Container Cubic Volume: Meaning and Explanation

Oaktree.idDecember 10, 2022Updated September 17, 20243 min read

container volume

Container Cubic Capacity – Container cubic volume is now the method used to calculate cargo volume. It’s important to know how to calculate cubic volume so you can determine transportation costs.

Cargo shipping, especially for imports, uses the volume of the goods being shipped to calculate costs. Here’s an explanation of how cubic volume is calculated.

Understanding Container Cubic Capacity

If your company wants to purchase goods through imports, especially in large quantities, you need to know what cubic volume is. It’s used to calculate shipping costs.

For long-distance shipping, many people choose LCL, or Less than Container Load. LCL shipping costs are calculated using CBM or freight tons.

CBM stands for Cubic Meter, a unit used to calculate cargo volume. A metric ton is a measure of cargo weight. 1 MT equals 1000 kg.

Calculating shipping costs using the freight ton or revenue ton method is also called w/m, or weight measurement. This method determines whether cargo is charged by weight or volume. Shipping costs are usually based on whichever is greater: CBM or metric tons.

How to Calculate Cargo Volume

To calculate cargo cubic volume, simply multiply its length, width, and height. For example, an item measuring 3 x 2 x 1 m has a volume of 6 CBM.

There are three types of freight shipping: land, sea, and air. Each uses a different unit of measurement because the shipping methods differ. For land and sea freight, cubic volume is typically used to calculate shipping costs for large shipments. Costs can also be calculated using the goods’ volumetric weight.

Land and Sea Freight Calculations

Volumetric weight differs from actual weight, or the true weight. For example, an item to be shipped has an actual weight of 35 kg and measures 50 x 50 x 50 cm³. The divisor for land and sea cargo is 4.000. So the item's volumetric weight is (50 x 50 x 50)/4.000 = 31,25 kg volumetric. The actual weight is higher than the volumetric weight, but the volumetric weight is used for the calculation.

Meanwhile, cubic volume is calculated using a divisor of 1.000.000. For example, cargo measuring 200 x 200 x 200 cm³ has a cubic volume of (200 x 200 x 200)/1.000.000 = 8 M³.

Air Cargo Calculation

Air freight is usually calculated by volume only for shipments of large items or quantities. The units used to calculate air freight are clearly different from those used for land and sea freight. Air freight costs more, but your goods arrive at your address faster.

To calculate the volumetric weight of air cargo, a divisor of 6.000 is used. For example, an item measuring 50 x 50 x 50 cm³ has a volumetric weight of (50 x 50 x 50)/6.000 = 20,83 kg volumetric weight.

This volumetric weight is used for the calculation even if the actual weight is much higher, such as 50 kg.