Air freight forwarder teaches you how to calculate volumetric weight?

2025-12-31 10:34:27

1、 Actual weight:

Actual Weight， The weight obtained based on weighing, including the actual gross weight (G.W.) and net weight (N.W.). The most common is the actual gross weight.

In air cargo transportation, the actual gross weight is often compared with the calculated volumetric weight, and the freight is calculated and charged whichever is larger.

2、 Volume weight:

Volumetric Weight or Dimensions Weight refers to the weight calculated based on the volume of goods using a certain conversion factor or calculation formula.

In air cargo transportation, the conversion factor for calculating volumetric weight is generally 1:167, which means that one cubic meter is approximately equal to 167 kilograms.

for example

The actual gross weight of a shipment by air is 95 kilograms, with a volume of 1.2 cubic meters. Calculated based on the Air freight ratio of 1:167, the volumetric weight of this shipment is 1.2 * 167=200.4 kilograms, which is greater than the actual gross weight of 95 kilograms. Therefore, this cargo is considered as bubble cargo (also known as abandoned cargo, light cargo, or Low Density Cargo or Measurement Cargo in English), and the airline will charge based on volumetric weight rather than actual gross weight. Please note that air freight is generally referred to as bubble cargo, while sea freight is generally referred to as light cargo, with different names.

For example:

The actual gross weight of an air freight shipment is 560 kilograms and the volume is 1.5 CBM. Calculated based on the air freight ratio of 1:167, the volume weight of this shipment is 1.5 * 167=250.5 kilograms, which is less than the actual gross weight of 560 kilograms. Therefore, this cargo is classified as heavy cargo (English name Dead Weight Cargo or Heavy Cargo/Goods or High Density Cargo), and the airline will charge based on the actual gross weight, not the volume weight.

In short, according to a certain conversion factor, calculate the volumetric weight, and then compare it with the actual weight. The larger one will be charged accordingly.

3、 Billing weight:

Chargeable Weight, abbreviated as C.W., refers to the weight used to calculate shipping or other miscellaneous fees. The chargeable weight is either the actual gross weight or the volumetric weight,

Billing weight=actual weight VS volumetric weight, taking the larger one as the weight for calculating transportation costs.

4、 Calculation method for volumetric weight

（1） The calculation methods for express delivery and air freight are generally:

Rule items:

Length (cm) × Width (cm) × Height (cm) ÷ 6000=Volume Weight (KG), i.e. 1CBM ≈ 166.66667KG.

Irregular items:

Length (cm) × Width (cm) × Height (cm) ÷ 6000=Volume Weight (KG), i.e. 1CBM ≈ 166.66667KG.

This is an internationally recognized algorithm.

In short, goods weighing more than 166.67 kilograms per cubic meter are called heavy goods, while those weighing less than 166.67 kilograms are called soaked goods.

Heavy goods are charged based on their actual gross weight, while foam goods are charged based on their volumetric weight.

Notes:

1. CBM stands for Cubic Meter, meaning cubic meter.

2. The volumetric weight can also be calculated based on length (cm) x width (cm) x height (cm) ÷ 5000, which is not common and is generally only used by courier companies.

3. In fact, the classification of heavy cargo and foam cargo in air cargo transportation is much more complex, for example, according to different densities, there are statements such as 1:300, 1:400, 1:500, 1:800, 1:1000, etc. Different proportions result in different prices.

For example, 25 yuan/kg at 1:300 and 24 yuan/kg at 1:500. The so-called 1:300 means 1 cubic meter equals 300 kilograms, 1:400 means 1 cubic meter equals 400 kilograms, and so on.