Incoterms® 2020 Chart

Is there an Incoterms 2026 edition?

No. The International Chamber of Commerce has not published one. Incoterms® 2020 took effect on 1 January 2020 and is still the current edition; the ICC revises the rules roughly once a decade, so the next edition is expected around 2030.

A contract signed today should name the edition explicitly, like this: FCA Shenzhen Port, Incoterms® 2020. A quotation that says only “FOB”, or one that cites a rulebook that does not exist, leaves the delivery term open to argument.

Five things the table cannot show you

1. Incoterms do not transfer ownership. They allocate delivery, risk, cost and transport duties. Title, payment terms and remedies for breach live in the sales contract and in the law that governs it.
2. For containers, FCA usually beats FOB. Under FOB you keep the risk until the goods are on board, but at a container terminal you lose physical control days earlier. FCA moves the transfer point to where control actually changes.
3. CIP and CIF insurance are not the same cover. CIP obliges the seller to buy all-risks cover (Institute Cargo Clauses A). CIF obliges only the minimum (Clauses C). Buyers who read CIF as “insured” are often underinsured.
4. Four rules split cost from risk. Under CPT, CIP, CFR and CIF the seller pays freight all the way to the destination, but risk passes back at origin. Damage in transit is the buyer’s problem even though the seller booked the ship.
5. DDP moves import clearance onto the seller. That means duty, import VAT, and in some countries a local tax registration the seller may not be able to obtain. It is the most commonly agreed and most commonly regretted rule.

What each rule actually costs

The table above shows who is responsible for what. It does not show what that responsibility costs you. We quoted the same shipment under EXW, FOB and DDP and compared the real totals — the cheapest quote was not the cheapest outcome. See DDP vs FOB vs EXW: a real cost comparison.

How to write it so it holds up

A rule on its own is incomplete. Three parts belong together: the rule, the named place, and the edition — for example CIF Rotterdam, Incoterms® 2020, or DAP 14 Rue de Lyon, Paris, Incoterms® 2020.

Name the place as precisely as the rule allows. Under the D rules the named place is where delivery happens, so vagueness there is expensive. Under FCA, FOB and the other origin rules the named place decides where your risk ends, and a port name and a terminal name are not the same thing.

Questions

Is there an Incoterms 2026 edition?

No. Incoterms® 2020 is the current edition and remains in force through 2026. The International Chamber of Commerce revises the rules roughly once a decade, so the next edition is expected around 2030. A contract signed in 2026 should cite Incoterms® 2020.

How many Incoterms rules are there?

Eleven. Seven work for any mode of transport (EXW, FCA, CPT, CIP, DAP, DPU, DDP) and four are written for sea and inland waterway carriage only (FAS, FOB, CFR, CIF).

What is the difference between FOB and FCA?

Both pass risk at origin, but at different moments. FOB passes risk when the goods are on board the vessel. FCA passes risk when the goods are handed to the carrier at the named place. For containerised cargo delivered to a terminal, FCA reflects what actually happens; FOB leaves the seller carrying risk over goods it no longer controls.

Can I still use Incoterms 2010?

Yes, if both parties agree and the contract states which edition applies. Editions are not automatically superseded. What causes disputes is naming no edition at all.

Which rule is safest for a first-time importer?

FCA or CPT at a named origin point gives you control of the main carriage without the seller’s freight margin, and keeps import clearance with your own customs broker. EXW pushes export clearance onto a buyer who often cannot legally perform it; DDP pushes import obligations onto a seller who often cannot either.

Using this chart

Print it, put it in a training deck, send it to a customer, or post it on your own site. No permission needed and no fee. The only thing asked in return is a visible credit line — Chart by ImporterKit, importerkit.com — linked if the format allows.

Incoterms® is a registered trademark of the International Chamber of Commerce. This chart and page are an independent summary prepared by ImporterKit; they are not an ICC publication and are not endorsed by the ICC. The binding text is the official ICC Incoterms® 2020 rules.