library Email this page members only
about uscib global network what's new
    Search      
home policy advocacy trade facilitation calendar of events e-business connections ata carnet
USCIB

ATA Carnet Export Service

BASCAP - Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy

Dispute Resolution

ICC Books USA

Letters of Credit

contact us
membership info
membership info

Incoterms 2000

Incoterms make international trade easier and help traders in different countries understand each another. These standard trade definitions that are most commonly used in international contracts are protected by ICC copyright.


Correct use of Incoterms goes a long way to providing the legal certainty upon which mutual confidence between business partners must be based. To be sure of using them correctly, trade practitioners need to consult the full ICC texts, and to beware of the many unauthorized summaries and approximate versions that abound on the web.


Why Incoterms?
Incoterms are international rules that are accepted by governments, legal authorities and practitioners worldwide for the interpretation of the most commonly used terms in international trade. They either reduce or remove altogether uncertainties arising from differing interpretations of such terms in different countries.


What do they cover?
The scope of Incoterms is limited to matters relating to the rights and obligations of the parties to the contract of sale with respect to the delivery of goods sold, but excluding "intangibles" like computer software.


Why do Incoterms need revising periodically?
As the guardian and originator of Incoterms, ICC has a responsibility to consult regularly all parties interested in international trade to keep Incoterms relevant, efficient and up-to-date. It is also translated into 31 laguages. This is a long and costly process for ICC, which is a non-governmental, self-financed organization. The work is financed out of sales of Incoterms 2000 and related publications, which are protected by copyright.


What are the 13 Incoterms?
Each Incoterm is referred to by a three-letter abbreviation. Here is a complete list, with the meanings spelled out. Click on any of the 13 terms listed below and read a concise definition from the read-only format of the Preambles to Incoterms 2000.


The Preambles do not spell out the obligations of buyer and seller, which are essential to correct use of Incoterms. This information may be obtained by consulting the full published texts of the 13 Incoterms, available only from ICC Publishing.

EXW EX WORKS (…named place)
FCA FREE CARRIER (…named place)
FAS FREE ALONGSIDE SHIP (…named port of shipment)
FOB FREE ON BOARD (…named port of shipment)
CFR COST AND FREIGHT (…named port of destination)
CIF COST, INSURANCE AND FREIGHT (…named port of destination)
CPT CARRIAGE PAID TO (…named place of destination)
CIP CARRIAGE AND INSURANCE PAID TO (…named place of destination)
DAF DELIVERED AT FRONTIER (…named place)
DES DELIVERED EX SHIP (…named port of destination)
DEQ DELIVERED EX QUAY (…named port of destination)
DDU DELIVERED DUTY UNPAID (…named place of destination)
DDP DELIVERED DUTY PAID (…named place of destination)


Calendar of upcoming Incoterms 2000 seminars in the United States




Order the book “Incoterms for Americans,” by Frank Reynolds
(1999, International Projects, Inc.)






ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2010 | PRIVACY POLICY STATEMENT | CONTACT US