Free tool · Shipping
How much space will your goods take?
Enter the carton size, weight and number of cartons. See the total cubic metres (CBM), what you’d be charged on for sea and air freight, and how many cartons fit a 20ft or 40ft container, with the load drawn in 3D.
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How the figures are worked out
- Container sizes are the inside dimensions and maximum payloads published by Hapag-Lloyd: 20ft 5,900 × 2,352 × 2,395 mm and 28,130 kg; 40ft 12,032 × 2,352 × 2,395 mm and 28,750 kg; 40ft high cube 12,032 × 2,350 × 2,700 mm and 28,600 kg. Other lines’ containers differ by a few millimetres.
- Cartons per container are loaded in rows, all the same way round, in whichever direction fits the most. The weight limit is then applied.
- Shared container freight (LCL) is charged on cubic metres or tonnes, whichever is more. Air freight is charged on the greater of the actual weight and 167 kg per cubic metre.
- Freight prices are indicative 2026 ranges from Exfreight: shared container $45–90 per m³, a 20ft $1,700–2,200, a 40ft $2,800–4,600, air $4.50–9 per kg. Handling at each end comes on top.
The best case, not a loading plan. Real loads fit fewer cartons: gaps, pallets, mixed carton sizes and the way a warehouse loads all take space, and road weight limits in the UK can be lower than the container’s own maximum. Ask your forwarder to confirm before you book.
More free tools for importers
- Container number checkCheck a container number is valid, see who owns the box and open the right tracking page.
- When to order plannerWork back from the date you need stock, around Golden Week and Chinese New Year.
- Plan my importFour short steps give one plan: landed cost, UK rules and documents, the order-by date and supplier checks.
- Landed-cost calculatorDuty, anti-dumping duty and import VAT for your product, from live UK Trade Tariff rates.
- Quote comparerPut up to four supplier quotes side by side and see which is really the cheapest to land.
- Supplier checkDecode the code on a Chinese business licence and run the warning signs before you pay.
Questions about CBM and containers
How do I work out the CBM of a shipment?
Multiply the carton’s length, width and height in metres to get its volume in cubic metres (CBM), then multiply by the number of cartons. A carton of 60 × 40 × 40 cm is 0.096 m³, so 100 of them make 9.6 m³.
How many cubic metres fit in a 20ft or 40ft container?
Inside, a standard 20ft container is about 5.90 × 2.35 × 2.40 m (33.2 m³), a 40ft about 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.40 m and a 40ft high cube about 12.03 × 2.35 × 2.70 m (76.3 m³). Cartons never fill every corner, so the space you can actually use is less, and heavy goods can hit the weight limit before the container is full.
When is a full container cheaper than sharing one (LCL)?
Shared container freight (LCL) is charged per cubic metre, or per 1,000 kg if that is more. Around 13 to 15 m³ the two start to cost about the same, so get both quotes in that range. Below it, LCL is usually cheaper; above it, a full container usually is.
What is chargeable weight for air freight?
Airlines charge by the greater of the actual weight and the volume weight, which counts every cubic metre as 167 kg. Light, bulky goods are charged on their volume.
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