freightcalcsCBM calculator
Cubic meters, volumetric weight and container space for your shipment. Part of freightcalcs.com.
Cubic meters, volumetric weight and container space for your shipment. Part of freightcalcs.com.
| Qty | Length | Width | Height |
|---|
| Container | Usable capacity | Your cargo fills |
|---|---|---|
| 20ft | ~33 CBM | – |
| 40ft | ~67 CBM | – |
| 40ft high cube | ~76 CBM | – |
Practical loading efficiency is usually 80–90% of rated capacity. Planning pallets instead? Use the pallet load calculator.
| Shipment | Calculation | CBM |
|---|---|---|
| 10 cartons, 50 × 40 × 30 cm | (0.5 × 0.4 × 0.3) × 10 | 0.6 CBM |
| 100 cartons, 60 × 40 × 40 cm | (0.6 × 0.4 × 0.4) × 100 | 9.6 CBM |
| 1 pallet, 120 × 100 × 150 cm | 1.2 × 1.0 × 1.5 | 1.8 CBM |
| 250 cartons, 18 × 14 × 12 in | (0.457 × 0.356 × 0.305) × 250 | 12.4 CBM |
Enter your own sizes above to get CBM, cubic feet and volumetric weight in one go.
CBM (cubic meter) is the standard unit of cargo volume in sea, air and road freight: length × width × height in meters, times quantity.
CBM = (L × W × H in meters) × quantity. If your sizes are in centimeters, multiply the three together and divide by 1,000,000. Example: 10 cartons of 50 × 40 × 30 cm = 0.06 × 10 = 0.6 CBM.
Cartons are usually measured in cm. Multiply length × width × height in cm, divide by 1,000,000, then multiply by the number of cartons. Example: 60 × 40 × 40 cm = 96,000 cm³ ÷ 1,000,000 = 0.096 CBM per carton.
A standard 20ft container holds about 33 CBM of internal space. In real loading you fill roughly 80–90%, so plan for about 25–28 CBM of cargo.
A 40ft standard container is about 67 CBM, and a 40ft high cube is about 76 CBM. Usable load is typically 80–90% of that figure.
Air freight charges the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight at 1 CBM ≈ 167 kg (IATA 6,000 divisor). LCL ocean freight uses W/M: 1 CBM is billed like 1,000 kg, whichever is greater. See the chargeable weight calculator.
1 CBM = 35.3147 cubic feet — see the CBM ⇄ CFT converter.
CBM ⇄ CFT converter · Dimensional weight calculator · Container loading calculator · Pallet load calculator