How to use the converter
Freight paperwork mixes systems all the time: a Chinese packing list in centimetres and kilograms, a US carrier's tariff in inches and pounds, a container booking in cubic metres, a trucker's fuel log in US gallons. This converter uses the exact legal definitions (one inch is 2.54 cm, one pound is 0.45359237 kg), so the figures match what carriers and customs use.
- Pick a family (weight, length, volume, distance or density), enter the value and choose its unit. Every other unit in that family updates at once.
- CBM to chargeable weight takes a volume in cubic metres and, optionally, the real weight. It shows the volumetric weight under each mode's factor and the weight you would be charged on.
Exact conversion factors
| From | To | Multiply by |
|---|---|---|
| kilograms | pounds | 2.20462262 |
| pounds | kilograms | 0.45359237 |
| metric tonnes | US short tons | 1.10231131 |
| long tons | metric tonnes | 1.01604691 |
| centimetres | inches | 0.39370079 |
| cubic metres | cubic feet | 35.3146667 |
| cubic feet | cubic metres | 0.02831685 |
| cubic inches | cubic feet | ÷ 1,728 |
| lb per ft³ (pcf) | kg per m³ | 16.0184634 |
| US gallons | litres | 3.78541178 |
| imperial gallons | litres | 4.54609 |
| miles | kilometres | 1.609344 |
Worked examples
- Container weight on a US booking. A 20′ loaded to 18,500 kg of cargo is 18,500 × 2.20462 = 40,786 lb. Rounded with the common shortcut of 2.2, it is 40,700 lb, 86 lb light, which matters when you are close to a road weight limit.
- Cartons from a supplier. 60 × 40 × 40 cm is 23.6 × 15.7 × 15.7 inches, and 0.096 m³ is 3.39 ft³.
- Density for a US quote. A forwarder says the cargo is 180 kg per CBM. 180 ÷ 16.0185 = 11.2 pcf, which sits in the class 92.5 band on the freight class scale.
- CBM to kilos. 1.5 m³ by air is 1.5 × 166.67 = 250 kg chargeable; by express it is 300 kg; by LCL it is 1.5 W/M.
Freight figures in both systems
The sizes that come up on almost every booking, converted once so you don't have to:
| Item | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| US GMA pallet footprint | 1219 × 1016 mm | 48 × 40 in |
| Euro pallet footprint | 1200 × 800 mm | 47.2 × 31.5 in |
| 20′ container, inside | 5.90 × 2.35 × 2.39 m | 19′4″ × 7′9″ × 7′10″ |
| 20′ container, nominal cube | 33.2 m³ | 1,172 ft³ |
| 40′ high cube, nominal cube | 76.3 m³ | 2,694 ft³ |
| US federal gross vehicle limit | 36,287 kg | 80,000 lb |
| Typical EU artic payload | 24,000 kg | 52,911 lb |
Conversion mistakes that show up on invoices
- Three different "tons". A metric tonne is 1,000 kg, a US short ton 2,000 lb (907 kg), a long ton 2,240 lb (1,016 kg). Ocean freight and customs use metric tonnes.
- Two different hundredweights. LTL rates per "cwt" in the US mean 100 lb. The British hundredweight is 112 lb.
- Two different gallons. US and UK gallons differ by 20 %, which wrecks fuel comparisons.
- Converting volume with a length factor. One metre is 3.28 feet, but one cubic metre is 3.28³ = 35.3 cubic feet. Convert each dimension first, or use the volume factor.
- Rounding too early. Convert, multiply and total with full precision, and round the final figure.
Questions shippers ask
How many pounds is a kilogram?
2.20462262 lb. One pound is exactly 0.45359237 kg.
How many cubic feet are in a CBM?
35.3147 ft³. One cubic foot is 0.0283 m³.
How do I convert CBM to kg for shipping?
Volume does not have a weight of its own, so each mode uses a conversion factor: 166.67 kg per m³ for air (1:6000), 200 for express (1:5000), 1,000 for sea LCL and usually 333 or 250 for road. The higher of that and the real weight is the chargeable weight. See the chargeable weight calculator for multi-piece shipments.
What is the difference between a tonne and a ton?
A tonne (metric ton) is 1,000 kg. In the US "ton" usually means the short ton of 2,000 lb; in the UK it historically meant the long ton of 2,240 lb.
Sources
- NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: general tables of units of measurement — exact definitions of the inch, pound and US gallon
- UK Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1 — the imperial gallon (4.54609 L) and the hundredweight