Chargeable Weight Explained: The One Number Carriers Actually Bill

Every importer sooner or later asks the same question at 2 AM: "The forwarder quoted me on 320 kg but my cargo only weighs 180 kg — where did the extra 140 kg come from?" The answer is chargeable weight, and it's the number that actually decides your freight invoice for anything that flies, drives door-to-door in a van, or ships as LCL sea freight.

The three weights

• Gross weight — what the parcel or pallet reads on a scale, including packaging.
• Volumetric (dimensional) weight — a proxy weight based on physical volume, so carriers can bill light bulky cargo fairly.
• Chargeable weight — the higher of the two. This is the only number that appears on the invoice.

The divisors

• IATA / air freight: volume (cm³) ÷ 6000 = volumetric kg. Same as 1 CBM = 167 kg.
• International courier (DHL, FedEx, UPS, Aramex): cm³ ÷ 5000 = 200 kg per CBM. Some domestic services use 4000 or 4500.
• Sea LCL: 1 CBM = 1000 kg. Whichever is greater — weight in tonnes or volume in CBM — is billed as "revenue tons".

Worked example — DHL Express carton

• Carton: 60 × 40 × 30 cm, gross weight 8 kg.
• Volume = 72,000 cm³.
• DHL volumetric weight = 72,000 ÷ 5000 = 14.4 kg.
• Chargeable weight = max(8, 14.4) = 14.4 kg.
• You pay for 14.4 kg even though the parcel weighs 8 kg.

Worked example — Air freight consolidation

• 10 cartons of 50 × 40 × 40 cm, 12 kg each.
• Volume per carton = 80,000 cm³ → 13.33 kg volumetric (÷6000).
• Gross per carton = 12 kg → chargeable = 13.33 kg.
• Shipment chargeable weight = 133.3 kg — even though gross is 120 kg.

Worked example — Sea LCL

• 50 cartons of 60 × 40 × 40 cm, 25 kg each.
• Volume = 4.8 CBM. Weight = 1,250 kg = 1.25 t.
• Revenue tons = max(4.8 CBM, 1.25 t) = 4.8 W/M.
• You pay LCL rate × 4.8, not × 1.25.

Three ways to lower chargeable weight

• Reduce carton size — remove air gaps, right-size packaging.
• Increase pack density — heavier products or denser inner arrangement.
• Move mode — sea LCL for dense cargo, air only for light urgent SKUs.

Run any of these scenarios against real numbers in the free volumetric weight calculator or the multi-row CBM calculator.