Freight Class Calculator by Greenspark.Group
Greenspark CBM Calculator Mixed Items · m³ + ft³ · Shipping Volume

CBM Calculator

Calculate cubic meters for cartons, crates, pallets or pieces using inches, cm, mm, meters or feet. Add different item sizes, mix dimension units, and get one shipment total.

Shipment volume inputs

Enter your shipment items

Use the outside packaged dimensions for each carton, crate, pallet or piece.

Calculator guide

How to Use the CBM Calculator

  1. 1
    Enter the packaged dimensions.

    Measure the outside length, width, and height of one carton, crate, pallet, or piece.

  2. 2
    Choose the unit and quantity.

    Select the dimension unit you measured in, then enter how many identical pieces are in that item group.

  3. 3
    Add weight if you have it.

    Weight is optional. Enter the packaged weight for one piece using the shipment weight unit shown above the item cards.

  4. 4
    Add another item for a different size.

    Use Add Another Item when the shipment includes cartons, crates, pallets, or pieces with different dimensions. You can add up to 25 item groups.

  5. 5
    Calculate and review the shipment total.

    Select Calculate CBM to jump directly to the results card and review total CBM, cubic feet, weight, and calculation details.

Use outside packaged dimensions. Measure the shipping package as it will actually move, not the product dimensions inside the packaging.

Measurement guide

How to Measure for CBM

Measure the shipment as it will actually move. Use the full outside packaged dimensions and the widest points of the packed freight.

Carton and palletized freight showing outside length, width and height measurements for CBM.
Cartons and crates

Measure the outside Length, Width and Height of the package, not the item inside it.

Palletized freight

Measure the overall palletized footprint and total height, including the pallet and any overhang.

Use one unit per item

Keep Length, Width and Height in the same unit within an item group.

Comparison showing incorrect product dimensions and correct outside packaged dimensions for CBM.
Irregular freight inside a rectangular bounding box showing the widest length, width and height used for CBM.

Irregular freight: use the overall Length, Width and Height of the smallest rectangular box that would completely contain the packaged shipment.

Read the result

What Your CBM Results Mean

The calculator totals every valid item group in the shipment. These result fields answer different questions.

1Total CBMThe combined shipment volume in cubic meters for all valid item groups.
2Cubic feetThe same shipment volume converted to ft³.
3Shipment weightTotal packaged weight when weight has been entered for every valid item group. Otherwise the calculator shows the known or incomplete weight status.
4Item CBMThe volume contributed by that individual item group before it is added to the shipment total.
5Partial shipment totalOne or more entered item groups are incomplete or invalid. Only valid item groups are included until the issue is corrected.
Before you use the result

How to Verify Your CBM Calculation

  1. 1
    Recheck the outside dimensions.

    Confirm length, width, and height describe the packaged item exactly as it will ship.

  2. 2
    Confirm the measurement unit.

    Make sure each item group is set to mm, cm, m, in, or ft to match the numbers entered.

  3. 3
    Confirm the quantity.

    Quantity should be the number of identical pieces represented by that item group.

  4. 4
    Check weight is per piece.

    If you enter weight, use the packaged weight for one piece rather than the total shipment weight.

  5. 5
    Review mixed-item groups.

    Different carton, crate, pallet, or piece sizes should be entered as separate item groups.

Sanity-check unusual results. Very large or very small CBM values usually deserve a second look at the dimensions, selected units, and quantity before quoting or planning the shipment.

Shipment weight unit

Applies to every item weight below.

Example shipment loaded. Change any field to calculate your shipment.

Item 1

VALID
0.960 m³Item CBM
 
 
 
centimeters
 
 
1 of 25 item groups

Planning estimate only. Actual shipment volume, density, dimensional-weight, or billing treatment may vary by carrier, forwarder, service, packaging, rounding, and measurement rules. Confirm final dimensions, weight, and rating requirements with your carrier or freight forwarder before booking or quoting freight.

How CBM works

How CBM Is Calculated

CBM measures shipment volume in cubic meters. The calculator converts each item group into m³, multiplies by quantity, then adds the valid item groups together.

CBM per item group
Total shipment CBM

Sum of all valid item groups.

EXAMPLE

Four crates measured in inches

Each crate measures 48 × 40 × 36 in, with a quantity of 4.

RAW VOLUME276,480 in³

48 × 40 × 36 × 4

CONVERT TO M³4.53069545472 m³

276,480 × 0.000016387064

DISPLAYED RESULT4.531 m³

Rounded only for display

MIXED-UNIT EXAMPLE

One shipment, two item groups, different dimension units

In the example below, we see how a mixed-item CBM calculation works: each group keeps the unit it was measured in, the calculator converts each one to cubic meters independently, then adds the results into one combined shipment total.

