Free tool
CBM and container calculator
Enter your carton sizes to get total cubic metres, air volumetric weight and how much of a 20ft or 40ft container the cargo fills.
How CBM is calculated
One CBM is a cubic metre. Multiply length by width by height in centimetres and divide by 1,000,000, then multiply by the number of cartons. A 60 x 40 x 40 cm carton is 0.096 CBM, so ten of them make 0.96 CBM.
Air freight charges the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight, which is length x width x height in cm divided by 6,000. Shared sea freight (LCL) charges the greater of cubic metres and metric tonnes, usually with a 1 CBM minimum. A 20ft container has about 33 CBM inside but typically loads 25 to 28 CBM of cartons; our LCL vs FCL guide shows where a full container starts to pay.