Cubic Meter (CBM)

CBM stands for cubic meter (m³), the volume of a cube 1 meter on each side. In freight it measures how much space cargo takes up: forwarders quote LCL ocean freight on it, consolidators plan containers with it, and packing lists and booking requests state the total CBM of a shipment.

How to calculate CBM

• In meters: length × width × height. A carton of 0.5 × 0.4 × 0.3 m is 0.06 CBM
• In centimeters: multiply the three dimensions and divide by 1,000,000. 50 × 40 × 30 cm = 60,000 cm³ = 0.06 CBM
• In inches: multiply the three dimensions and divide by about 61,024 (cubic inches in a cubic meter). 20 × 16 × 12 in = 3,840 in³ ≈ 0.063 CBM
• In feet: divide cubic feet by 35.315

Multiply by the number of identical cartons, then add up each carton size. 100 cartons of 0.06 CBM are 6 CBM. Measure at the outermost points, including pallets, bulging cartons and overhang, because the warehouse measures that way too.

CBM and cubic feet

NIST's conversion factor is 1 cubic foot = 0.02831685 m³, so 1 CBM = about 35.3147 cubic feet. US shippers who think in cubic feet can divide by 35.3 to get CBM.

How LCL freight uses CBM

LCL is charged per revenue ton on a weight-or-measure (W/M) basis: the shipment's CBM is compared with its weight in metric tons, where 1 CBM counts as 1,000 kg, and the larger number is billed. 4 CBM weighing 900 kg is 4 revenue tons; 4 CBM weighing 5,200 kg is 5.2. General cargo is usually lighter than 1,000 kg per cubic meter, so LCL is usually billed on CBM. Consolidators usually also set a minimum charge per shipment, and the warehouse that receives the cargo measures it, so check its figures against your packing list.

CBM in air freight

Air freight does not bill per CBM but converts volume to volumetric weight: cubic centimeters ÷ 6,000 under the IATA rule, which makes 1 CBM about 167 kg. The chargeable weight is the greater of that and the actual weight.

How many CBM fit in a container

• 20′ general purpose: about 33.2 CBM
• 40′ general purpose: about 67.7 CBM
• 40′ high cube: about 76.3 CBM
• 45′ high cube: about 86.0 CBM

Those are nominal internal volumes from the container dimensions table. Cartons rarely fill a box exactly, so plan on loading less than the nominal figure, and check weight as well: dense cargo reaches the payload limit long before the box is full. Once a shipment reaches roughly 13 to 15 CBM, get a price for a 20′ full container as well as LCL.

Common mistakes

• Mixing centimeters and inches in one calculation, or forgetting to divide by 1,000,000
• Rounding each carton up before multiplying by the quantity
• Leaving out the pallet itself: its height and any overhang count toward the volume

The CBM and chargeable weight calculator totals CBM from a carton list in centimeters or inches and gives the LCL revenue tons and air chargeable weight. The container load calculator estimates how many cartons fit in each container size. See LCL ocean freight for how an LCL quote is built.