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Force majeure clause
A force majeure clause frees a party from performing when a specific, unforeseeable event outside its control makes performance impossible. It does not cover performance that has only become more expensive. Enforcement comes down to the drafting. US courts read the listed events narrowly and rarely add a category the parties left out. If your clause does not name epidemics, a court probably will not treat one as covered.
Reviewed by
Brent Farese
Ex-General Counsel & CEO
July 21, 2026
Sample force majeure clause for commercial contracts
A balanced, mutual starting point that reflects the market postures above.
Neither party shall be liable for any delay or failure to perform its obligations under this Agreement, other than obligations to make payment, to the extent the delay or failure results from an event beyond that party's reasonable control, including acts of God, fire, flood, earthquake, epidemic, pandemic or public health emergency, war, terrorism, riot, labor dispute, or government action, provided the event could not have been avoided by reasonable precautions. The affected party shall give the other party prompt written notice, use reasonable efforts to mitigate the effects, and resume performance as soon as practicable. If the event continues for more than ninety (90) consecutive days, either party may terminate this Agreement on written notice, without liability except for obligations accrued before termination. Economic hardship or increased cost of performance shall not, by itself, constitute a force majeure event.
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Findings from public force majeure clause studies
These figures come from published studies of force majeure clauses. They point in a direction rather than settle the question, because the samples are small, mostly from the COVID period, and mostly US. Each number below shows its source and sample size.
~48%of commercial contracts even contain a standalone force majeure clauseRutgers, n=621
18%of clauses named a pandemic, epidemic, or disease triggereBrevia / QuisLex, n=171
~12%granted a termination right (about 40% in supply chain / logistics)eBrevia / QuisLex, n=171
90 daysmedian duration before a termination right triggeredeBrevia / QuisLex, n=171
Force majeure terms without published percentages
- Payment carve-out: model clauses (BIMCO 2022, ICC 2020) build in a continuing-payment carve-out, pointing to a common market convention.
- Mitigation obligation: described as common in higher-specificity clauses, without a count.
- Economic hardship: courts do not treat it alone as force majeure unless the clause says so (EAPIL; Vici Racing, 3d Cir. 2014).
Sources- eBrevia / BakerHostetler / QuisLex AI contract study, n=171 (via DFIN).
- Rutgers Business Review, Force Majeure Clauses and the COVID-19 Pandemic, n=621 SEC-filed JV contracts.
- Shook, Hardy & Bacon, Force Majeure and Common Law Defenses: A National Survey.
- EAPIL, The COVID-19 Pandemic and Commercial Contracts. BIMCO 2022 / ICC 2020 model clauses.
Force majeure clause mistakes that create enforcement risk
Reader assumes "act of God" covers a pandemic. It often does not. Most clauses in the data never named a pandemic (18% did). If the clause predates 2020 and nobody amended it, treat the gap as real.
Reader treats a cost increase as force majeure. Performance getting expensive is not performance becoming impossible. Courts do not excuse a party on economic hardship alone unless the clause spells it out.
Reader forgets how the clause interacts with the liability cap. A force majeure termination usually creates wind-down costs. If the cap covers direct damages but the force majeure clause says nothing about transition expense, no one has allocated that cost.
How to negotiate a force majeure clause
| Issue | Market posture | Reasonable fallback | Push back hard |
|---|
| Payment carve-out | Payment obligations excluded from force majeure | Short grace period for banking-system failure only | Any clause that lets the counterparty stop paying during an event |
| Event list | Enumerated list plus "including, without limitation" | Enumerated plus a catch-all tied to reasonable control | A closed "limited to" list, which leaves you litigating the gap |
| Epidemic | Expressly named after 2020 (most clauses still do not) | "Public health emergency declared by a competent authority" | Silence; courts split on whether "act of God" reaches COVID |
| Notice | Prompt written notice with a workable window | Prompt notice, no fixed day count | Notice as a condition precedent on a 48-hour fuse |
| Termination trigger | Either-party right after a prolonged event (public median 90 days) | A longer trigger, either party | Indefinite suspension with no termination right |
| Economic hardship | Expressly excluded | Silence | "Material adverse change in market conditions," a repricing right in disguise |
Questions about force majeure clauses
What is a force majeure clause?
It is a contract provision that frees a party from performing when a specific, unforeseeable event beyond its reasonable control makes performance impossible. It suspends or ends that party's obligations, but only for the events the clause actually names.
force-majeure
What does force majeure mean?
It is French for "superior force." In a contract it means an extraordinary event outside either party's control, such as a natural disaster, war, or government action, that stops one side from performing. Rising costs or inconvenience do not count.
force-majeure
What counts as a force majeure event?
Only what the clause lists, and US courts read the list narrowly. Common entries: acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, government action, and now epidemics. If the clause omits an event and has no catch-all, a court usually will not add it.
force-majeure
Does force majeure cover a pandemic?
