Dimensional (Volumetric) Weight Calculator for Shipping
Volumetric weight of a parcel from its size and the carrier's divisor, the chargeable weight (the greater of that and the real weight), the total volume, and which one you will be billed on.
Results
What this tool does
Couriers and air freight charge by the greater of the real weight and the volumetric weight, because a light but bulky parcel takes up as much of the vehicle as a heavy one. The volumetric weight is length × width × height in centimetres divided by a divisor that each carrier sets — commonly 5000 cm³ per kg for express couriers, 6000 for air cargo, and about 139 cubic inches per pound for carriers that use imperial units. Check your carrier's divisor and whether it rounds sizes up, because shaving a few centimetres off a box can move it into a lower weight band.
Formula
volumetric weight = L × W × H (cm) ÷ divisor · chargeable = max(actual, volumetric)
Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
l | Package length | cm |
w | Package width | cm |
h | Package height | cm |
dv | Carrier's volumetric divisor (cm³ per kg) | cm³/kg |
aw | Actual weight of one package | kg |
np | Number of identical packages | — |
CW | Chargeable weight per package | kg |
VW | Volumetric weight per package | kg |
CT | Total chargeable weight | kg |
CB | Total volume | m³ |
BS | The carrier will bill on | — |
Worked example
- Package length50 cm
- Package width40 cm
- Package height30 cm
- Carrier's volumetric divisor (cm³ per kg)5000 cm³/kg
- Actual weight of one package4 kg
- Number of identical packages1
- Chargeable weight per package12.00 kg
- Volumetric weight per package12.00 kg
- Total chargeable weight12.00 kg
- Total volume0.060 m³
- The carrier will bill onVolumetric weight (the parcel is bulky for its weight)
Limitations
- Coverage and consumption figures vary between products. Take the values from the manufacturer's datasheet for the product you are actually using.
- Mixing units is the most common source of error. Convert every input to the units shown next to each field before calculating.