Cargo calculator: chargeable weight, CBM & W/M
Enter your pallet or carton dimensions, weight, and quantity. We compute total volume (CBM), total gross weight, and the chargeable weight for each service — air volumetric weight and ocean/road W/M — using the same math our operators quote against. Need a port + transit-time lookup instead? Use the Route Calculator.
Chargeable weight by service
Air freight bills the greater of actual and volumetric weight using the IATA dimensional factor (1 m³ = 167 kg, i.e. cm³ ÷ 6000). Ocean LCL and road consolidations bill weight-or-measure (W/M): the greater of the volume in CBM and the weight in metric tons. FCL and full-air-charter pricing is per container/ULD rather than chargeable weight.
How chargeable weight is calculated
Carriers don’t bill on actual weight alone — light, bulky cargo would otherwise take up space they can’t sell. So freight is priced on chargeable weight, and the rule differs by mode:
- Air — volumetric weight = volume in cm³ ÷ 6000 (the IATA dimensional factor, ≈167 kg per CBM). You’re billed the greater of actual and volumetric weight.
- Ocean LCL — weight-or-measure (W/M): the greater of the volume in CBM and the weight in metric tons (gross kg ÷ 1000), expressed in revenue tons.
- Road / groupage — typically the same W/M basis as ocean LCL.
These are the same formulas our quoting engine uses when it builds a rate request, so the numbers here line up with what an operator would quote against. Full containers (FCL) and full air charters price per container or ULD rather than chargeable weight.