Free Logistics Tool

Chargeable Weight Calculator

Calculate the billable weight a carrier is likely to rate across air freight, express courier, sea LCL W/M, and inland shipping planning modes.

Calculate Chargeable Weight From Dimensions and Weight

Chargeable weight is the weight a carrier bills for a shipment. It is usually the greater of actual/gross weight and volumetric/dimensional weight. Volumetric weight changes by mode: air freight commonly uses 6000 cm³/kg, express courier often uses 5000 cm³/kg, and sea LCL uses a W/M revenue-ton rule where 1 CBM is compared with 1 metric ton.

Unit system

Packages / pieces

Length cm

Width cm

Height cm

Actual / gross weight kg

Weight entry Total shipment weight Weight entered per piece

Road / inland row Show 3000 cm³/kg inland/rail-style example

The default weight input is total shipment weight. Switch to per-piece weight only if the value entered is the weight of one identical package.

When you switch cm/kg to in/lb or back, the entered values are converted so a value such as 140 cm is never silently treated as 140 inches.

Total volume—

Actual shipment weight—

Highest chargeable mode—

Likely billing driver—

Mode comparison

Use the grid to see why the same carton can produce different billing numbers by mode. Sea LCL is shown in revenue tons, not kilograms.

Mode	Divisor / density rule	Actual weight	Volumetric / dimensional weight	Chargeable result	Rounding note	Best-use note
Air freight / IATA-style	6000 cm³/kg	—	—	—	Carrier-specific	International air cargo and freight-forwarder quotes.
Express / courier	5000 cm³/kg	—	—	—	Carrier-specific	DHL, FedEx, UPS-style express and parcel planning.
Sea LCL W/M	max(CBM, metric tons)	—	—	—	Carrier-specific	LCL planning. FCL is typically charged per container.
Road / inland	Carrier-specific	—	—	—	Carrier-specific	Use the exact carrier/location rule for APAC road freight.

How it works

Chargeable Weight, Actual Weight, Volumetric Weight, and Revenue Tons

Four terms, four different questions. The calculator keeps them apart because carriers do.

Term	Meaning	Why it matters
Actual / gross weight	Physical scale weight of the packed shipment.	Heavy dense products are usually billed on actual weight.
Volumetric / dimensional weight	Space-based weight from dimensions and a mode divisor.	Bulky lightweight products are often billed on volumetric weight.
Chargeable weight	The higher billable value after applying mode and carrier rules.	This is the number used in rate quotes and invoices.
Revenue ton / W/M	Sea LCL comparison between volume CBM and metric weight tons.	LCL freight often bills the higher of measure or weight.

Mode guide

Which Chargeable-Weight Rule Should You Compare?

Air freight: 6000 ⇄ 166

International air freight commonly uses length × width × height ÷ 6000 in centimeters to estimate kilograms. In inches and pounds, the matching planning divisor is 166 in³/lb.

Express courier: 5000 ⇄ 139

Express and courier-style services often use 5000 cm³/kg, which produces a higher volumetric weight from the same carton. In imperial inputs, the matching planning divisor is 139 in³/lb.

Sea LCL: W/M revenue tons

For LCL, compare shipment CBM with weight tons. The output is revenue tons, such as 1.26 RT, because this billing basis is different from air or courier kilograms.

Road and inland: carrier-specific

There is no universal APAC road divisor. The 3000 cm³/kg row in this tool is optional and labelled as an inland or rail-style example, not a default road rule.

How to use

Use the Calculator Without Overstating Weight

Measure packed dimensions

Use the outside length, width, and height of the carton or pallet as it will be handed to the carrier. Include master cartons, pallets, overhang, void fill, straps, and protective packaging.

Choose the right weight basis

Leave weight as total shipment weight when the scale number already covers all pieces. Choose per piece only when each package has the same weight and the entered value belongs to one piece.

Compare modes before quoting

Use air, courier, and sea LCL rows to decide which carrier questions to ask. If road or inland freight is in scope, request the exact divisor instead of assuming a regional standard.

Worked example

One Pallet, Four Different Billable Weights

A single pallet, 140 × 100 × 90 cm, 150 kg on the scale, 1.26 CBM. Not one mode bills it at 150 kg.

Air freight ÷6000 210 kg 40% above scale weight

Express courier ÷5000 252 kg 68% above scale weight

Sea LCL W/M 1.26 RT Revenue tons, not kilograms

Inland example ÷3000 420 kg Only if the rate sheet says so

Mode	Calculation	Result	Caveat
Air freight	1,260,000 cm³ ÷ 6000 vs 150 kg actual	210 kg chargeable	Rounding depends on the tariff.
Express / courier	1,260,000 cm³ ÷ 5000 vs 150 kg actual	252 kg chargeable	Parcel networks can apply their own dimension and weight rounding.
Sea LCL W/M	max(1.26 CBM, 0.15 weight tons)	1.26 RT (revenue tons)	FCL is typically charged per container, not W/M.
Inland example	1,260,000 cm³ ÷ 3000 vs 150 kg actual	420 kg chargeable	Use only when a carrier rate sheet says this divisor applies.

Formula reference

The Formulas, by Mode and Unit

Each divisor belongs to one unit system. Pairing 6000 with inches, or 166 with centimetres, is the most common way a quote comes out wrong.

Air freight

L × W × H × pieces ÷ 6000 = kg L × W × H × pieces ÷ 166 = lb

Centimetres to kilograms, or inches to pounds.

Express courier

L × W × H × pieces ÷ 5000 = kg L × W × H × pieces ÷ 139 = lb

A smaller divisor means a higher billable weight from the same carton.

