Volumetric (Desi) Weight Calculator
Enter box dimensions, pick your coefficient — see volumetric and billed weight instantly.
Carrier names are illustrative; actual coefficients vary by carrier.
What Is Volumetric (Desi) Weight?
In freight and shipping, pricing isn't always based on actual weight. Light but bulky shipments — items that look small but take up a lot of space, like pillows, toys, or packaging material — consume a vehicle's or aircraft's capacity by volume rather than by weight. That's why carriers use a calculation called volumetric weight (known as "desi" in Turkish logistics terminology): a package's length, width, and height in centimeters are multiplied together and divided by a coefficient. The result is a notional weight that reflects how much space the shipment occupies, independent of its actual weight in kilograms.
The billed weight (payable weight) is whichever is higher: the actual weight or the calculated volumetric weight. A light but bulky shipment can end up billed at a much higher rate than its real weight would suggest. Calculating volumetric weight before shipping is the most practical way to avoid surprise costs.
The coefficient varies by transport mode and carrier. For domestic road freight, 3000 is the most common coefficient; some carriers use 4000 or 5000, and 5000 is the standard for air cargo under IATA rules. The higher the coefficient, the lower the calculated volumetric weight for the same volume — so a carrier with a higher coefficient is generally more favorable for bulky-but-light shipments.
The most effective way to reduce volumetric weight costs is to optimize packaging: use boxes that fit the product closely rather than leaving empty space, nest parts where possible, and pack close to standard box dimensions when you can — this reduces both the volumetric charge and wasted space on the vehicle or pallet. The calculator above lets you compare multiple box line items at once and instantly see the billed weight under different carrier coefficients.
For example, take a box measuring 40×30×30 cm with an actual weight of 6 kg. Its volume is 36,000 cm³; divided by a coefficient of 3000, the volumetric weight comes out to 12 kg — since that's higher than the actual weight, the billed weight is 12 kg, not 6 kg. If the same box ships with a carrier using a 5000 coefficient, the volumetric weight is 7.2 kg, still higher than the 6 kg actual weight, so the billed weight is set at 7.2 kg.