1
ITEM GROUP 1 · INCHES

3 shipping crates

48 × 40 × 36 in each

48 × 40 × 36 × 3 × 0.000016387064 = 3.39802159104 m³
2
ITEM GROUP 2 · CENTIMETERS

6 shipping cartons

60 × 40 × 40 cm each

60 × 40 × 40 × 6 × 0.000001 = 0.576 m³
COMBINED SHIPMENT TOTAL 3.974 m³ 140.34 ft³

3.39802159104 + 0.576 = 3.97402159104 m³
The calculator keeps full precision internally and rounds the displayed shipment total.

Mixed-unit CBM example with three crates measured in inches and six cartons measured in centimeters combined into one shipment total.
Mixed units are handled by item group, so crates measured in inches and cartons measured in centimeters can be calculated together without manually converting the dimensions first.

Quick reference

CBM Conversion Reference

Use these quick conversions to convert common volume units to cubic meters (m³) and back.

FT³ TO M³
1 ft³ × 0.028316846592
IN³ TO M³
1 in³ × 0.000016387064
MM³ TO M³
1 mm³ ÷ 1,000,000,000 (or × 0.000000001)
M³ TO FT³
1 m³ × 35.3146667
CM³ TO M³
1 cm³ × 0.000001
bulb icon

Measurement check

Common CBM Mistakes

These are the errors most likely to distort shipment volume before you reach the final CBM.

Measure the packaging, not the product. Use the outside dimensions of the carton, crate, pallet or wrapped piece as shipped.

Keep one unit per item group. Length, width and height should all use the unit selected for that row.

Do not enter shipment totals in per-piece fields. Dimensions and optional weight are entered for one piece; quantity handles the count.

Use palletized dimensions when freight ships on a pallet. Measure the overall palletized footprint, total height and any overhang.

Round only the displayed result. Keep the original measurements through the calculation and round only the final displayed CBM.

CBM calculator FAQ

Common CBM Questions

What is CBM?

CBM means cubic meter, a measure of volume. In shipping, it describes how much three-dimensional space a packaged shipment occupies.

Does this calculator show chargeable or volumetric weight?

No. Volumetric and chargeable weight formulas vary by carrier and shipping mode, including air freight, ocean LCL, and parcel shipping. Using one universal conversion factor would be misleading. This calculator focuses on accurate shipment volume in CBM and cubic feet. If you also need shipment density, you can transfer the completed CBM, piece count, and weight to the Freight Density Calculator.

How do I convert cm³ to CBM?

Divide cubic centimeters by 1,000,000 to convert them to cubic meters. For example, 960,000 cm³ equals 0.960 m³.

How do I calculate CBM for mixed cartons?

Calculate each carton size as a separate item group, including its quantity, then add the item-group CBM values together. This calculator supports up to 25 item groups.

Does CBM include weight?

No. CBM measures volume only. Weight is optional in this calculator and becomes useful when you move from volume into freight-density planning.

Should I measure the product or the carton?

Measure the outside of the package as it will ship. For palletized or irregular freight, use the overall outer dimensions at the widest points.

Next planning step

CBM vs. Freight Density

CBM tells you how much space the shipment occupies. Freight density combines that volume with shipment weight, so the next step is to carry your volume into the density calculation when weight is available.

Open Freight Density Calculator

Plan your LTL shipment

Freight Planning Tools

Use these freight calculators together to move from shipment volume to density, class, pallet planning, trailer space and fuel planning.

CBM Calculator

You are here

Use this when shipment volume needs to be in cubic meters.

Calculate CBM for cartons, pallets, and mixed-product freight dimensions.

CBM Calculator

Freight Density Calculator

Next step

Use this when you only need cubic feet and density.

Calculate shipment volume and pounds per cubic foot without the freight-class workflow.

Freight Density Calculator

Freight Class Calculator

Use this when you need an estimated freight class.

Estimate freight class from packaged dimensions, weight, and density.

Freight Class Calculator

Pallet Freight Calculator

Use this when you are planning a palletized shipment.

Work with pallet dimensions, shipment weight, density, and pallet configuration.

Pallet Freight Calculator

Freight Linear Feet Calculator

Use this when trailer-space usage is the question.

Estimate how many linear feet your packaged freight occupies inside a trailer.

Freight Linear Feet Calculator

Fuel Surcharge Calculator

Use this when you need a fuel surcharge estimate.

Use MPG or linehaul % with weekly EIA diesel prices to estimate fuel surcharge.

Fuel Surcharge Calculator

Truck Fuel Cost Calculator

Use this when you need to estimate the actual diesel cost of a truck trip.

Calculate fuel gallons, trip cost, and cost per mile using distance, MPG, and diesel prices.

Truck Fuel Cost Calculator

DOT Hazard Classes

Use this when you need to identify hazardous-material classifications.

Look up DOT hazard classes, UN/NA numbers, placards, and material information.

DOT Hazard Classes