CBM and Container Load Calculator

International freight is priced and planned in cubic metres. A forwarder will ask for the CBM of your shipment before they can quote, and an importer wants to know whether an order fits in one container or needs two. Both questions come down to simple arithmetic on carton sizes, which this page performs, and a comparison with the capacity of standard containers, which it does with typical figures.

From carton to CBM

A cubic metre is the space of a box 1 m × 1 m × 1 m. For a carton, multiply its length, width and height in metres. If you measure in centimetres, divide the product by 1,000,000, and if you use inches, the page converts to metres first. Use the outside dimensions of the carton, including any strapping or protruding handles, because that is the space it occupies in the load. The result is the CBM of one carton.

Total volume and weight

Multiply by the number of cartons to get the total CBM. The page also converts it to cubic feet, adds up the gross weight from the weight of one packed carton, and totals the units if you enter how many are in each carton. If you have a freight rate per CBM, it multiplies the volume by that rate to estimate the cost. Rates are usually quoted per CBM or per tonne, whichever is greater, so check both.

Containers

The page shows three container types in a table: 20 ft standard, 40 ft standard and 40 ft high cube. For each it lists the usable volume, which is the typical internal volume times your fill share, the payload, how many containers you would need by volume and by weight, the larger of the two, and how full one container would be. The figures are typical, and the note under the result tells you to confirm with your shipping line.

A worked example

The default is a carton of 60 × 40 × 35 cm, which is 0.0840 CBM. For 250 cartons the total is 21.000 CBM, or 741.6 cubic feet. At 12 kg each, they weigh 3,000 kg, and at 24 units a carton there are 6,000 units. With an 85% fill share, a 20 ft container has 28.2 CBM of usable space, so the order fills 74% of it, and one container is enough; by weight it uses only 0.11 of the payload, so volume is the limit. In a 40 ft container it would fill 36%, and in a 40 ft high cube 32%. The small export sample uses cartons of 24 × 16 × 14 inches, 0.0881 CBM each; 40 of them are 3.524 CBM, 124.4 cubic feet and 360 kg, and at a rate of 85 per CBM the freight is 299.53.

Volume or weight

Dense goods such as tiles or machine parts hit the weight limit of a container long before they fill it. Light goods such as clothing or plastic items fill the space with weight to spare. The table shows both counts so that you can see which limit applies. When your cargo is neither, the container count by volume is the one that decides.

Edge cases

Dimensions, the number of cartons and the fill share must be above zero, and the fill share at most 100. The units per carton and the freight rate are optional. A single carton shows at least one container. Inches, centimetres and metres are all accepted, and the carton volume is shown to four decimals so small cartons do not appear as zero.

Limits

The container volumes and payloads are typical, and real containers, shipping lines and routes differ. The page does not arrange cartons in a load, check that they are stackable, or consider pallets, dunnage or road weight limits. For a shipment close to a container’s capacity, ask your forwarder for a load plan before you commit to one container.

Related tools

• Volumetric / Dimensional Weight Calculator handles single parcels sent by courier or air.
• Shipping Label and Address Slip PDF Maker prepares labels for the cartons.
• Bill of Materials (BOM) Cost Calculator works out what each carton’s contents cost to make.
• E-Commerce Profit Calculator includes shipping in the profit on an order.