CBM & Container Load Calculator

Cartons or pallets in — volume, weight, LCL billing and how they fit a 20ft, 40ft or 40ft high cube out

CartonsPallets

cm · kgin · lb

Total volume

0.00 CBM

0 cu ft

Weight

0 kg

0 lb

LCL billed as

0.00 W/M

greater of CBM and tonnes

Enter your cartons to see the result.

An estimate for planning: real loads depend on carton fit, pallet pattern, stacking limits and weight. Nothing you enter is stored or sent.

How the Calculator Works

Cartons are measured by volume against each container's practical load — what cartons can really fill, not the full internal volume:

20ft: about 33 CBM inside, 25–28 CBM practical; door about 2.28 m high
40ft: about 67 CBM inside, 54–58 CBM practical; door about 2.28 m high
40ft high cube: about 76 CBM inside, roughly 65–68 CBM practical; door about 2.58 m high

Pallets load by floor position. Standard pallets use the usual single-tier counts — 10 US or 11 Euro pallets in a 20ft, 20 US or 23 Euro in a 40ft or high cube; custom sizes use a simple layout that is sure to fit. Stackable pallets add a second tier when two fit under the roof, and every pallet has to pass the door.

Weight matters as much as volume: for highway transport in the US, cargo is usually capped at roughly 19,000–20,000 kg per container, far below the box's rated payload. Read more in our guide to container types and dimensions and FCL vs LCL.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate CBM?

Multiply length × width × height in meters for one carton, then multiply by the number of cartons. A carton of 60 × 40 × 50 cm is 0.6 × 0.4 × 0.5 = 0.12 CBM, so 100 of them are 12 CBM. In inches, divide cubic inches by 61,024 to get CBM.

How many CBM fit in a 20ft or 40ft container?

A 20ft container has about 33 CBM inside and usually loads 25–28 CBM of cartons; a 40ft has about 67 CBM and loads 54–58; a 40ft high cube has about 76 CBM and loads roughly 65–68. The gap is the space cartons cannot fill, so the exact figure depends on your carton sizes.

How many pallets fit in a container?

Single-stacked, a 20ft takes about 10 standard US pallets (48 × 40 in) or 11 Euro pallets (120 × 80 cm), and a 40ft about 20–21 US or 23–24 Euro pallets. If the pallets can be stacked and two fit under the roof — easier in a high cube — that roughly doubles, as long as the weight allows.

How is LCL priced — by weight or volume?

By W/M, "weight or measure": the greater of the volume in cubic meters and the weight in metric tons. A shipment of 4 CBM weighing 2,500 kg is billed as 4; one of 3 CBM weighing 5,000 kg is billed as 5.

When is LCL cheaper than a full container?

For small shipments. Around 13–15 CBM a full 20ft container often becomes cheaper — and faster — than LCL, because you skip consolidation at both ends. We quote both when you are near the line.

More tools: air freight chargeable weight · import landed cost

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Send us the volume, weight and route — we will confirm the right container and quote it door to door. Call +1 (818) 220-8800.

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CBM & Container Load Calculator

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CBM & Container Load Calculator

How the Calculator Works

Frequently Asked Questions

Know your load? Get a container quote

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