Chargeable Weight Calculator
Carriers bill the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight. See which applies to your shipment — before the invoice tells you.
Formulas
Air freight divisor 6,000 · Express courier divisor usually 5,000
Chargeable weight = max(actual weight, volumetric weight)
Sea LCL: chargeable = max(CBM, gross tonnes) where 1 CBM ≈ 1,000 kg
Put simply, air freight assumes 1 CBM of cargo should weigh at least about 167 kg; courier services assume about 200 kg. Anything lighter is billed as if it weighed that much. Sea freight is far more generous: 1 CBM is treated as 1,000 kg.
How to lower chargeable weight
- Right-size cartons — remove empty space and oversized inner packaging.
- Flat-pack or nest products where possible.
- Consolidate small boxes onto one pallet, then measure the pallet.
- For light, bulky goods, compare sea LCL or rail; the saving can be dramatic.
- Ask carriers whether they round up per piece or per shipment — it matters for many small boxes.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my courier use 5000 and my forwarder 6000?
Express integrators set their own divisors for door-to-door parcels, commonly 5,000 cm³/kg. Air cargo forwarders generally follow the IATA standard of 6,000. Check the divisor on your contract.
How are inches converted?
The calculator converts cubic inches to cubic centimetres (× 16.387) and then applies the divisor, so the result is always in kilograms.
Is chargeable weight rounded?
Most carriers round up to the next 0.5 kg or 1 kg, sometimes per piece. Your actual invoice may therefore be slightly higher than the raw figure shown.