{"id":441,"date":"2026-10-26T04:28:39","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T04:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jieyilogistics.com\/?p=441"},"modified":"2026-11-04T06:15:01","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T06:15:01","slug":"how-to-calculate-cbm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jieyilogistics.com\/de\/how-to-calculate-cbm\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Calculate CBM for Shipping: Formula & Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"

CBM is the unit that sea freight from China is measured and priced in, so knowing how to calculate CBM tells you what you will pay for LCL, whether a full container makes sense, and how air freight will bill a light, bulky shipment. This guide gives the CBM formula in centimetres and inches, worked examples for one carton and a whole shipment, the chargeable weight rules for sea, air and express, and how many cartons fit in a container.<\/p>\n

Key points<\/strong>
\n\u2022 CBM means cubic metre. One CBM is a space 1 m long, 1 m wide and 1 m high.
\n\u2022 CBM of a carton = length \u00d7 width \u00d7 height in cm \u00f7 1,000,000. Multiply by the number of cartons for the shipment.
\n\u2022 Sea LCL is charged on CBM or weight, whichever is greater, with 1 CBM counted as 1,000 kg.
\n\u2022 Air freight bills volume weight at L \u00d7 W \u00d7 H (cm) \u00f7 6,000 per carton; express uses \u00f7 5,000.
\n\u2022 A 20ft container takes about 25\u201328 CBM of cartons, a 40ft about 55\u201358 CBM and a 40ft high cube about 65\u201368 CBM.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What Is CBM in Shipping?<\/h2>\n

CBM stands for cubic metre (m\u00b3). Forwarders and shipping lines use it to measure how much space your goods take. In sea freight it decides the price of a shared container (LCL), and it tells you how much of a 20ft or 40ft container your goods will fill. Your supplier\u2019s packing list usually shows the carton size and the total CBM, but it is worth checking the figure yourself, because a wrong CBM means a wrong quote.<\/p>\n

The CBM Formula<\/h2>\n
\n
\nLength (L)<\/text>H<\/text>W<\/text><\/svg><\/p>\n
\n

In centimetres:<\/strong> L \u00d7 W \u00d7 H \u00f7 1,000,000 = CBM<\/p>\n

In metres:<\/strong> L \u00d7 W \u00d7 H = CBM<\/p>\n

In inches:<\/strong> L \u00d7 W \u00d7 H \u00f7 61,024 = CBM<\/p>\n

Measure the outside of the carton, including any bulge, and round each side up to the next whole centimetre.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

How to Calculate CBM: Worked Examples<\/h2>\n

One carton<\/h3>\n

A carton measures 55 \u00d7 45 \u00d7 35 cm. 55 \u00d7 45 \u00d7 35 = 86,625 cm\u00b3. Divided by 1,000,000, that is 0.087 CBM<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A whole shipment<\/h3>\n

Multiply the CBM of one carton by the number of cartons, then add up each carton size on the packing list.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Carton size (cm)<\/th>\nCBM per carton<\/th>\nCartons<\/th>\nTotal CBM<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
55 \u00d7 45 \u00d7 35<\/td>\n0.087<\/td>\n60<\/td>\n5.20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
40 \u00d7 30 \u00d7 25<\/td>\n0.030<\/td>\n100<\/td>\n3.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
70 \u00d7 50 \u00d7 50<\/td>\n0.175<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n3.50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shipment<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n180<\/strong><\/td>\n11.70<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Work out the total from the exact figure for each carton size before rounding (55 \u00d7 45 \u00d7 35 cm is 0.086625 CBM, so 60 cartons are 5.20 CBM). Rounding each carton first adds up to a noticeable error on large shipments.<\/p>\n

Carton sizes in inches<\/h3>\n

A carton of 24 \u00d7 18 \u00d7 18 inches is 7,776 cubic inches. Divided by 61,024, that is 0.127 CBM<\/strong>. If you work in cubic feet, divide by 35.315 instead.<\/p>\n

Pallets<\/h3>\n

For palletised cargo, measure the whole pallet, including the wooden base and any overhang. A pallet of 120 \u00d7 100 cm loaded to 150 cm high is 1.2 \u00d7 1.0 \u00d7 1.5 = 1.8 CBM<\/strong>, even if the cartons on it add up to less. Pallets protect the cargo but add volume, so ask whether your cargo really needs them for LCL.<\/p>\n

CBM for Irregular Items<\/h2>\n

Not everything ships in a neat carton. For irregular cargo, measure the smallest box the item would fit into:<\/p>\n