on a reefer of durians does not — and reefer free time is routinely 2–4 days where dry cargo gets 5–7. It is the shortest allowance in the trade, granted on the cargo with the least tolerance for delay.
Free time is the number of days after discharge you can hold a container without paying the line for it. When it runs out, demurrage starts if the box is still in the terminal and detention starts if it isn’t.
It is a contractual allowance, not a port rule. Two importers collecting off the same vessel on the same day can be on different clocks, because they signed different contracts with different lines.
What the number actually covers
Free time is usually quoted per container and split three ways:
- Demurrage free time — days inside the terminal.
- Detention free time — days outside it, with you.
- Combined free time — a single allowance covering both, which some lines quote instead.
A combined allowance is the one that surprises people. Seven combined days sounds better than “three and four” until customs clearance takes five of them and you are on detention charges from the moment the container leaves the gate.
When the clock starts
At discharge from the vessel — not at the ETA you were quoted, not at berthing, and not when you were notified. This is the single most useful thing to know about free time, because it means an early vessel shortens your window exactly as much as a late document does.
Days are normally calendar days including weekends and holidays, unless the contract says working days. Verify which; the difference across an Easter or a Christmas is several days of charges.
Typical allowances
| Equipment | Destination free time (typical) |
|---|---|
| Dry container | 5–7 days |
| Reefer container | 2–4 days |
Reefers get less of it and cost more when it runs out. For fresh produce that combination is the whole problem: the cargo with the least tolerance for delay is on the shortest clock.
How to use it
Free time is only useful if you know three numbers before the vessel arrives: how many days you have, which clock they are on, and when discharge actually happened. Most demurrage invoices trace back to not knowing the third one until after the fact.
FAQ
Does free time include weekends?
Usually yes — most contracts quote calendar days. Some quote working days, which is materially better across a holiday period. It is worth reading rather than assuming, because it is the sort of clause that differs between two lines on the same lane.
Can I get more free time?
It is negotiable, and it is one of the more winnable negotiations with a line — more so than rate. Volume helps. So does a track record of returning equipment promptly, which is what the line is actually pricing.
Does free time start at the ETA?
No. It starts at discharge from the vessel. A vessel arriving three days early gives you three fewer days than the ETA implied, which is why the discharge event matters more than the ETA once a container is close.
Is free time the same at origin and destination?
No — they are separate allowances. Origin free time covers the period between picking up the empty and returning it loaded for export; destination free time is the one that concerns an importer.