Air Freight Dimensional Weight Calculator
Enter each piece’s dimensions and weight. You get dimensional weight per line and for the shipment, the chargeable weight, and how much the divisor your carrier uses changes the answer.
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How to use it
Choose your units and the divisor your carrier publishes, then enter each piece: length, width and height at the widest points (pallet and any overhang included), the actual weight of one piece, and how many identical pieces there are. Add a line for each different size. The result updates as you type.
Dimensional weight for each line is length × width × height × pieces ÷ divisor. The chargeable weight is the higher of the total actual weight and the total dimensional weight. The calculator also shows what you would pay for if each line were billed separately at its own higher figure, because some carriers rate pieces rather than the whole shipment.
Which divisor?
There is no single US number. In published rules we checked:
| Context | Divisor |
|---|---|
| International air cargo (IATA rule) | 6,000 cm³/kg, or 166 in³/lb |
| Southwest Airlines Cargo | 166 in³/lb |
| Alaska Air Cargo | 194 in³/lb domestic, 166 international |
| Delta Cargo, US domestic rules | 194 in³/lb |
6,000 cm³/kg and 166 in³/lb are the same standard in different units, but not exactly: 6,000 cm³/kg converts to about 166.08 in³/lb. If you pick a divisor from the other unit system, the calculator converts it and shows the converted value; the carrier will use whichever figure its own rules state. Parcel carriers use their own, different divisors, so do not mix them into an air freight quote. More on this in our chargeable weight guide.
Worked example
A shipment of two cartons of 20 × 20 × 20 in at 15 lb each, plus one crate of 30 × 20 × 15 in at 140 lb, on a carrier using 166:
- Volume: 2 × 8,000 + 9,000 = 25,000 in³.
- Dimensional weight: 25,000 ÷ 166 = 150.6 lb.
- Actual weight: 2 × 15 + 140 = 170 lb.
- Chargeable weight for the shipment: 170 lb, because actual is higher.
Billed line by line, the cartons would be charged at 96.4 lb (16,000 ÷ 166) and the crate at its actual 140 lb: 236.4 lb in total. At a 194 divisor the shipment’s dimensional weight drops to 128.9 lb. In metric, a 120 × 80 × 100 cm crate weighing 95 kg is 960,000 ÷ 6,000 = 160 kg chargeable.
Rounding
The carrier’s rule decides the billed figure. Delta’s and Alaska’s domestic rules drop fractions under half an inch and round half an inch or more up; both round any fraction of a pound up to the next pound. IATA training material describes rounding dimensions to whole centimeters and weights up to the next half or whole kilogram. The calculator shows the unrounded figure and a rounded-up figure as a guide only. Some carriers add further minimums, such as Alaska’s domestic minimum of 10 lb per cubic foot.
Common mistakes
- Assuming 166 everywhere. The same pallet is about 17 percent heavier on paper at 166 than at 194.
- Measuring the box, not the pallet. Airlines measure the widest points, including the skid and overhang.
- Guessing dimensions. Freight is re-measured at acceptance; a guess becomes a billing adjustment.
- Not knowing whether the carrier rates the shipment or each piece. The two totals above can differ by a lot.
Questions
Why is the airline’s chargeable weight different from my calculation?
Usually because of the divisor, rounding, or measurement. Carriers set their own divisor, round dimensions and weights by their own rules, and re-measure freight at acceptance, including pallets and overhang. Check the carrier’s rules or tariff and use its divisor and rounding.
Is 6,000 cm³ per kg the same as 166 in³ per lb?
It is the same IATA standard expressed in different units. The conversion is not exact: 6,000 cm³ per kg works out at about 166.08 cubic inches per pound, so results differ very slightly. Use the figure in the unit system your carrier states.
Does stacking height change dimensional weight?
Yes. Dimensional weight follows volume, so a taller stack on the same footprint costs more. A 48 × 40 in pallet cut from 72 to 48 in high drops from 833 lb to 556 lb dimensional weight at the 166 divisor.
Nothing leaves your browser
The calculation runs entirely on your device. Your figures are not sent anywhere and we cannot see them. If your browser allows it they are saved locally so the form is still filled in when you come back — the Clear all fields button removes that copy.
Related
- Air freight chargeable weight: actual vs dimensional — divisors, rounding rules and how to cut chargeable weight.
- Air cargo guides.
Sources
- Air Freight C5: Calculation of Air Freight (training material citing IATA TACT Rules 3.9.4) — ASEAN.
- Cargo Contract of Carriage — Southwest Airlines Cargo.
- Rules, Regulations, and Charges for Carriage of Cargo — Alaska Air Cargo.
- U.S.-Domestic Shipping Rules — Delta Cargo.
This tool produces estimates from the figures you enter. Each carrier’s rules and tariff decide the divisor, rounding and minimums; confirm with the carrier before quoting a customer.