CBM calculator
Enter box dimensions and quantity for total cubic metres and an estimated container load.
What CBM is
Cubic metres. Length × width × height in metres is one box's CBM; multiply by quantity for the total. Sea freight is usually priced on it, and it decides whether you book a whole container (FCL) or share one (LCL).
Why container capacity is figured at 85%
A 20ft container holds about 33 m³ nominally, but boxes never pack perfectly — pallets, corners and door clearance eat space. In practice 80–85% is the usable limit; this calculator uses 85%. Uniform boxes fit more, mixed sizes less.
Why volumetric weight appears
Air freight charges whichever is greater: actual or volumetric weight. The standard conversion is 1 m³ = 167 kg. Light, bulky cargo is billed on volume.
Tips for common situations
Total CBM and Container Estimates
Enter carton length, width, height in centimeters along with quantity to calculate total cubic meters without manual unit conversions. The tool also shows estimated carton counts for 20ft, 40ft, and 40HC containers at a realistic 85% loading efficiency.
Air Cargo Volumetric Weight Comparison
Input package dimensions and actual gross weight to calculate volumetric weight at the standard 1:167 ratio. The tool displays both values side by side so you can quickly identify which one determines your chargeable freight cost.
Freight Quote Preparation with CBM
Calculate total shipment volume to share precise CBM figures with freight forwarders for accurate rate comparisons. Entering box dimensions and quantity avoids manual unit conversions and arithmetic errors in logistics planning.
Tried with sample values
Screens and numbers from actually running this tool with sample values (2026-10-06, Chromium-based browser on a Mac). Results vary with your input and device.
The default box dimensions were used with a weight of 12 kg per box. One box is 0.096 ㎥ (96 L), and the total for 100 boxes is 9.6 ㎥—fitting inside a single 20 ft container at 85% loading.
A 20 ft container can hold about 293 boxes; a 40 ft about 599; a 40 ft HC about 676. Total weight is 1,200 kg, with a volumetric weight of 1,603.2 kg for air freight (1:167 ratio).
Frequently asked
Should I check container weight limits too?
Yes. Roughly 28 t for 20ft and 26.5 t for 40ft. Heavy cargo hits the weight cap before the volume runs out. Enter weight per box to see the total.
What about palletised loads?
Use the pallet footprint (e.g. 1100×1100) and the stacked height as the box. Pallets often can't double-stack, so real counts drop further.
The forwarder's quote differs
Forwarders apply their own rounding and minimum-CBM rules. This gives physical volume only — use it to size the shipment before asking for quotes.
How many boxes can fit into standard 20ft, 40ft, or 40HC shipping containers?
Based on box dimensions and quantity, the calculator estimates how many units fit into 20ft, 40ft, and 40HC containers at a standard 85% utilization rate.
Does the calculator determine the volumetric (dimensional) weight for freight?
Yes, providing the gross weight alongside box dimensions will calculate the volumetric weight using the 1:167 conversion ratio.
Can I calculate the total CBM for multiple boxes at once?
Yes, simply enter the dimensions and total quantity of boxes to get the aggregate volume in cubic meters (CBM).
Does the tool require an active internet connection to compute container loads?
No, once the page is loaded, all calculations run locally in your browser without requiring an internet connection.