Chargeable weight calculator
Convert your package dimensions into volumetric weight to find the chargeable weight carriers actually bill.
How to calculate chargeable weight
- Choose units and shipping mode. Pick metric (cm + kg) or imperial (in + lb), then select air freight, express courier, or a custom divisor to match your carrier.
- Enter dimensions, weight and quantity. Give the length, width and height of one piece, its actual weight, and how many identical pieces ship together.
- Read the chargeable weight. See actual vs volumetric weight side by side, with the greater of the two highlighted as the weight your carrier bills.
How chargeable weight works
Air and courier carriers price freight on the cargo space it occupies as well as its mass. They convert a package’s dimensions into a volumetric (dimensional) weight — length × width × height divided by a fixed divisor — and then bill the greater of that figure and the actual weight. A light, bulky shipment ends up paying on its volume; a dense one pays on its mass. The divisor is the lever: air freight uses 6000 (cm/kg) or 166 (in/lb), express couriers use 5000 (cm/kg) or 139 (in/lb). Reducing void space in a carton is often the cheapest way to cut a quote.
Ocean LCL is billed differently and isn’t covered here: it prices per revenue ton (W/M) — the greater of the weight in metric tonnes or the volume in cubic metres, where 1 CBM ≈ 1000 kg. So this tool covers air and courier chargeable weight, while sea LCL importers should think in revenue tons instead.
Frequently asked questions
- Volumetric — or dimensional — weight is a pricing weight derived from a package’s size, not its mass. Carriers calculate it as length × width × height ÷ a fixed divisor, so a large, light box is billed as if it were heavier. It reflects the cargo space a parcel takes up.
- Aircraft and trucks run out of space before they run out of payload, so a carrier prices each shipment on whichever weight — the real mass or the volume-based one — costs them more to move. The greater of the two is the chargeable weight you actually pay on.
- Air freight uses the IATA standard: 6000 for cm/kg, 166 for in/lb. International express couriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) use 5000 for cm/kg, 139 for in/lb. Always confirm the divisor on your rate sheet, as some lanes and contracts differ.
What is volumetric (dimensional) weight?
Why do carriers bill the greater of actual vs volumetric weight?
Which divisor applies to air freight vs courier?
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Informational only — not customs advice. Classification and valuation decisions are the importer’s responsibility under 19 USC §1484. For declarations or binding rulings, consult a licensed customs broker.