CBM calculator
Cubic metres for a whole shipment, not just one box. Add a line per carton size and
it returns CBM, cubic feet, the revenue ton your LCL quote will be built on, and which container
the volume would fit.
The formula
CBM is length × width × height in metres. Working from centimetres, divide the product
by 1,000,000. From inches, divide by 61,023.7.
- A 120 × 100 × 110 cm pallet is 1.32 CBM.
- One cubic metre is 35.31 cubic feet.
- A 40ft standard container holds 67.7 CBM, but plan on filling 80–85% of that after dunnage and clearance.
CBM is how LCL is priced
Less-than-container-load ocean freight is quoted per revenue ton — the greater of your cubic
metres and your metric tons, at a ratio of 1 CBM to 1,000 kg. A rate of "$52 W/M" applied to 4.2 CBM
of cargo weighing 2.1 tonnes bills on 4.2, not 2.1.
The crossover is 1,000 kg per cubic metre. Below that density your shipment pays on volume; above
it, on weight. Almost all general cargo sits below the line, which is why CBM is the number
forwarders ask for first. The chargeable weight
calculator works the same comparison across air, express and parcel.
Measure the outside
Use the shipping dimensions of the packed unit — carton or pallet, including the pallet itself and
any overhang. Forwarders measure what arrives at the warehouse, and a CBM figure that comes in under
the measured reality is a revised invoice.
How do you calculate CBM?
Multiply length by width by height in metres. From centimetres, multiply the three dimensions and divide by 1,000,000. From inches, divide by 61,023.7. For a shipment of several pieces, calculate each line and add them together — which is what the calculator above does.
How many CBM fit in a 40ft container?
67.7 CBM in a 40ft standard and 76.3 in a 40ft high cube, by carrier-published internal dimensions. In practice you will load 80–85% of that once clearance, dunnage and imperfect stacking are accounted for.
What is a revenue ton?
The billing unit for LCL ocean freight: the greater of the shipment's cubic metres and its metric tons, at one cubic metre to 1,000 kilograms. It is written W/M on rate sheets, for weight or measurement.
Is CBM the same as volumetric weight?
No, though they answer the same question. CBM is pure volume. Volumetric weight converts that volume into a weight using a divisor — 6,000 cm³/kg for IATA air freight, 5,000 for express. Ocean LCL skips the conversion and compares CBM directly against metric tons.