Calculators
Chargeable weight in air freight
Independent site, not a government service. General information, not customs advice.
Air freight is billed on one number, the chargeable weight. Enter your pieces to see it, using the convention described by IATA.
Volumetric and chargeable weight by air
Chargeable weight
320.0 kg
| Volumetric (cm³ ÷ 6,000) | 320.0 kg |
| Actual | 300.0 kg |
| Which one applies | Volumetric |
Carrier or courier divisors can differ: check your rate sheet.
Chargeable weight is the figure on which an airline or forwarder sets the freight bill. It is the higher of two numbers: the actual gross weight of the shipment, and the volumetric weight, which is its volume converted into kilograms. IATA describes the conversion as cubic centimetres divided by 6,000. So two crates of 120 by 100 by 80 centimetres at 150 kilograms each have a volumetric weight of 320 kilograms against an actual 300, and the bill is on 320. Density decides which number wins: at this divisor, one cubic metre counts as about 167 kilograms, so a shipment lighter than that is billed on volume. The rate per kilogram is only one line of a quote, so read the other lines too. The freight bill then enters your customs value, up to the air cap of 20 per cent of FOB value under rule 10(2).
Landed cost per unit
Landed cost per unit
₹695
| Total for the shipment | ₹6,94,900 |
| Added on top of the value | 39.0% |
Costs are your own figures. Whether IGST can be credited depends on your GST position.
Tariff and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Density decides which number wins
| Density | One m³ weighs | Charged on | Billed per m³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg/m³ | 50 kg | volume | 167 kg |
| 100 kg/m³ | 100 kg | volume | 167 kg |
| 167 kg/m³ | 167 kg | about even | 167 kg |
| 250 kg/m³ | 250 kg | actual | 250 kg |
| 500 kg/m³ | 500 kg | actual | 500 kg |
What to check on an air freight quote
- Which divisor is used, and is the calculation by shipment or by piece?
- Is there a minimum charge?
- How is the weight rounded?
- Which other items are billed by the kilogram or by the air waybill?
- Does the quote stop at the airport, or run through customs clearance and delivery?
Bringing it into your cost
Once you have the freight figure, it goes twice into your numbers: into the customs value, where it bears duty, and into your landed cost, where it adds to the price of each unit. The second tool here performs that last step. For a single carton or parcel, the volumetric weight calculator has a table of common sizes. The convention comes from the IATA page on air cargo tariffs. We read no official Indian text on forwarder billing, so the list above holds questions to ask, not statements of practice.