What is CBM?

CBM stands for cubic metre (m³). It is the space a shipment occupies: a box 1 metre long, 1 metre wide and 1 metre high is exactly 1 CBM. Freight forwarders, shipping lines and warehouses use CBM to price sea freight, plan container loading and allocate storage space.

How to calculate CBM

CBM = Length × Width × Height × Quantity

All three dimensions must be in metres. If you measure in centimetres, divide the result by 1,000,000. For example, 50 cartons of 60 × 40 × 40 cm is 60 × 40 × 40 × 50 ÷ 1,000,000 = 4.8 CBM. For millimetres divide by 1,000,000,000; for inches multiply cubic inches by 0.000016387; for feet multiply cubic feet by 0.0283168. This shipping CBM calculator converts every unit for you and adds up multiple carton sizes.

How is shipping CBM used?

In sea freight, CBM decides two things. For LCL (shared container) shipments, the forwarder usually charges per W/M, the greater of your CBM or your weight in metric tonnes. For FCL (full container) shipments, CBM tells you which container size to book and whether your cargo needs one container or several. A container loading calculator like this one compares your volume and weight against 20FT, 40FT and 40FT High Cube planning capacities.

What is volumetric weight?

Volumetric (or dimensional) weight converts volume into a notional weight, so that light but bulky cargo pays for the space it takes on an aircraft or courier van. The formula is volume in cm³ divided by a divisor. Air cargo commonly uses 6000 cm³/kg and express couriers often use 5000 cm³/kg, but carriers set their own divisors, which is why both are editable in this volumetric weight calculator.

What is chargeable weight?

Chargeable weight is the weight a carrier bills you on. For air and courier shipments it is commonly the greater of the actual gross weight and the volumetric weight. A carton of pillows is charged on its volumetric weight; a carton of metal parts is charged on its actual weight. Use the chargeable weight calculator above to see which applies to your cargo.

What is LCL?

LCL (Less than Container Load) means your cargo shares a container with other shippers' cargo. You pay for the W/M your cargo uses, usually with a minimum charge of 1 W/M, plus consolidation and handling fees at each end. LCL usually makes sense for smaller shipments, often below roughly 10 to 15 CBM depending on the route.

What is FCL?

FCL (Full Container Load) means you book an entire container for your cargo and pay a flat rate per container regardless of how full it is. It is usually faster and involves less handling than LCL. As volume grows, an FCL often becomes cheaper per CBM than LCL, so it is worth comparing both quotes in the mid-range. The LCL vs FCL calculator above does that comparison with your own rates.

20FT vs 40FT vs 40HQ

Container capacity is not the same as practical loading capacity. This calculator uses these planning volumes, which you can change in the configuration:

A 40FT High Cube is about 30 cm taller than a standard 40FT, which helps with light, bulky cargo. For heavy cargo, payload is often the limit before volume, and a 40FT does not carry much more weight than a 20FT. That is why heavy shipments are often split across 20FT containers.