Optivis CMSFree tool
Chargeable weight calculator
Chargeable weight is the greater of a shipment's gross weight and its volumetric weight. Enter your pieces to get the volume, volumetric weight and chargeable weight for air, courier, sea LCL or road.
Free, from Optivis CMS, the cargo management system for freight forwarders. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Result
Chargeable weight
320 kg
Charged on volume: the cargo takes more space than its weight pays for. Rounded up to the next 0.5 kg, as airlines and express carriers bill.
- Pieces
- 2
- Volume
- 1.92 CBM
- Gross weight
- 300 kg
- Volumetric weight
- 320 kg
- Before rounding
- 320 kg
Do this on every shipment automatically
Optivis CMS works out volume and chargeable weight from each shipment's cargo, with your own divisor.
How the calculation works
The same formulas carriers use, mode by mode.
Every mode compares the cargo's gross weight with a weight worked out from its volume, and charges the greater. The modes differ only in how many kilograms a cubic metre counts as.
Chargeable weight = the greater of gross weight and volumetric weight
| Mode | Volumetric weight | 1 CBM counts as |
|---|---|---|
| Air freight | L × W × H (cm) ÷ 6,000 (IATA standard; 5,000 or 7,000 by contract) | 166.67 kg |
| Courier and express | L × W × H (cm) ÷ 5,000 | 200 kg |
| Sea LCL | CBM × 1,000 kg, charged as weight or measure (W/M) | 1,000 kg (1 revenue tonne) |
| Road | CBM × the haulier's factor (333 kg per CBM by default) | 333 kg |
Worked example
2 pallets of 120 × 80 × 100 cm, 150 kg each, by air: the volume is 120 × 80 × 100 × 2 = 1,920,000 cm³ (1.92 CBM). Divided by 6,000 that is 320 kg volumetric, against 300 kg gross, so the chargeable weight is 320 kg. The same pallets by sea LCL are 1.92 W/M.
Rounding
Dimensions are used as entered. Air and courier chargeable weight is rounded up to the next 0.5 kg; road up to the next whole kilogram; sea W/M is shown to three decimals without further rounding. The result also shows the figure before rounding.
Units
Inches are converted at 2.54 cm and pounds at 0.45359237 kg before the divisor is applied, so the IATA ratio of 6,000 cm³ per kg works out at about 166 cubic inches per pound.
Questions about chargeable weight
- What is chargeable weight?
- Chargeable weight is the weight a carrier bills for: the greater of the shipment's actual gross weight and its volumetric weight. Bulky, light cargo is charged on its size; dense cargo on its weight.
- Which divisor should I use for air freight?
- 6,000 cm³ per kg is the IATA standard for air freight, so 1 CBM counts as 166.67 kg. International express and courier services usually use 5,000. Some contracts use 7,000, which is more favourable to the shipper. Use the divisor in your carrier's or agent's terms.
- How is chargeable weight rounded?
- Air freight and courier weights are rounded up to the next half kilogram (or the next whole pound), so 320.2 kg is billed as 320.5 kg. This calculator rounds air and courier up to the next 0.5 kg and road up to the next whole kilogram, and leaves sea W/M unrounded. Your carrier's own rules decide the final figure.
- How is LCL sea freight charged?
- LCL is charged per revenue tonne, weight or measure (W/M): the greater of the gross weight in tonnes and the volume in cubic metres. 1.92 CBM weighing 300 kg is charged as 1.92 W/M. Most LCL tariffs have a minimum of 1 W/M.
- Can I use inches and pounds?
- Yes. Choose inches and pounds and the calculator converts them (1 inch = 2.54 cm, 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg) before applying the divisor. The IATA ratio of 6,000 cm³ per kg is about 166 cubic inches per pound.
- Is this the same calculation Optivis CMS uses?
- Yes. The calculator uses the same volume and volumetric-weight calculation as the new-shipment form in Optivis CMS, where each workspace sets its own volumetric divisor. Optivis CMS stores the unrounded figure on the shipment.
Chargeable weight on every shipment, worked out for you
Optivis CMS calculates the volume and chargeable weight of each shipment from its cargo as you enter it, using your workspace's own volumetric divisor.
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