Container freight index explained: SCFI, WCI, FBX An index shows the market, not your invoice.
A container freight rate index is a published average of spot rates on a handful of main-line routes, most of them from Shanghai or East Asia to Europe and the US. The SCFI quotes its Europe and Mediterranean routes per TEU; Drewry's WCI, the FBX and Xeneta's XSI-C quote per 40-foot container. The Baltic Dry Index is not a container index: it tracks time-charter rates for dry bulk ships. None of these indices has a route from a Turkish port to Europe, although the FBX Mediterranean basket, used on its lanes to and from China and East Asia, includes Ambarlı and İzmit. A quote differs from the index because the index is an average, not a booking, and because it leaves out charges that appear on your invoice.
What an index measures
Each index on this page works the same way: the publisher collects prices from a panel or a platform, removes outliers and publishes one figure per route, plus a composite. What differs is where the prices come from and what they contain.
- Spot or contract: the SCFI, WCI, FBX and XSI-C follow the spot or short-term market. The Shanghai Shipping Exchange's other index, the CCFI, covers China's exports nationwide and includes both spot and contract rates; the SSE calls it more comprehensive, and the SCFI more sensitive.
- Price source: the SCFI panel is made up of liner companies and shippers or forwarders. The WCI panel is forwarders and NVOCCs reporting rates they have agreed with major lines; quotes, tariffs, bids and offers are excluded. The FBX uses rates from the Freightos WebCargo platform. The XSI-C uses committed quotes reported to Xeneta by its customers.
- Unit: the SCFI composite is in points, with a base of 1,000 on 16 October 2009; its routes are in USD per TEU, and in USD per FEU for the US coasts. The WCI, FBX and XSI-C are in USD per 40-foot container.
Four container indices side by side
| Index | Publisher | Published | Unit | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCFI | Shanghai Shipping Exchange (SSE) | Weekly, generally Friday, 15:00 Beijing time | USD/TEU (US coasts USD/FEU); composite in points | 15 routes from Shanghai |
| WCI | Drewry | Weekly; Drewry dates its assessment on Thursdays | USD/40 ft | 8 East–West routes |
| FBX | Freightos with the Baltic Exchange | Daily at 14:00 UTC; weekly figure on Fridays | USD/40 ft | 12 lanes |
| XSI-C | Xeneta and Compass Financial Technologies | Daily, 16:00 London time | USD/40 ft | 8 lanes |
We give no index values on this page. They are out of date within a week, and the SSE does not allow SCFI data to be copied or republished without its written authorisation. The current figures are on each publisher's own page, linked under Sources.
What is inside the number
Three of the four publishers state what the rate includes. FAK (freight all kinds) means one rate for general cargo, whatever the commodity.
| Index | Included | Not included |
|---|---|---|
| SCFI | Spot ocean freight and seaborne surcharges: BAF/LSS, emergency bunker surcharge, CAF, PSS, war risk, port congestion, Suez and Panama canal fees. CY–CY, general dry cargo container. | THC at both ends, port facility security surcharge, inland on-carriage. |
| WCI | Total ocean freight with BAF and applicable surcharges, including EU ETS, PSS, port security, Suez, Gulf of Aden and port congestion; THC where the market usually includes it. CY–CY, standard dry containers, FAK. | Documentation or bill of lading fee, booking fee, customs clearance fee, inland transport. Reefer, open top and flat rack; wastepaper and scrap metal. |
| FBX | Rolling short-term FAK spot tariffs and related surcharges; median price, weighted by carrier. | Not listed on the Freightos page. |
| XSI-C | All charges and surcharges needed to ship a container, such as fuel and security; THC by lane, following a table in the methodology. | Dangerous goods, heavy or special equipment, pre-carriage and on-carriage, premium or guaranteed services. |
Why the BDI is not a container index
The Baltic Exchange defines the BDI as a composite of the dry bulk time-charter averages of three ship sizes: Capesize 40%, Panamax 30% and Supramax 30%. It assesses dry bulk in dollars per day on a time charter or dollars per tonne on a voyage. These are ships that carry cargo loose in the hold, not container ships.
The Baltic Exchange's container benchmark is the FBX, published with Freightos. A headline saying the BDI has fallen says nothing about the price of a container from Mersin.
Which routes touch Türkiye and the Mediterranean
- SCFI: one Mediterranean route, with base ports Barcelona, Valencia, Genoa and Naples. No Turkish port.
- WCI: Shanghai–Genoa is its only Mediterranean route. No Turkish port.
- FBX: FBX13 China/East Asia to Mediterranean and FBX14 Mediterranean to China/East Asia. The Mediterranean basket includes Ambarlı (TRAMR) and İzmit (TRIZT), alongside ports such as Piraeus, Genoa and Valencia.
- XSI-C: no Mediterranean lane.
None of these four indices covers Türkiye–Europe, Türkiye–US, short-sea Mediterranean or Black Sea routes. For an import from China to a Turkish port, FBX13 is the closest reference, because its basket includes the Ambarlı port cluster; it is still an average across Mediterranean ports. For an export from Türkiye to Europe, an index shows at most which way the container market is moving, not what your shipment will cost.
