Shipment A
Chargeable weight
— kg
Enter dimensions, a whole quantity and gross weight for every row.
Import tools
Chargeable weight calculator for air, courier and LCL quotes
This chargeable weight calculator takes your carton list, works out gross and volumetric weight for the mode you select, and shows which of the two the rate will multiply. Enter each carton size as its own line, in centimeters or inches, and the result updates as you type. The formula behind it and why airlines bill this way is covered in the chargeable weight guide.
Use the calculatorChargeable weight calculator
Estimate from your entered dimensions. Carriers re-measure at acceptance and bill on the measured figures.
What the calculator needs per carton line
On air freight and ocean LCL, chargeable weight is compared at shipment level; on express courier and US parcel it is set per piece and summed. Either way the tool wants every carton size that will travel on the same booking, not an average, and two preset buttons fill a standard 60 x 40 x 40 cm carton or the 48 x 40 inch footprint of a US pallet, height left for you to type, so the list starts from a real size.
Inputs per line
| Input | What to enter | Where it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Length, width and height of one carton or pallet as it will be tendered, outer measurements | Using the product size from the listing. Cargo is measured with its packaging, and a pallet is measured with its deck and overhang. |
| Quantity | How many identical pieces of that size | Lumping two carton sizes into one line. Each size gets its own row; the tool totals them. |
| Weight per piece | Gross weight of one packed carton in kg or lb | Entering the net product weight. Packaging, pallets and wrap all fly. |
| Mode | Air freight, express courier, domestic parcel, ocean LCL, or a custom divisor from your rate card | Leaving it on air freight for a courier quote. The divisor changes, the per-piece rule changes, and so does the answer. |
Dimensions and weight can be entered in centimeters and kilograms or in inches and pounds; the math runs the same way and the result shows both. The packing-list figure that most often breaks an air quote is the pallet: cargo calculated as cartons and then tendered on pallets picks up deck height and overhang the list never showed.
Divisors the tool switches between
Each network converts space into a billing weight with its own divisor, which is why the same carton has a different chargeable weight on every quote you compare.
One carton, four billing weights
| Mode | Volumetric rule | Equivalent density | Select it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air freight | cm3 / 6,000 | About 167 kg per CBM | Comparing forwarder air quotes; the IATA standard |
| Express courier | cm3 / 5,000 | About 200 kg per CBM | DHL Express, FedEx and UPS express accounts |
| Domestic parcel (DIM) | cubic inches / 139 for lb | About 200 kg per CBM, the imperial twin of the courier divisor | US parcel networks, the last leg after import |
| Ocean LCL (W/M) | 1 CBM against 1,000 kg | 1,000 kg per CBM | Checking whether an LCL quote bills on volume or weight |
The default is air freight. Switching the mode reruns the same carton list, so the tool doubles as a quick check of how much worse a bulky shipment gets on a courier account than on a forwarder's air rate. Two rules change with the mode as well. Express courier and US parcel networks bill each piece on its own greater weight and add the pieces up, where air freight compares the shipment totals. And since August 18, 2025, UPS and FedEx round every fractional dimension up to the next whole inch before multiplying, so an 8.2 x 6.5 x 3.9 inch box is billed as 9 x 7 x 4; the courier and parcel modes apply that round-up to every piece, the air mode does not. A fifth option takes a custom divisor when your rate card uses a figure such as 4,000 or 3,000.
Reading the result: which weight the rate multiplies
The result panel shows three weights and names the winner.
What the results mean
| Line | What it shows | Example: 2 CBM, 180 kg gross, air freight |
|---|---|---|
| Gross weight | The scale weight of all pieces | 180 kg |
| Volumetric weight | Total volume converted by the selected divisor | 333.3 kg |
| Chargeable weight | The greater of the two per shipment on air, LCL and custom divisor, per piece and summed on courier and parcel; rounded to the next 0.5 kg on air and courier, next whole pound on parcel | 333.5 kg |
| Which weight wins | Gross or volumetric, in words | Volumetric: the tape measure sets this bill |
| Density | Kilograms per CBM against the mode's threshold | 90 kg per CBM, below 167, so volume bills |
The density line is the fast diagnostic. Cargo denser than 167 kg per CBM pays by the scale on air freight, and shaving the carton will not lower that bill; only adding air can make it worse. Cargo lighter than 167 pays for air, and every centimeter cut from the carton comes straight off the invoice.
The breakpoint line and when a heavier weight costs less
Air rates are sold in weight slabs, with a minimum charge and a falling per-kilogram price at 45, 100, 300, 500 and 1,000 kg. The calculator reports which slab your chargeable weight lands in and how far it sits from the next one.
Air freight rate slabs
| Slab | Chargeable weight | What the calculator shows |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Below the weight at which the per-kg rate overtakes the tariff's minimum charge; varies by lane, typically well under 45 kg | "Minimum charge applies" |
| Under 45 kg | Up to 44.5 kg | Distance to the 45 kg slab |
| Plus 45 | 45 to 99.5 kg | Distance to the 100 kg slab |
| Plus 100 | 100 to 299.5 kg | Distance to the 300 kg slab |
| Plus 300 | 300 to 499.5 kg | Distance to the 500 kg slab |
| Plus 500 | 500 to 999.5 kg | Distance to the 1,000 kg slab |
| Plus 1,000 | 1,000 kg and above | Top slab |
The reason the distance matters is the as-agreed rule: near a breakpoint, declaring the higher weight can be cheaper. If the panel shows 280 kg and 20 kg to the next slab, ask for the shipment priced both ways, 280 kg at the plus-100 rate and 300 kg as agreed at the plus-300 rate; the second line is often lower. When the result sits within about 10 percent of the next slab, the panel says so. What the per-kilogram levels look like at the moment is in the air freight cost guide.
