Sea Freight CBM Calculator

Work out sea freight cbm instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Sea Freight CBM Calculator

CBM is cubic metres: length times width times height in metres. Sea freight is charged on whichever is greater of CBM or weight in tonnes, so light bulky cargo pays on volume — the same weight-or-measure principle as air freight but with a 1:1 break-even.

Formula

CBM

CBM = L x W x H in metres; chargeable = max(CBM, weight in tonnes)

Worked example

With the default values below, Sea Freight CBM Calculator returns Total volume of 15.12. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Cartons: 180 cartons
Carton length: 60 cm
Carton width: 40 cm
Carton height: 35 cm

Results

Total volume: 15.12 CBM
Volume per carton: 0.08400 CBM
40 ft high cube containers: 1 containers
Freight tonnes (1 CBM = 1 t): 15.12 t

Step by step

1Values used
2CBM
3Total volume= 15.12 CBM
4Volume per carton= 0.08400 CBM
540 ft high cube containers= 1 containers
6Freight tonnes (1 CBM = 1 t)= 15.12 t

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much fits in a container?

About 33 CBM usable in a 20 ft, 67 in a 40 ft high cube. Geometric capacity is higher but packing efficiency reduces it.

When is LCL cheaper than FCL?

Below roughly 15 CBM. Above that, a full container is usually cheaper per cubic metre and avoids consolidation delays.