Air Cargo Calculators

Four calculations that decide what a shipment costs and whether a build is acceptable. Everything runs locally in the browser — no booking list leaves your machine.

What each one does

Calculator	Input	Output
CBM	Carton L × W × H and pieces	Unit volume and total cubic metres
Volume weight	Total CBM and gross weight	Volumetric weight at the chosen divisor, and the chargeable weight
Centre of gravity	Piece positions and weights	Combined CG offset from the pallet centreline
ULD quick reference	Code or alias	Dimensions, tare, max gross, contour

The dimensional factor

Air freight bills the greater of actual gross weight and volumetric weight.
Divisor	Per cubic metre	Where it is used
1 m³ ÷ (6000 cm³)	166.67 kg	The IATA standard dimensional factor
1 m³ ÷ (5000 cm³)	200 kg	Common on express and some carrier/AWG tariffs

Chargeable weight is rounded up after the greater-of comparison, in 0.5 kg increments — IATA TACT and most carrier tariffs round up rather than to nearest, and rounding before the comparison is wrong.

Frequently asked questions

How is chargeable weight calculated for air freight?

Compute volume in cubic metres, convert to volumetric weight using the applicable divisor (÷6000 gives 166.67 kg per m³), then compare against the actual gross weight of the shipment. The higher of the two is the chargeable weight, rounded up to the tariff increment.

What is the 1:6 ratio in air cargo?

It is the ÷6000 factor stated differently: 1 cubic metre is treated as 166.67 kg, which is 1 m³ to 6 m³ per tonne. A shipment less dense than that is billed on volume.

Does ULD tare count in chargeable weight?

No. You are billed on the weight of the goods, not the container. Tare matters for the aircraft’s take-off mass and for the payload the ULD may carry, which is a different constraint — see the ULD library for net payload.

Why centre of gravity is on this page

A build can be inside the contour, under max gross, and still be rejected: heavy pieces at one end move the combined centre of gravity away from the pallet centreline, and the position and the airframe have limits on that offset. The calculator takes each piece’s position and weight and returns the resulting offset.

Build a pallet and check the contourThe simulator applies the section for the deck you select, in 2D and 3D.