CBM & container calculator.

CBM (cubic metre) is the volume of your cargo: length × width × height in metres. For a shipment, multiply one master carton's CBM by the number of cartons. Freight forwarders quote ocean freight by CBM (or by weight if your cargo is heavy — whichever produces the bigger "freight ton"), so it is the single number that drives your sea-freight cost.

Theoretical internal volumes are about 33 CBM (20ft), 67.7 CBM (40ft) and 76.3 CBM (40ft High Cube). In practice, cartons never tile the space perfectly — realistic loading is usually 80–90% of theoretical, so plan on roughly 26–28, 54–60 and 65–68 CBM respectively. This calculator uses an adjustable loading efficiency (default 85%) instead of pretending the theoretical number is achievable.

It is how much of your master carton's volume the product inside actually uses. If 24 units fill only 70% of the carton, you are shipping 30% air — and paying ocean freight on it. Asking the supplier for a tighter carton or different units-per-carton count is one of the cheapest freight savings available, and it is a question worth settling at the booth, not after the PI arrives.

Containers max out on payload (roughly 26–28 tonnes) as well as volume. Dense products — tiles, hardware, canned goods — hit the weight ceiling long before the container looks full. This calculator caps the estimate by both volume and weight when you enter a carton gross weight, and tells you which limit binds.

Yes — switch to "packaging only" mode and enter just the product's packaged dimensions and quantity. The calculator treats each unit as the load unit and applies a slightly lower loading efficiency, which is a fair planning estimate at the booth. Once the supplier sends the real master-carton spec (dimensions, units per carton, gross weight), switch back for the number a forwarder will actually quote against.

A common rule of thumb: below roughly 13–15 CBM, LCL (shared container) is usually cheaper; above that, a 20ft of your own often wins once LCL per-CBM rates and destination fees are counted. Between 25–28 CBM consider a 40ft — the price difference over a 20ft is typically far less than double. Always compare real quotes; this tool tells you the CBM to ask with.