Tools
Chargeable Weight Calculator (volumetric weight)
Compare gross vs volumetric weight and get the chargeable weight for air freight, express, sea LCL and road groupage. Everything computes in your browser.
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What is chargeable weight?
Chargeable weight is the value a carrier uses to invoice a shipment: the greater of the actual gross weight and the volumetric weight. The reason is simple: an aircraft, a truck or a container runs out of space just as surely as it runs out of payload. Light but bulky cargo occupies space that cannot be sold to anyone else, so it is billed by volume converted into weight.
Each transport mode applies a different conversion factor, the result of historical market conventions. In air freight, the IATA convention divides the volume in cm³ by 6,000 (equivalent to 167 kg/m³). Express integrators (international courier networks) usually divide by 5,000 (200 kg/m³), because their networks are even more volume-constrained. In European road groupage, the most common convention is 333 kg/m³, although 250 and 300 are also found depending on the market and the trade lane.
Sea LCL works differently: it is billed per "revenue ton" under the W/M rule — weight or measurement — the greater of metric tons and cubic meters, with 1 m³ = 1,000 kg. In practice, LCL shipments are almost always volume-based.
Optimizing chargeable weight is one of the fastest levers to cut transport costs: tighter packaging, pallets without air and dimensions designed for the transport mode can flip a shipment from "volume-based" to "weight-based" and make it cheaper immediately.
Frequently asked questions
- What is volumetric weight?
- It is the theoretical weight of a shipment calculated from its volume using a conversion factor (for example cm³/6,000 in air freight). If it exceeds the actual gross weight, the carrier bills the volumetric weight.
- Why do modes use different divisors?
- Because the ratio between weight capacity and volume capacity differs per mode: an aircraft fills up by volume before it maxes out on weight, so its factor (6,000, i.e. 167 kg/m³) is stricter than road groupage (333 kg/m³). Express networks use 5,000 because parcel networks are even more volume-sensitive.
- What does W/M mean in sea LCL?
- "Weight or Measurement": the shipment is billed on the greater of its weight in tons and its volume in m³ (1 m³ = 1,000 kg). The result is expressed in revenue tons.
- Is road groupage always 333 kg/m³?
- No. 333 kg/m³ is the most common convention in European groupage, but some markets and trade lanes apply 250 or 300 kg/m³. That is why this tool lets you edit the factor. Always confirm the value with your carrier.