Only if the clause says so, or its catch-all is broad enough for a court to read it in. In one public study, 18% of clauses named a pandemic (eBrevia, n=171), so most do not. Clauses that name "epidemic" or "public health emergency" hold up far better.
force-majeure
What does it mean to declare force majeure?
A party declares force majeure when it formally tells the other side that a qualifying event has stopped its performance, and invokes the clause to suspend or excuse its obligations. Most clauses require prompt written notice, so timing and method matter.
force-majeure
Can a party use force majeure to avoid paying?
Not under a well-drafted clause. Model clauses from BIMCO and ICC carve payment obligations out of force majeure relief. If yours does not, that is usually the first redline.
force-majeure
How do you write a force majeure clause?
Name the qualifying events, add a catch-all ("including, without limitation"), require prompt notice and mitigation, carve out payment, and give either party a right to terminate after a prolonged event. See the sample clause above.
force-majeure
Is force majeure the same as an act of God or impossibility?
No. "Act of God" is one category inside a force majeure list, and it appeared in about 75% of the clauses studied. Impossibility is a separate common-law doctrine that courts apply narrowly. Force majeure is contractual, so you get what you drafted.
force-majeure
How is force majeure pronounced?
Roughly "force ma-ZHOR." It comes from French and means "superior force."
force-majeure
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Related contract clause guides
More from Aline on drafting, negotiating, and managing commercial contracts.
- ~48% of commercial contracts contained a standalone force majeure clause, or roughly 50% counting functionally equivalent language. Source: Rutgers Business Review, n=621 SEC-filed JV contracts.
- 18% of the force majeure clauses reviewed named a pandemic, epidemic, or disease trigger. Source: eBrevia / BakerHostetler / QuisLex, n=171.
- ~12% of contracts granted an explicit termination right, rising to about 40% in supply-chain, logistics, and manufacturing agreements. Source: eBrevia / BakerHostetler / QuisLex, n=171.
- 90 days was the median duration before a termination right triggered, with an average of 119 days and a range from 7 days to 1 year. Source: eBrevia / BakerHostetler / QuisLex, n=171.
Force majeure terms without published percentages
- Payment carve-out: standard model clauses from BIMCO 2022 and ICC 2020 build in a continuing-payment-obligations carve-out, which points to a common market convention.
- Mitigation obligation: studies describe it as common in higher-specificity clauses, without a count.
- Economic hardship: across common-law jurisdictions, courts do not treat economic hardship alone as force majeure unless the clause says so (EAPIL; Vici Racing, 3d Cir. 2014).
Additional public findings
- 75% referenced "act of God"; 57% named "government action." Source: eBrevia / BakerHostetler / QuisLex, n=171.
- Governing law: 70% of the JV sample sat in civil-law countries; among JV clauses, 57% fell under common law and 42% under civil law. Source: Rutgers Business Review, n=621.
Sources
- eBrevia / BakerHostetler / QuisLex AI contract study, n=171, via DFIN (dfinsolutions.com). Authors note the results are not exhaustive.
- Rutgers Business Review, "Force Majeure Clauses and the COVID-19 Pandemic," n=621 SEC-filed JV contracts.
- Shook, Hardy & Bacon, "Force Majeure and Common Law Defenses: A National Survey" (shb.com).
- EAPIL, "The COVID-19 Pandemic and Commercial Contracts" (eapil.org).
- BIMCO Force Majeure Clause 2022 (model clause); ICC Force Majeure Clause 2020.
Method note: The two quantitative studies (n=171 mixed contracts, n=621 JV contracts) use different populations and bases, so we do not blend them. The eBrevia percentages are computed over contracts that contained force majeure language, not over all contracts.
Qualitative drafting guidance, separate from the cited data. Market-posture values are practitioner conventions, not findings from the studies. Attorney sign-off required.
| Issue | Market posture | Reasonable fallback | Push back hard |
|---|
| Payment carve-out | Payment obligations excluded from force majeure | Short grace period for banking-system failure only | Any clause that lets the counterparty stop paying during an event |
| Event list | Enumerated list plus "including, without limitation" | Enumerated plus a catch-all tied to reasonable control | A closed "limited to" list, which leaves you litigating the gap |
| Epidemic | Expressly named after 2020 (data shows most clauses still do not) | "Public health emergency declared by a competent authority" | Silence; courts split on whether "act of God" reaches COVID |
| Notice | Prompt written notice with a workable window | Prompt notice, no fixed day count | Notice as a condition precedent on a 48-hour fuse |
| Termination trigger | Either-party right after a prolonged event (public median 90 days) | A longer trigger, either party | Indefinite suspension with no termination right |
| Economic hardship | Expressly excluded | Silence | "Material adverse change in market conditions," a repricing right in disguise |
