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How to calculate the volume (CBM) of your goods

28 May 2026 • inFreight

CBM stands for cubic metre. It’s the unit freight forwarders use to describe how much space your shipment takes — which, for most cargo leaving Bali, is what you actually pay for.

This guide covers how to calculate it, why it matters more for some shipments than others, and the small mistakes that cost the most money.

How to calculate CBM

For a rectangular box (all dimension in metres):
Pencil Pencil

CBM = Length × Width × Height

For a full shipment, multiply by the number of identical cartons:
Pencil Pencil

Total volume = CBM × quantity

If the cartons vary, calculate each one separately and add them up.

Measure the packing, not the product

The single most common mistake we see: measuring the dining table, the headboard, or the statue itself instead of the crate it ships in. The carton, crate, or pallet dimensions are what get charged — including any protective wrapping that sticks out.

For palletised goods, the pallet base adds 14 to 15 cm to the total height. A 1.5 m tall stack of cartons on a pallet measures 1.64 m chargeable.

Irregular shapes

If your item isn’t a clean rectangle — a curved daybed, an oversized vase, a sculpture — measure the smallest cuboid it fits into. That’s the volume that determines stowage and pricing.

Why volume matters more for sea than air

Sea freight (LCL): the W/M rule

For less-than-container-load shipments, the ocean freight convention is:

LCL:
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1 cbm = 1,000 kg

 Whichever is greater is what you pay on. This is the W/M (Weight / Measurement).

Almost everything that leaves Bali by LCL — furniture, rattan, basketry, ceramics, homeware — comes in well under 1,000 kg per cubic metre, so volume wins, and you’re billed on cbm.

One thing to know: the minimum chargeable volume for LCL is typically 1 cbm. A 0.3 cbm shipment is still billed as 1 cbm. Below that threshold, consider grouping with another order or moving to air.

Air freight: dimensional weight (aka volumetric weight)

Air carriers use IATA’s volumetric standard:

Air freight
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1 cbm = 167 kg

This result is coming from using a divisor of 6,000 cm³/kg.

You’re charged on whichever is greater, actual weight or volumetric weight. The break-even is a density of 167 kg/m³. Above that, you pay by weight. Below, on volume.

Rule of thumb: most Bali handicrafts and homeware sit well below 167 kg/m³, so air shipments are usually billed on volume too. Dense items — stone, certain ceramics, metalwork — can flip the other way.

Air freight volumetric weight
Pencil Pencil

Volumetric weight (kg) = (L × W × H in cm) ÷ 6,000

Example:

  • a 60 × 40 × 40 cm carton = 96,000
  • 96,000 ÷ 6,000 = 16 kg volumetric.

If the carton actually weighs 8 kg, you pay on 16.

If it weighs 20 kg, you pay on 20.

Container capacities for FCL

Nominal internal volumes for the main dry containers:

  • 20′ Standard Dry: ~33 cbm
  • 40′ Standard Dry: ~67 cbm
  • 40′ High Cube: ~76 cbm
  • 45′ High Cube: ~86 cbm (not handled at Limajari)

These are geometric maximums. In practice, loadable volume is typically 80 to 85% of nominal because of stowage patterns, void spaces around irregular cargo, and packaging. Plan for the practical figure, not the geometric one.

More on container choice and dimensions in our container dimensions post.

A few Bali-specific examples

  • Rattan headboard, packed 200 × 100 × 10 cm = 0.20 cbm. Five fit in 1 cbm.
  • Teak dining table, boxed 220 × 100 × 80 cm = 1.76 cbm. Two in a 20′ container leaves room for ~30 more cbm.
  • Basketry carton, 60 × 40 × 40 cm = 0.096 cbm. Around ten cartons fill 1 cbm.

Note: any volume estimate Limajari Cargo provides is informative. 

Check our other posts

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