Shipping and Freight Guides
Short, practical explanations of the measurements and decisions behind every shipment. Each guide links to the calculator that does the sums for your own cargo.
Measuring cargo: volume and weight
- What Is CBM? CBM Meaning in Shipping CBM stands for cubic metre — the volume of a box 1 metre long, 1 metre wide and 1 metre high. In shipping it is the common measure of how much space cargo takes.
- How to Calculate CBM To calculate CBM, convert the carton's length, width and height to metres, multiply them, and multiply by the number of cartons.
- CBM vs Volumetric Weight CBM, volumetric weight and chargeable weight are three different numbers that are easy to mix up. This guide shows how one leads to the next.
- Actual Weight vs Volumetric Weight Every shipment has two weights: what it weighs on the scale and what its size is worth in weight. Carriers charge on whichever is greater.
- What Is Chargeable Weight? Chargeable weight is the weight your freight is billed on. It is the greater of two numbers: the actual weight and the volumetric weight.
- Air Freight Volumetric Weight Air freight converts the size of a shipment into a weight so bulky cargo pays for the space it takes on the aircraft. The usual planning formula divides the volume in cubic centimetres by 6000.
Containers and pallets
- Shipping Container Dimensions Explained Container specifications list several sizes and weights. This guide explains what each one means and which to use when planning cargo.
- 20ft vs 40ft vs 40HC Container The 20ft, 40ft and 40ft high cube are the most common dry containers. They differ in length, height, capacity and payload, which decides the right choice for your cargo.
- How Many Pallets Fit in a Container? How many pallets fit depends on the pallet footprint, how they are turned on the floor, whether they can be stacked, and the container's weight limit.
Freight choices and costs
- LCL vs FCL: Which Should You Choose? Sea freight can travel as LCL, sharing a container with other shippers, or as FCL, using a whole container. The right choice depends on volume, cost, timing and handling.
- How to Calculate Landed Cost Landed cost is the total cost of getting a product to your door: the purchase price plus every shipping, customs and handling cost, spread over the units you receive.
- Demurrage vs Detention Demurrage and detention are both charges for keeping a container beyond its free time. The difference is where the container is while the clock runs.
Looking for exact container sizes? See the container dimensions reference. To calculate with your own numbers, browse all calculators.