Tools
Dimensional weight calculator for air and parcel
Independent site, not a government agency or a customs broker. General information, not legal advice or customs advice.
Enter a carton’s weight and size, then the divisor from your carrier’s tariff: which weight you pay for.
Chargeable weight
You pay for
16 kg
| Actual weight | 12 kg |
| Volume weight | 16 kg |
| Which one counts | volume |
The divisor is an input: carriers set their own, and we could not read UPS’s or FedEx’s published page on 2 November 2026.
A dimensional weight turns a volume into a weight, by dividing it by a number called the divisor. A tariff that uses one bills the greater of that and the actual weight, called here the chargeable weight. A light, bulky carton of 12 kg measuring 60 by 40 by 40 cm has a volume of 96,000 cubic centimeters. With a divisor of 6,000, its volume weight is 16 kg, so you pay for 16 kg. That 6,000 is an example of ours. On November 2, 2026 we could not read the published pages of the main parcel carriers, because they refused automated reading, so we do not state their divisors as fact. The field holds an example value: replace it with the figure in your carrier’s tariff or contract.
Cubic meters of a shipment
Total volume
9.6 m³
| In cubic feet | 339 ft³ |
| One carton | 0.096 m³ |
Outer carton size, without pallets or gaps.
Rates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The arithmetic
Volume weight in kilograms = length × width × height in centimeters ÷ divisor, per carton, then multiply by the number of cartons. Chargeable weight is the greater of that total and the total actual weight. Check in your contract how your carrier rounds, and whether it applies this by carton or by shipment.
Where a lower divisor bites
A smaller divisor gives a higher volume weight, so a change in the divisor raises the bill for light goods without any change in the published rate. Compare quotes by working out chargeable weight under each carrier’s own rule, then multiply by its rate. Compare two carriers’ prices per kilogram alone and you may be comparing different kilograms.
Reduce the volume, not just the weight
Trim empty space, fold what folds, and nest what nests. The second tool here shows what the same cartons mean in cubic meters, useful when you are deciding between air and ocean. The density calculator works out pounds per cubic foot, if your carrier asks for it. Duty is not charged on any of this, as customs value generally leaves out international freight that is identified separately.