As more and more online companies ship international via air cargo, the question of chargeable weight - especially as it relates to volumetric pricing - can become significant unknown costs. While all shipments are subject to volume pricing, the affect on air - versus surface - is much more significant.
Due to international online e-commerce orders, an increasing percentage of cargo volume from China and Europe to Canada and the US is sent via air cargo.
Parcels sent via common carriers, namely DHL, FedEx and UPS, are subject to a chargeable weight that equals to the the greater of the actual weight versus the "volume weight." The volume weight varies by carrier and method of transport but a common calculation for volume weight is: Length x width x height (in cm) / 5000 = volume weight in KG.
Download printable ruler on letter size sheet of paper
Download printable ruler on A4 sheet of paper
For example, a 40 cm x 40 cm x 40 cm box that weighs 5 kg
Higher unit value of airfreight:
Airfreight shipments from China and Europe to North America tend be more valuable (as measured by value per kg). In the case of online e-commerce, the transaction price is often the retail price of the single transaction versus the wholesale unit costs of a bulk shipment.
Density of Air Cargo
Although air freight is traditionally used for high value and high density cargo, the growth of online orders is including more low density cargo that can have a big impact on the per parcel cost. For most carriers, parcel volume is calculated by assigning a minimum weight per cubic unit ( expressed in cubic inches or centimeters).
For air and ocean freight, the most often used volume unit of measure is cubic meters.
All carriers systematically scan and capture the weight and dimension of each package; rounding up to the nearest inch or centimetre.
It is important to note that carriers will not lower “over declared” dimensions. It is best to be accurate but not to over declare either the weight or dimension with the carrier.
“Chargeable weight/ billable”: Weight versus Volume
An important item to consider is the impact of the size of a shipment versus its weight. Space on an aircraft is considered as much a cost as the actual weight of the shipment.
As is the case for all airfreight shipments, carriers have developed formulas for equating the size of a shipment (cubic units) with the weight of the shipment (Kilograms). In the case of a large “low density” shipment, the “volume weight” will be charged (rather than the actual weight).
CBM = Cubic Meters
The term CBM is used often in shipping documents and rate quotes.
Steps to determine volume weight:
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