Enter dimensions for one or several pieces to get CBM, volumetric weight, and chargeable weight for air, road, or sea LCL freight — plus container fill rate for a full load.
IATA standard divisor. Some carriers use 5000 for domestic or express — confirm with your carrier.
Volumetric (or dimensional) weight estimates how much space a shipment takes up relative to its actual weight. Carriers charge on whichever is greater — actual or volumetric — because a light but bulky shipment takes up space that could carry a heavier one, and pricing only on actual weight would underprice that space.
Each mode's economics are different: air freight capacity is scarcer relative to weight than sea freight, so its standard divisor (6000, set by IATA) reflects that. Road and express carriers commonly use their own divisor (5000 is a common default, though 4000 and 3000 appear too) — always confirm with your specific carrier.
Sea LCL (less than container load) freight is typically billed on "revenue tons": the greater of the actual weight in kg or the volume in CBM multiplied by 1000 — treating 1 CBM as equivalent to 1000 kg for pricing purposes, rather than using a divisor like air or road freight does.
It compares your total CBM against a container's theoretical internal volume. In practice, palletization, stacking limits, and odd-shaped cargo typically mean only 80-85% of that theoretical volume is usable — treat the percentage as an upper bound, not a guarantee you can actually fit that much.
For a precise fit calculation on a specific booking, yes — ask your carrier or forwarder for the exact internal dimensions of the container being used, since real capacity varies slightly by manufacturer and container age.
Yes. Add a row for each distinct size and quantity in your shipment — the calculator sums CBM and weight across all rows for the shipment total.
No. It only calculates CBM, volumetric weight, and chargeable weight from the dimensions and mode you enter — a quote still depends on your specific carrier's rates and the lane.
This calculator works from dimensions you type in. Mirage reads them straight off your packing lists and bills of lading, for every shipment, automatically.
See Bill of Lading Processing