Understanding what you’re actually paying for in air freight can be a bit like reading the fine print on an invoice. That’s especially true when it comes to chargeable weight. For anyone moving goods through the air, whether in breakbulk, project cargo, or standard shipments, it’s a term that directly affects cost—but often causes confusion. Maersk has shed some light on how the system works, and why it matters now more than ever.
In simple terms, chargeable weight is what carriers use to bill you. It’s not always your cargo’s physical weight. Instead, it’s whichever is higher—your shipment’s actual (gross) weight or its volumetric (dimensional) weight. That’s where things get interesting.
Airlines aren’t just selling weight—they’re selling space. A dense crate of metal and a bulky crate of foam might weigh very differently, but they both consume room on a plane. Since aircraft space is limited and expensive, the industry standard is to price based on whichever weight eats up more of that space. It’s a bit like paying rent: it doesn’t matter how heavy your furniture is, it matters how much of the room it fills.
Here’s how the math works. The formula to calculate volumetric weight, used across the board by major carriers and set by IATA, is:
Volumetric Weight (kg) = (Length × Width × Height in cm) ÷ 6000
That 6000 divisor? It’s an agreed standard meant to balance fairness and efficiency for both shippers and carriers. It ensures that a massive but featherlight crate doesn’t get a free ride while still occupying prime aircraft real estate.
Let’s walk through a scenario. You’re shipping a package that weighs 50kg and measures 100cm x 60cm x 30cm. The volumetric weight comes out to 30kg using the formula above. Since the actual weight is higher, you’ll pay for 50kg. If the package weighed only 20kg, the calculation flips—the cost would be based on 30kg instead.
This approach protects capacity, keeps pricing structures consistent, and helps avoid situations where airlines move mostly air and lose money doing it. For shippers, it’s a clear message: don’t just think about how much your cargo weighs—think about how much room it’s taking up.
With the increasing importance of speed and agility in global logistics, particularly amid ongoing disruptions, understanding how these calculations affect your rates isn’t just smart—it’s essential. Knowing how chargeable weight is determined helps you budget accurately, compare quotes effectively, and avoid unexpected surcharges.
As more businesses lean on air freight to fill gaps in global supply chains, this kind of transparency is less of a courtesy and more of a necessity.
