CBM Calculator

How does the CBM calculator work?

Our free CBM calculator works out the volume of your shipment in cubic meters. Enter the length, width and height of a carton, choose centimeters or meters and add the number of cartons. If your cargo comes in several box sizes, click “Add carton” for each additional size. The calculator adds them up and shows the total CBM of the shipment. Use the result to request a freight quote, plan pallets or check whether your goods will fit in a shipping container.

What does CBM stand for?

CBM stands for cubic meter (m³). It is the standard unit of volume in sea, rail and air freight. One CBM is a cube measuring 1 meter on each side, which equals 1,000 liters or about 35.3 cubic feet.

A freight forwarder asks for the CBM because the volume shows how much space your cargo will take up in a container, a rail wagon or an air freight shipment. Together with the weight, it decides the mode of transport and the freight charges.

How to calculate CBM: formula and example

length × width × height (in meters) × number of cartons = CBM

If you measure in centimeters, multiply the three dimensions and divide the result by 1,000,000. Example: a carton of 60 × 40 × 50 cm is 0.6 × 0.4 × 0.5 = 0.12 m³. A shipment of 50 such cartons has a total volume of 6 CBM.

Dimensions in inches? Multiply each one by 2.54 to get centimeters, then use the calculator. For several box sizes, calculate the CBM of each carton type, multiply it by the quantity and add the results together. The calculator does this for you.

For an accurate CBM calculation:

• measure the outer dimensions of the packaging, not the product itself,
• round up to the nearest full centimeter,
• measure palletized goods together with the pallet: a EUR pallet is 120 × 80 cm, so at a loaded height of 1.5 m it takes up 1.44 m³.

To list the dimensions and weight of all cartons in one document, use our free packing list template – it calculates the volume for you and downloads as a PDF or Excel file.

CBM vs volumetric weight: how volume affects shipping costs

• Sea freight LCL (less than container load) – you pay per cubic meter or per tonne, whichever is greater (W/M). 1 m³ counts as 1 tonne. 3 m³ of cartons weighing 900 kg is charged as 3 m³, but 2 m³ of metal parts weighing 3,200 kg is charged as 3.2 m³.
• Rail freight LCL – rates are quoted per cubic meter, so an accurate CBM is the basis of the quote.
• Air freight – you pay for the chargeable weight: the actual weight or the volumetric weight, whichever is greater. The conversion factor is 1 m³ = 167 kg. 3 m³ weighing 100 kg gives 501 kg of chargeable weight.
• Full container load (FCL) – you pay for the whole container, however much is inside. The better you fill it, the less each cubic meter of cargo costs.

How many CBM is 1 kg? There is no fixed answer, because CBM measures space and kilograms measure weight. What links them is the conversion used for pricing: 1 m³ = 1,000 kg in LCL sea freight and 1 m³ = 167 kg in air freight.

How many CBM fit in a 20ft and 40ft container?

A container can never be filled to the last centimeter, because there is always some free space between cartons. That is why we show both the capacity and the realistic load:

With heavy goods, such as tiles or metal parts, the weight limit is reached before the space runs out. We check the permitted payload when we prepare your quote.

LCL or a full container? What your CBM tells you

• up to approx. 15 m³ – usually LCL by rail or sea; by rail you can also ship less than 1 m³ (the minimum rate is given in the quote),
• approx. 15–20 m³ – we compare LCL and FCL prices and choose the cheaper option,
• over approx. 20 m³ – a full container (FCL) usually pays off.

Read more in our article FCL vs LCL: when to choose which.

CBM calculator: frequently asked questions