Enter the size, number and weight of the pieces. If your shipment has two different carton or pallet sizes, use the second line. The calculator compares gross and volumetric weight and shows what the airline will charge.
Chargeable weight
Gross weight
kg
Volumetric weight
kg
Total volume
m³
Charged on
How chargeable weight is calculated
An aircraft fills up by space before it reaches its weight limit, so airlines charge light, bulky cargo by volume. The chargeable weight is the higher of the gross weight and the volumetric weight of the whole shipment:
Volumetric weight (kg) = Σ (L · W · H in cm · pieces) ÷ 6,000
Chargeable weight = max(gross weight, volumetric weight), rounded up to the next 0.5 kg
The factor 6,000 cm³ per kg is the IATA standard and means one cubic meter counts as 166.67 kg. Express couriers use 5,000, road groupage in Europe often 3,000.
Worked example
Two pallets of 120 × 80 × 100 cm weigh 150 kg each, and five cartons of 60 × 40 × 40 cm weigh 20 kg each. Gross weight is 300 + 100 = 400 kg. Volume is 1.92 + 0.48 = 2.40 m³, which gives a volumetric weight of 2,400,000 ÷ 6,000 = 400.0 kg. Both are equal, so the chargeable weight is 400 kg.
Airlines charge the higher of the actual gross weight and the volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is the volume in cubic centimeters divided by 6,000, so one cubic meter counts as 166.67 kg. The result is rounded up to the next half kilogram.
How do you calculate chargeable weight?
Add up the gross weight of all pieces. Then multiply length × width × height of each piece in cm, add the volumes and divide by 6,000. Compare the two totals and take the larger one, rounded up to the next 0.5 kg.
Is chargeable weight calculated per piece or per shipment?
Per shipment (per air waybill). Volumes and gross weights of all pieces are added first, and the comparison is made once for the total. Dense and bulky pieces in the same shipment can therefore balance each other out.
What about inches and pounds?
In imperial units airlines use 366 cubic inches per kilogram, or 166 cubic inches per pound, which is the same as 1:6000. The calculator converts automatically and shows the result in both kg and lb.