Sea LCL (W/M)

max(CBM, tonnes) = RT 1.26 CBM vs 0.15 t → 1.26 RT

A different basis entirely — measure against weight.

Revenue tons are not kilograms

1.26 RT does not mean the shipment weighs 1.26 of anything. It means LCL is rating it on measure rather than weight. Full-container moves usually skip this comparison altogether, because FCL is priced by container, lane and service.

Ecommerce use cases

Where Chargeable Weight Changes the Commercial Decision

This is where a product that looked profitable in a landed-cost sheet stops being profitable on the carrier invoice.

Light but bulky loses

Apparel, beauty kits, homeware, toys and gift bundles weigh little and cube a lot once protective packaging goes on. A 3 kg carton can rate like 12 kg.

Cross-border stacks the cost

Dimensional weight, fuel surcharge, remote-area fees, customs handling and minimum charges compound on the same shipment.

Packaging often beats carrier shopping

When chargeable weight far exceeds scale weight, lower the carton height, cut void fill or re-split the assortment. That saves more than renegotiating a rate.

Before you request a quote, have these ready

Piece count and outside packed dimensions
Total actual weight, and whether it is per piece or per shipment
Shipment CBM
Requested mode, origin and destination

Then make the carrier confirm

The divisor they will apply to this lane
Their rounding rule and any minimum charge
Whether the lane bills on actual weight, volumetric weight or revenue tons

Keep that confirmation with the quote so finance can reconcile the invoice later.

Rounding

Why We Show Exact Numbers, Not Rounded Ones

Rounding is a commercial term, not universal maths. Three carriers can round the same shipment three ways, so this tool shows the exact figure rather than inventing an increment.

Parcel networks

Often round each dimension up before dimensional weight is calculated at all.

Air freight tariffs

Commonly round billable weight upward, in increments set by the tariff.

LCL forwarders

May apply a minimum revenue ton, or bill to a fixed number of decimals.

Treat these as planning numbers

Confirm the divisor, the minimum charge and the rounding rule against the actual rate sheet before you book.

No spreadsheet required

Why There Is No Excel Download

People search for this tool as a spreadsheet. We deliberately do not offer one, because a spreadsheet is the riskier option for this particular calculation.

What goes wrong in a spreadsheet

Files drift — an old divisor gets copied into a new lane
Units collide when cm, in, kg, lb, CBM, CFT and RT sit in adjacent columns
The mode assumption disappears into a cell nobody opens

What this page does instead

Keeps every mode assumption visible next to its result
Converts values when you switch unit systems
Keeps sea LCL revenue tons separate from air and courier weights

Need to share it? Use the copy button and paste the summary straight into a quote request or carrier comparison.

Related tools

Plan Shipment Cube, DIM Weight, and Cross-Border Cost

Chargeable weight is one part of landed-cost planning. Use Locad’s related tools to check the same shipment from adjacent angles, then connect the results to fulfillment and shipping operations.

FAQ

Chargeable Weight Calculator Questions

Chargeable weight is calculated by comparing actual or gross weight with volumetric or dimensional weight, then using the higher value for billing. In metric air freight, volumetric weight is length cm × width cm × height cm × pieces ÷ 6000. For express courier planning, the common divisor is 5000. Sea LCL is different: compare shipment CBM with metric weight tons and use the higher revenue-ton value.

The 6000 divisor converts cubic centimeters into an air-freight billing-weight estimate. It represents a density rule: a shipment that takes 6000 cm³ of aircraft space is treated like 1 kg of billable weight. The divisor is not universal. Express courier networks often use 5000, while the matching imperial air-freight divisor is commonly 166 in³/lb.

Chargeable weight is the weight the carrier charges for. If a box is heavy and compact, actual weight usually wins. If it is large and light, volumetric weight usually wins because the shipment consumes space in the aircraft, van, container, or warehouse even when it does not weigh much on a scale.

For air-style volumetric weight, convert CBM to cubic centimeters and divide by the mode divisor, or use CBM × 1,000,000 ÷ 6000 for air freight. For sea LCL W/M billing, do not call the answer kilograms. Compare CBM with actual metric tons and use the higher value as revenue tons, often shown as RT.

Actual weight is the scale weight of the shipment. Chargeable weight is the billable number after the carrier compares actual weight with volumetric weight or, for sea LCL, compares CBM with metric tons. A 150 kg pallet can therefore be billed at 210 kg for air freight or 1.26 RT for sea LCL if the volume is the larger billing basis.

Volumetric weight is a space-based calculation from dimensions and a divisor. Chargeable weight is the result that gets billed after comparison with actual weight. Volumetric weight can be lower than actual weight, in which case actual weight is chargeable, or higher than actual weight, in which case volumetric weight is chargeable.

Use the divisor in the carrier or forwarder rate sheet. For planning, 6000 cm³/kg is common for international air freight and maps to about 166 in³/lb. A 5000 cm³/kg divisor is common for express and courier-style rating and maps to about 139 in³/lb. Do not swap those imperial factors: 6000 goes with 166, while 5000 goes with 139.

Measure packed length, width, and height in inches, multiply them by the number of pieces, then divide by the imperial divisor. Air-freight planning commonly uses 166 in³/lb. Express courier planning commonly uses 139 in³/lb. Compare the resulting dimensional pounds with actual pounds and use the higher value, subject to carrier rounding rules.

Yes. DHL, FedEx, UPS, forwarders, airlines, LCL consolidators, and road carriers can use different divisors, minimums, lane rules, and rounding. This calculator compares common planning modes, including air freight, express courier, sea LCL W/M, and an optional inland example, but the final invoice should follow the specific rate sheet.

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