Why a quote differs from the index
- The index is an average. The WCI discards rates more than 30% above or below the median and averages the carriers; the FBX takes a median weighted by carrier. A quote is one carrier, one sailing, one date.
- Local and landside charges. The SCFI leaves out THC at both ends; the WCI leaves out documentation, booking and customs fees. The invoice also carries the delivery order, customs clearance and inland haulage; see what an all-in quote really covers.
- Equipment and cargo. The indices price standard dry containers at FAK rates. Reefer, open top, flat rack and dangerous goods are priced separately. All four price a whole container: LCL freight grows with volume, so the choice between FCL and LCL is made on two quotes, not on an index.
- Validity and timing. The WCI counts rates valid for at least 7 days and at most one month; the FBX counts rates valid in a 48-hour window and created or changed in the last 3 months. A quote has its own validity, and a GRI or PSS that takes effect before loading changes it.
- After the ship arrives. No index includes demurrage, detention or storage. They start once free time runs out.
- Who books the freight. Under FOB or FCA the buyer contracts the main carriage; under CFR, CIF, CPT or CIP the seller does. The delivery term decides whose cost the index is tracking; see FOB or FCA for containers.
How to use an index
Use an index for direction, not for price. Choose the one whose route and scope are closest to your shipment, follow that same index over time, and compare like with like: the SCFI with the SCFI, not an SCFI rate per TEU with a WCI rate per 40-foot container.
Some indices are built for contracts. Freightos describes the FBX as ready for index-linked contracts and derivatives, and the XSI-C methodology presents the index as compliant with the EU Benchmarks Regulation (BMR). If you link a contract to an index, the clause needs to name the index, the lane and the reference date.
Ask for a quote with every item on its own line and a validity date. When the index moves, you can then see which line moved with it. Our sea freight quotes are itemised and in writing; no charge appears that is not in the quote.
When it goes wrong
A buyer points to a falling BDI
The BDI measures dry bulk time charters. Ask which container index and which lane the buyer means.
The SCFI is compared with the WCI or FBX
The SCFI quotes Europe and the Mediterranean per TEU, the other two per 40-foot container, and each has its own panel and scope. The figures cannot be set side by side.
The index is read as a door-to-door price
The SCFI and WCI are CY–CY, from container yard to container yard. Customs clearance, inland haulage and charges at the destination come on top.
A Türkiye–Europe price is read off an Asia index
None of the four has that route. Only a quote for your own lane gives a price.
Frequently asked
Why have container freight rates gone up?
An index shows that rates moved, not why. Publishers explain the move in their own weekly commentary. For your own shipment, the answer is in the itemised quote: base rate, BAF, PSS, GRI and ETS each move on their own dates, as set out in the ocean freight cost items.
Where can I see the current SCFI or WCI?
On the publisher's own page: the SSE for the SCFI and CCFI, Drewry for the WCI, Freightos for the FBX, Xeneta for the XSI-C. The SSE gives full data and history to subscribers and does not allow the data to be republished without written authorisation, which is why we link rather than quote.
What is the difference between the SCFI and the CCFI?
Both come from the SSE. The SCFI is a weighted average of 15 routes from Shanghai and tracks spot rates only. The CCFI covers China's exports nationwide and includes spot and contract rates; the SSE calls the SCFI the more sensitive of the two.
Which index is closest to a shipment from China to Türkiye?
FBX13, China/East Asia to Mediterranean, because Ambarlı and İzmit are in its Mediterranean basket. It is an average across that basket, not a rate for one Turkish port.
Sources
- Shanghai Shipping Exchange — SCFI and CCFI questions and answers Definition, spot rates, routes and base ports, surcharges included and excluded, USD/TEU, CY–CY, panel, base 1,000 on 16 October 2009, Friday 15:00 Beijing time, CCFI difference, use of data · en.sse.net.cn · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- Drewry — World Container Index: Methodology 8 routes, USD per 40-foot, panel, agreed rates only, validity 7 days to one month, FAK and equipment, surcharges included and excluded, THC, CY–CY, median and 30% rule · drewry.co.uk · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- Drewry — World Container Index Weekly assessment dated Thursday · drewry.co.uk · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- Freightos — Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) 12 lanes including FBX13 and FBX14, port baskets (Mediterranean: Ambarlı, İzmit), FAK spot tariffs and surcharges, median weighted by carrier, 48-hour window, 3 months, 06:00 and 14:00 UTC, Friday weekly average, index-linked contracts · freightos.com · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- Baltic Exchange — Indices BDI composition (Capesize 40%, Panamax 30%, Supramax 30%), dry bulk assessment basis, FBX as the container index · balticexchange.com · accessed 30 Sep 2026
- Compass Financial Technologies and Xeneta — XSI-C Methodology (24 March 2025) Short-term FAK rates valid for less than 32 days, 40-foot, daily at 16:00 London time, 8 lanes, committed quotes, charges included and excluded, THC by lane, BMR · compassft.com · accessed 30 Sep 2026
This page is for information only. It describes each index as its publisher defines it and gives no index values or prices. Methodologies change: before you rely on a definition in a contract, check the publisher's current page.
Change log
- Page published. The methodologies were read directly on the pages of the Shanghai Shipping Exchange, Drewry, Freightos, the Baltic Exchange and Compass Financial Technologies.