Calculate the cubic metres of your shipment for sea freight, groupage, and road freight pricing. Add multiple pieces to get the total cargo volume.
CBM (Cubic Metre) is the standard unit of volume for sea freight and groupage road freight. Carriers and freight forwarders charge based on the total CBM of your shipment when the volume-based weight exceeds the actual weight.
CBM = Length (m) × Width (m) × Height (m)Sea freight chargeable weight (kg) = CBM × 1,000CBM stands for Cubic Metre. It is the standard unit of volume used in sea freight (LCL), groupage road freight, and air cargo pricing. 1 CBM = a box measuring 100 cm × 100 cm × 100 cm.
Multiply the length, width, and height of your cargo in metres: CBM = L(m) × W(m) × H(m). For dimensions in centimetres, divide the result by 1,000,000. For multiple pieces, multiply the per-unit CBM by quantity.
LCL (Less than Container Load) rates typically range from €90 to €280 per CBM depending on the destination, port, and season. Short-haul European routes are cheaper; intercontinental routes (USA, Asia, Australia) are higher.
CBM measures physical volume and is used for sea freight and some road freight. Volumetric weight converts volume into an equivalent weight (CBM × 1,000 kg for sea freight, or L×W×H ÷ 5,000 for courier). Both are used to determine the chargeable amount.
A standard 20ft container has approximately 25.4 CBM of usable volume. A 40ft container holds approximately 67.7 CBM, and a 40ft High Cube holds approximately 76.2 CBM.
Air freight pricing typically uses volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6,000) rather than CBM. However, air cargo ULDs are measured in CBM for packing purposes.
Use your CBM calculation above to get exact LCL and road freight rates from Cargosender.