CBM Calculator
Enter carton and pallet sizes to get cubic metres, cubic feet and the chargeable weight for sea freight — and how much of a container you will fill.
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- No sign-up
- Runs in your browser
| Item | m³ each | Qty | m³ | ft³ | kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carton 60×40×40 | 0.096 | 120 | 11.52 | 406.8 | 1,440 |
| Pallet 120×80×150 | 1.440 | 4 | 5.76 | 203.4 | 1,120 |
| Total | 124 | 17.28 | 610.2 | 2,560 |
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What CBM is and how sea freight is charged
CBM — cubic metres — is the volume of your shipment: length × width × height in metres, times the number of pieces. A carton of 60 × 40 × 40 cm is 0.6 × 0.4 × 0.4 = 0.096 m³.
Sea freight that shares a container (LCL, less than container load) is usually charged per revenue ton: whichever is larger, the volume in cubic metres or the weight in tonnes. That is the W/M rule — weight or measure — with 1 m³ counted as 1,000 kg. Light, bulky cargo pays by volume; dense cargo pays by weight.
A full container (FCL) is priced per container, so there CBM tells you which container you need. Volume alone is not enough: gaps between cartons, pallet heights and the door opening mean a container rarely fills to its inside volume. The container loading calculator shows the real fit.
Air and courier freight use volumetric weight instead — length × width × height divided by a factor such as 5,000 or 6,000. The volumetric weight calculator covers that.
How CBM and W/M are calculated
CBM per piece = length × width × height (cm) ÷ 1,000,000total CBM = Σ CBM per piece × quantitycubic feet = CBM × 35.3147revenue tons = the larger of total CBM and weight in tonnes (W/M) Tariffs differ: many forwarders charge a minimum of one revenue ton, and some round up. The container percentages divide your volume by the container's inside volume; they show size, not a guaranteed fit.
Worked example: cartons and pallets for an LCL quote
Say you are shipping 120 cartons of 60 × 40 × 40 cm at 12 kg each and 4 pallets of 120 × 80 × 150 cm at 280 kg each.
- Carton: 0.6 × 0.4 × 0.4 = 0.096 m³; × 120 = 11.52 m³.
- Pallet: 1.2 × 0.8 × 1.5 = 1.44 m³; × 4 = 5.76 m³.
- Total volume: 17.28 m³, or 610.2 ft³. Total weight: 1,440 + 1,120 = 2,560 kg, which is 2.56 t.
- W/M: 17.28 is larger than 2.56, so the shipment is charged as 17.28 revenue tons.
Result: this load pays by volume. By volume it would fill about half of a 20 ft container (52%), so it is worth asking your forwarder for a full-container price as well.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I calculate CBM?
- Multiply length × width × height in metres, then multiply by the number of pieces. In centimetres, divide length × width × height by 1,000,000 first: a 60 × 40 × 40 cm carton is 0.096 m³, so 120 of them are 11.52 m³.
- How many CBM fit in a 20 ft or 40 ft container?
- Inside, a 20 ft standard container is about 33.1 m³, a 40 ft standard about 67.6 m³ and a 40 ft high cube about 76.0 m³. Real loads fill less, because cartons leave gaps and pallets rarely reach the roof; use the container loading calculator to see what actually fits.
- What does W/M mean in sea freight?
- Weight or measure. LCL freight is charged per revenue ton, which is the larger of the volume in cubic metres and the weight in tonnes. A 17.28 m³ load weighing 2.56 t is charged as 17.28; a 1 m³ crate weighing 1,800 kg is charged as 1.8.
- How do I convert CBM to cubic feet?
- Multiply by 35.3147: 1 m³ is about 35.3 ft³, and 1 ft³ is about 0.0283 m³. The calculator shows both.
- Is CBM the same as volumetric weight?
- No. CBM is a volume, used for sea freight. Volumetric (desi) weight turns volume into kilograms for air and courier freight, using a divisor such as 5,000 or 6,000. Use the volumetric weight calculator for those.