DEM/DET KNOWLEDGE HUB
How to Read a DEM/DET Tariff: Free Time, Currency and Rate Tiers
Before using a tariff number, identify the conditions it belongs to. Read the heading, rows and notes as one set of information. The following sequence helps connect a published row with the shipment being reviewed.
1. Match the conditions first
Start with the carrier, country, port or region, import or export direction, and DEM, DET or Combined item. A country-wide scope is not the same as a named port. A heading or filename alone may not establish the complete area of application.
Match container length, equipment type and cargo category precisely. Check how Dry, High Cube, Reefer or Special categories are defined rather than substituting a similar name. Look for separate dangerous-goods or temperature-controlled categories. A rate for one equipment and cargo combination is not automatically a rate for another.
2. Check dates and currency
An effective date identifies application under the source’s terms. It is different from a file upload date, page update or lookup timestamp. If the notes select rates by the date of a particular event, check that rule too. A missing end date does not establish that a rate remains valid indefinitely.
Look for an explicit currency. Do not fill in KRW, USD or another currency from the size of a number or the carrier’s location. Confirm the billing unit, such as per container and per day, as well. Do not compare, sum or convert a source number with unconfirmed currency as though it were a confirmed monetary amount.
3. Read Free Time and both day bases
Read the allowance together with starting and ending events and inclusion of the first date. Distinguish calendar from working days and check holiday or operating-day treatment in the applicable source. Record the basis for Free Time separately from the basis after Free Time.
Identify whether Day 1 in a rate tier is the first day of the overall period or the first day after Free Time. Relative table days are not automatically calendar dates. If the meaning is unclear, do not shift the intervals by assumption to create a calculation.
4. Read each rate tier as an interval
A tier connects a defined day interval to its rate. Whether a higher tier reprices earlier days is a separate rule. Check whether the source applies each rate only to its own interval or specifies another formula. The increasing numbers alone do not tell you the calculation method.
A final open-ended interval can describe terms for later days. Read notes about limits, minimum charges and additional costs alongside it. Even identical daily rates are not directly comparable when their conditions or billing units differ. Keep those differences visible when preparing a comparison.
Fictional example: read only the stated conditions
Fictional example: one container, general cargo and import DEM. Three calendar days are free, including the starting date. Charging also uses calendar days, and tier numbers count days after Free Time. The chargeable period is four days, including its ending date. The unit is a fictional unit, not an actual currency. Each tier applies only to its own interval and no other costs are included.
| Days after Free Time | Fictional daily rate | Days in the example |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 10 fictional units | 2 |
| 3 onward | 15 fictional units | 2 |
Under these invented conditions, 2 × 10 + 2 × 15 = 50 fictional units. This table does not provide or calculate an actual shipment rate. A different or unconfirmed allowance, day basis, interval meaning, currency or unit prevents the formula from being carried over unchanged.
5. Retain notes and provenance
An IndustryQuery result is a starting point for reviewing official information. Visible source numbers do not resolve an unclear currency or application condition; confirm those with the carrier before use. Lookup status and observation time do not replace the effective date, and displayed reference information does not guarantee the actual invoice amount.
Record the location, direction, charge, equipment and cargo conditions.
Keep both day bases and the meaning of the tier intervals.
Distinguish currency, billing unit and effective date from unresolved fields.
Check separate storage, reefer services and contract conditions.
Retain the original official link and the time it was checked.