Skip to content
Cargocentric
Cargocentric
  • WHAT WE DO
  • CUSTOMERS
  • RESOURCES
  • ABOUT
+1 650-763-2755
Login

Sign Up

  • WHAT WE DO
  • CUSTOMERS
  • RESOURCES
  • ABOUT

What is “Chargeable Weight”?

Airlines determine freight charges by “weight”.  But imagine you’re shipping a pallet of styrofoam. Airlines, as well as ocean and ground carriers, have a way of analyzing density to determine if the gross weight or the “volume weight” is considered the “chargeable weight”.  IE.  Styrofoam would certainly use volume weight based on the formulas below.

Again, the weight applicable for calculating freight charges is either the volume weight or gross weight.  The greater of the two is considered the chargeable weight.

Calculating Volume Weight

  • For Air Freight:
    • 1 cubic meter = 167 kgs
    • 1 cubic meter = 368 lbs
  • For Trucking
    • 1 cubic meter = 143 kgs
    • 1 cubic meter = 315 lbs

If you need help calculating cubic meters:

  • 1 cubic meter = 61024 cubic inches
  • 1 cubic meter = 35.3 cubic feet

** Many LTL trucking companies require dimensions to determine rates, NMFC and freight classes.  If you only have cubic meters (CBM), a quick way to estimate dimensions is by multiplying the CBM by 32.  This will give you an estimate for the height in inches.  If there are multiple pallets, divide by the number of pallets.  If you don’t know the number of pallets, I would estimate the average height of 50 inches (conservatively) to calculate the total number of pallets.

Example 1: If a shipment is 2 CBM, (2 CBM * 33) equals 64.  Thus, you can estimate the dimensions of this shipment as being 48” x 40” x 64”.
Example 2: If a shipment is 3.3 CBM and is two pallets, (3.3 CBM * 32) equals 105.6.  Thus, you can estimate the dimensions of this shipment as being 2 pallets * 48” x 40” x 52.8”.
Example 3: If a shipment is 5 CBM and don’t know the number, (5 CBM * 32) equals 160.  Thus, you can estimate 4 pallets (160 divided by 4) and the dimensions of this shipment as being 4 pallets * 48” x 40” x 40”.

Category: Shipping 101February 14, 2017

Author: Jason Ting

https://www.cargocentric.com

Post navigation

PreviousPrevious post:Sharing a container vs. shipping a full containerNextNext post:Importing Lasers

Related posts

90 Day Postponement of Payment of Certain Duties, Taxes, and Fees
April 21, 2020
COVID-19 – Shelter in Place
March 17, 2020
Impact of Coronavirus on International Shipping
February 3, 2020
How much fits in a container?
June 18, 2019
Unprecedented Shipping Congestion Continues to Plague the Global Supply Chain
March 11, 2019
New Import Requirements for Importers of Products Containing Composite Wood
February 27, 2019

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Posts
  • USTR Extends Reinstated Exclusions
  • Protests by Truckers at Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland
  • Potential Rail Strike Friday, September 16, 2022
  • Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to Assess Additional Charges for Containers That Linger
  • Record Levels of Port Congestion as Peak Season Hits
Categories
ABOUT
  • Why Cargocentric?
  • C-TPAT
  • Contact
  • Partner With Us
WHAT WE DO
  • Air Freight
  • Sea Freight
  • Customs Clearance
  • Warehouse and Fulfillment
  • Technology
RESOURCES
  • Shipping 101
  • Customs
  • News
  • Search
  • Annual Bond Application
  • Terms and Conditions
READ OUR LATEST
  • What is a Customs bond?
  • Keep your shipment data private!
  • How to import from China and other countries
  • Read More
Cargocentric
© 2021 CARGOCENTRIC INC. ALL RIGHT RESERVED. TERMS AND CONDITIONS