Tools · CBM calculator

Volume, weight, and what it costs.

Enter your carton dimensions and we work out cubic metres, air chargeable weight, sea freight weight-or-measure tonnes, and whether LCL or a container is the cheaper route. Nothing is sent anywhere — the calculation runs entirely in your browser.

Cargo dimensionsPer carton

Measure the outside of the packed carton, including the pallet if it ships on one. Carriers charge on external dimensions, not on what is inside.

Results
Total volume
Actual gross weight kg
Air volumetric (÷6000) kg
Air chargeable weight kg
Road chargeable (÷5000) kg
Sea LCL (weight or measure) W/M
Recommendation

Container utilisationHow full your cargo would make each box
20′ standard — 33.2 m³0%
40′ standard — 67.7 m³0%
40′ high cube — 76.4 m³0%

Real-world loading rarely exceeds 85–90% of nominal volume once pallets, dunnage and stacking limits are accounted for. Treat anything above 85% as a full container.

How the numbers work

CBM (cubic metres)

Length × width × height in centimetres, divided by 1,000,000, multiplied by the number of cartons. This is the base figure every sea freight quote is built from.

Air chargeable weight

Volume in cm³ ÷ 6000 gives volumetric kilos. You pay on whichever is greater — that or actual weight. Bulky, light cargo almost always pays on volume.

Sea W/M

LCL is charged per cubic metre or per 1,000 kg, whichever is greater. Dense cargo pays on weight; light cargo pays on volume.

Now put a price on it.

You have the volume and the chargeable weight. Send them with your origin and destination and we will return priced options within 24 business hours.