Free tool
Volumetric weight calculator
Volumetric weight = length × width × height in cm ÷ 5,000. Couriers bill whichever is higher: the actual weight or the volumetric weight. Enter your box below to see what you'll be charged on.
Chargeable weight
5 kg
- Volumetric weight
- 4.8 kg
- Actual weight
- 5 kg
- Per box (volumetric)
- 4.8 kg
You're billed on actual weight. Rounded up to the next 0.5 kg.
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How volumetric weight works.
A van or aircraft fills up by space long before it fills up by weight. So couriers price a parcel on whichever is greater: what it weighs, or how much room it takes.
L × W × H (cm) ÷ 5,000 = kg
Air cargo usually divides by 6,000. For inches, multiply each side by 2.54 first.
Worked example: a 50 × 40 × 30 cm carton weighing 8 kg. Its volumetric weight is 50 × 40 × 30 = 60,000 ÷ 5,000 = 12 kg. Since 12 kg is more than 8 kg, the chargeable weight is 12 kg.
Pack the same goods into a 40 × 30 × 30 cm carton and the volumetric weight drops to 7.2 kg, so you're billed on the actual 8 kg instead.
Volumetric (or dimensional) weight is a weight worked out from a parcel's size rather than its mass. Couriers use it because a large, light box takes up as much space in a van or aircraft as a heavy one.
Multiply the length, width and height of the box in centimetres, then divide by 5,000 for courier and air express (6,000 is common for air cargo). A 50 × 40 × 30 cm box has a volumetric weight of 60,000 ÷ 5,000 = 12 kg.
Chargeable weight is the weight you are billed on: whichever is higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight, usually rounded up to the next 0.5 kg.
Convert each side to centimetres first by multiplying by 2.54, then multiply them and divide by 5,000. The calculator above switches between cm and inches for you.
Use the smallest sturdy box that fits the contents, avoid oversized outer cartons, and combine items into one well-packed box where you can. Less empty space means a lower volumetric weight.
The divisor is set by the carrier and the mode of transport. Courier and air express services commonly use 5,000; air cargo commonly uses 6,000. We confirm the divisor for your service when we quote.