Understanding Air Freight Charges: Actual Weight vs. Volumetric Weight Explained

Air freight uses Actual weight or Volumetric weight for determining shipping fees. The higher of the two will be applicable for the shipping fee.

 📌Actual weight is the true weight of the package as it reads on the weighing scale.

 📌Volumetric weight is how much space the package occupies according to its dimensions, which will then be converted to its equivalent weight.

Making the most of space in freight forwarding is crucial for keeping the time and cost spent stay as low as possible, regardless of the chosen channel.

Sometimes, you only have the items’ dimensions and not the packages’ dimensions. The items’ dimensions do not fully represent how your packages will be when they are prepared for shipment, which means self volumetric weight may not be accurate and would need official calculations.

How do we calculate Volumetric weight?

For International shipments, the formula commonly used is:

[Length (cm) x Width (cm) x Height (cm)] / 6000

For Local shipments, the formula is identical, but the number used for dividing is lesser:

[Length (cm) x Width (cm) x Height (cm)] / 5000

The result of the formula will then be multiplied with the price per Kilogram, revealing the shipping fees to be charged for the air freight. Do note that the dimensions used have to be in centimeters (cm) for complying with the formula! These formulas shown are for reference and do not represent the final result as official calculations. The packages’ dimension mentioned above can influence the result of the volumetric weight obtained from the formula. 

If the Actual weight is having a higher number than the Volumetric weight, the Actual weight result will be multiplied with the price per Kilogram. Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us!

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