A forwarder told me my shipment's "CBM weight" is higher than the actual weight. What does converting CBM to KG mean, and how does it affect my freight charges?
A forwarder told me my shipment's "CBM weight" is higher than the actual weight. What does converting CBM to KG mean, and how does it affect my freight charges?
What your forwarder is referring to is volumetric weight (also called dimensional weight). It converts volume to an equivalent weight so carriers can charge based on whichever is greater.
For sea freight (LCL): The industry standard is 1 CBM = 1,000 kg (referred to as the 1:1 ratio). So if your cargo is 2 CBM but only weighs 400 kg, you still pay for 2,000 kg equivalent.
For air freight: The conversion is 1 CBM = 167 kg (or divide CBM by 0.006 to get volumetric kg). So 2 CBM = 334 volumetric kg.
Always calculate both actual weight and volumetric weight — you pay whichever is higher. The <a href="https://calculatecbm.com/chargeable-weight">chargeable weight calculator</a> does this automatically for both sea and air.