Mixed cartons on one air waybill
Because air freight compares shipment totals, the tool answers a booking question most calculators cannot. It has two scenario slots: put supplier one's cartons in scenario A and supplier two's in scenario B, and the result panel shows each on its own, the two added up as separate bookings, and the same rows rerun as one booking, with the difference underneath.
Two suppliers, two scenarios
| Line in the panel | Chargeable weight | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| A, supplier one: 4 cartons of dense machine parts | 380 kg | Gross wins |
| B, supplier two: 10 cartons of down jackets | 400 kg | Volume wins |
| A plus B as two bookings | 780 kg billed | Each shipment pays on its own worst number |
| A and B as one booking | 550 kg billed | The dense cargo absorbs the jackets' air |
Same cargo, 230 kg less on the invoice, and it costs nothing but a consolidated booking. For an importer with two suppliers shipping the same week it is the biggest chargeable-weight saving on the table. On express courier the offset does not exist, because every piece is billed on its own worst number; consolidating there saves through the rate, never through the weight. The worked figures behind both rows are in the chargeable weight guide; the per-line volume math is the same as the CBM guide.
One booking550 kg
Two bookings780 kg
From the chargeable number to a booked air shipment
Platton is a digital freight forwarder for companies importing into the US, and chargeable weight is the number every air quote it issues is built on.
Air freight to the US quoted on both weights
A Platton air freight quote lists gross, volumetric and chargeable weight per shipment from the packing list dimensions, so both weights are in front of you before booking. Any difference after re-measurement at acceptance is shown against them rather than buried in a lump sum, and the as-agreed check is run when the shipment sits near a slab.
FBA prep before the cargo flies
For Amazon-bound goods, FBA prep done before the air leg means the carton is sized to the product before it is measured, instead of paying air rates on the supplier's standard box.
LCL when the tape measure keeps winning
Cargo that bills on volume flight after flight is usually cargo that should be on the water. Switch the mode to ocean LCL, and if the numbers and the calendar allow it, LCL shipping prices the same volume at a fraction of the air figure.
Common Questions About the Chargeable Weight Calculator
Four things per carton size: the outer length, width and height, the gross weight of one packed carton, and how many of that size ship. Enter each distinct carton size as its own line. If the cargo is palletized, enter the loaded pallet as the unit instead, with the pallet deck in the height and the pallet weight included, because that is what the airline measures at acceptance.
Match the network that will physically carry the cargo, not the company that sold you the service. A forwarder quoting an integrator's express product bills on the courier divisor, so select express courier. A US parcel account with a contract divisor other than 139 runs on the parcel setting with the divisor field changed to the contract figure, so per-piece billing stays in place. If the quote does not say which network carries the cargo, ask first; the answer moves the chargeable weight by up to 20 percent.
It depends on the network, and the calculator switches the method with the mode. Air freight under one air waybill and ocean LCL compare shipment totals: total gross against total volumetric, the greater is billed, so dense and bulky cartons on the same booking offset each other. Express couriers and US parcel carriers work the other way: each piece is billed on its own greater weight, the pieces are added up, and since August 2025 UPS and FedEx also round every dimension up to the next whole inch first.
The cargo was measured again at acceptance. Airlines and forwarders measure the outer dimensions of each piece or pallet as tendered, including any overhang, bulge or wrap, and round the chargeable weight up to the next half kilogram. A shipment that is palletized after the calculation, or whose cartons are larger than the packing list says, will come back heavier. Entering the dimensions of the cargo as it will actually be handed over closes most of the gap.
It names the rate slab your chargeable weight falls in, and how many kilograms separate it from the next slab. Air rates fall per kilogram as the slab rises, so a shipment close to a breakpoint can be cheaper billed at the higher weight. The line flags shipments within about 10 percent of the next slab so the as-agreed comparison can be requested on the quote before booking.
Related air freight and volume guides
Chargeable weight: the formula, the divisors and the breakpoints in full.
Air freight cost: the per-kilogram rates the chargeable weight multiplies.
Air vs ocean freight: the mode decision the numbers feed.
CBM calculator: the volume total for the ocean side of the same cargo.
Import duty calculator: the landed cost the freight charge sits inside.
Freight class calculator: the density rule that prices the LTL leg after arrival.
Other import tools
Container capacity calculator
How many cartons or pallets fit a 20ft, 40ft or high cube, and how many containers you need.
CBM calculator
Total cubic meters, revenue tons and container fit from your carton list.
Freight class calculator
Density in lbs per cubic foot and the estimated NMFC class from your pallet list.
Import duty calculator
Duty, fees and landed cost.
Turn the chargeable weight into a quote
The calculator tells you which weight the rate will multiply; the quote tells you the rate. Send the carton list and origin and you get back an air quote with gross, volumetric and chargeable weight shown, the slab named, and every charge line itemized.