SellersCalc

Freight math

Chargeable Weight Calculator

Air freight bills the heavier of two weights: the one on the scale and the one your box implies.

Chargeable weight = the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight, where volumetric = L × W × H in cm ÷ 5,000. A 60 × 50 × 40 cm carton is 120,000 cm³ — 24 kg volumetric; if it weighs 45 kg on the scale, it bills at 45 kg. Flip the case: a bulky 80 × 60 × 50 cm carton weighing just 18 kg carries a 48 kg volumetric weight and bills at 48. Enter your package to see which weight the carrier will charge and how much air you are paying to fly.

Chargeable Weight Calculator — your numbers

Chargeable weight (kg)

45

Volumetric weight (kg)

24

Estimate only. Results reflect exactly the numbers you enter — verify against your own accounting before making pricing decisions.

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Worked examples

Dense carton — scale wins

Actual weight 45
Length 60
Width 50
Height 40
Volumetric divisor 5000
Chargeable weight (kg) 45
Volumetric weight (kg) 24

Volumetric is only 24 kg, so the 45 kg actual weight sets the bill.

Bulky carton — volume wins

Actual weight 18
Length 80
Width 60
Height 50
Volumetric divisor 5000
Chargeable weight (kg) 48
Volumetric weight (kg) 48

An 18 kg box bills as 48 kg — you pay to fly 30 kg of air.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use 5,000 versus 6,000 as the divisor?

Express couriers — DHL, FedEx, UPS international — use 5,000 (equivalent to 200 kg per CBM), while traditional IATA air cargo through a freight forwarder typically uses 6,000 (167 kg per CBM). The forwarder route is gentler on bulky goods. Divisors are pricing policy and can change, so confirm the current figure on your carrier’s rate card.

Is chargeable weight computed per box or for the whole shipment?

For multi-piece shipments carriers total the actual weights and total the volumetric weights, then bill the greater sum — a dense box can offset a bulky one within the same shipment. Couriers may also round each piece up to the next 0.5 kg first, which nudges multi-piece bills slightly higher than the raw math.

How can I cut my chargeable weight?

Attack volume, since actual weight is fixed by the product. Vacuum-pack soft goods, ship items nested or disassembled, tighten master-carton fill so no dimension is wasted, and resize cartons so volumetric lands just below actual weight. Getting a 48 kg volumetric down to 24 kg literally halves the freight bill on a light shipment.

At what point is air freight not worth it for bulky products?

Compare cost per unit, not per kg. If volumetric weight is 2–3× actual, air freight is punishing you for shipping air, and ocean — which prices volume far cheaper per CBM — usually wins for anything not urgent. Many sellers fly a small launch batch despite the penalty, then move steady-state replenishment to ocean.

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Part of the Shipping & Landed Cost collection.