Air freight cost calculator and chargeable weight calculator

How do you calculate chargeable weight from gross weight?

Compare the gross weight with the volumetric weight and take the larger: if a 120 × 80 × 100 cm pallet weighs 60 kg gross, its volumetric weight is 160 kg (960,000 ÷ 6,000), so you are billed for 160 kg.

1. Weigh the shipment to get the total gross weight, including packaging and pallets.
2. Measure each piece in centimetres at its widest points and calculate L × W × H ÷ 6,000 for each.
3. Add the volumetric weights of all pieces.
4. Chargeable weight = the greater of total gross weight and total volumetric weight, rounded up to the next half kilogram.

The examples in this guide are hypothetical and for illustration.

How do you calculate air freight cost?

Air freight cost is the chargeable weight multiplied by the rate per kilogram, plus any surcharges and the charges at each end of the journey.

Cost ≈ chargeable weight × rate per kg + fuel and security surcharges (if not included) + pickup, export handling, customs clearance and delivery. Rates fall at weight breaks (45, 100, 300, 500 and 1,000 kg are common), and they move every week with demand, capacity and fuel. For a full breakdown of what drives the price, read is air freight expensive?, and for how air compares with ocean shipping, see our air freight vs sea freight comparison.

How much does air freight cost per kg right now?

Published spot benchmarks for October 2026 are listed below with their publisher and date. The calculator uses the lowest and highest benchmark for each lane as an indicative range.

These are airport-to-airport market averages, not quotes, and they change every week.

• The Freightos Air Index (FAX) is published as an indicative all-in spot rate for general cargo in US$ per kilogram, for the previous 7 days, in weight breaks of 100-300 kg, 300-1,000 kg and 1,000-3,000 kg; its pricing is airport-to-airport, so budget separately for pickup, origin and destination handling, customs clearance and final delivery. (source)
• TAC Index lane averages reported by Air Cargo News (e.g. Hong Kong to North America) are average rates combining spot and contract prices paid by forwarders, so they are a market benchmark rather than a quote a shipper would receive. (source)
• Fuel is a major driver of current rates: TAC Index pointed out that jet fuel prices were up more than 100% year on year in early October 2026, and said rates were not yet keeping pace. (source)

For lane detail beyond the rate, see our route guides: air freight from China to the USA and air freight from China to Africa.

What does 100 kg of air freight cost?

At the published benchmarks above, 100 kg of chargeable weight works out to roughly the following airport-to-airport cost. This is a hypothetical illustration: it assumes the cargo is dense enough that 100 kg is the chargeable weight (no more than 0.6 m³), and it excludes pickup, export handling, screening, customs and delivery, which often make up a large share of the bill on small shipments.

What is chargeable weight in air freight?

Chargeable weight is the weight an airline actually bills you for. Aircraft run out of space long before they run out of payload when cargo is light and bulky, so carriers price on whichever measure costs them more: the real weight of the shipment, or a notional weight based on the space it takes up.

That notional figure is the volumetric weight (also called dimensional or "dim" weight). The standard rule, set out in IATA's rate and tariff rules, assumes a density of 6,000 cubic centimetres per kilogram, or roughly 167 kg per cubic metre. Anything less dense than that is billed by volume.

How do you calculate volumetric weight?

Multiply length, width and height in centimetres and divide by 6,000. The result is the volumetric weight in kilograms for one piece.

1. Measure each piece at its widest points, including the pallet, overhangs and packaging.
2. Multiply L × W × H in centimetres.
3. Divide by 6,000 to get kilograms per piece.
4. Multiply by the number of identical pieces and add up different pieces.
5. Compare the total with the total actual (gross) weight. The higher number is the chargeable weight.

If you work in inches, divide cubic inches by 366 for kilograms, or by 166 for pounds. The calculator above works in either unit system.

What does that look like with real shipments?

These hypothetical examples show how the same rule produces very different outcomes depending on how dense the cargo is.

Apparel, furniture, lighting and plastics usually bill on volume. Metal parts, liquids and paper usually bill on actual weight.

Why do couriers and forwarders quote different weights?

Because many express couriers divide by 5,000 rather than 6,000. A 60 × 40 × 40 cm carton is 16 kg volumetric at 6,000, but 19.2 kg at 5,000. On large or recurring shipments that 20% gap is often the difference between express and air freight being the cheaper option, so always check which divisor a quote uses.

How do weight breaks change the price?

Air freight rates fall as the chargeable weight rises past set thresholds, so a heavier shipment can sometimes cost less in total.

Carriers publish a minimum charge (rate class M), a normal rate for shipments under 45 kg (class N), and quantity rates (class Q) at breaks such as 45, 100, 300, 500 and 1,000 kg. If charging your shipment at the next break up produces a lower total, the lower total applies. For example, 280 kg at the 100 kg rate may cost more than 300 kg at the 300 kg rate.

How can you lower your chargeable weight?

Reduce the space your cargo occupies, because on most light cargo you are paying for air.

• Right-size packaging. Oversized cartons and loose void fill are the most common cause of inflated volumetric weight.
• Build tighter pallets. Avoid overhangs, which force the whole pallet to be measured at its widest point.
• Consolidate. Several small consignments built onto one pallet often bill lower than the same goods sent separately, and each airway bill also carries its own minimum charges.
• Mix dense and light cargo. When a forwarder consolidates, dense freight offsets bulky freight on the same unit.
• Measure accurately before booking. Re-weighed and re-measured cargo at the terminal leads to correction fees and delays.

Does chargeable weight matter for ULDs and charters?

Less so. When you book a full unit load device or charter a whole aircraft, you pay for the unit or the flight rather than per kilogram. Volumetric weight still determines how much cargo physically fits, which is why outsize and heavy shipments, such as those we handle through JumboGeneral and JumboPower, are planned around the aircraft's contour and floor loading rather than a simple per-kilogram formula.

Chargeable weight is also why light, bulky cargo costs so much more to fly than to ship: ocean LCL treats 1 m³ as 1,000 kg, while air treats it as 167 kg. Our air freight vs sea freight comparison sets the two side by side, and is air freight expensive? covers the other cost drivers.

Sources

1. IATA: Cargo programs and standards
2. IATA: The Air Cargo Tariff and Rules (TACT)
3. IATA: Unit Load Devices
4. Freightos Air Index (Far East/China – N. America, weekly) (Oct 6, 2026)
5. Freightos Air Index (Far East – N. America, weekly) (Sep 30, 2026)
6. Xeneta spot rate (Northeast Asia – North America, September 2026 average) (Oct 1, 2026)
7. TAC Index (Hong Kong – North America, September 2026 average, spot + contract), via Air Cargo News (Oct 6, 2026)
8. Freightos Air Index (China – Europe, weekly) (Oct 13, 2026)
9. The Freightos Air Index (FAX) is published as an indicative all-in spot rate for genera...

Reviewed by the Jumbo Air Cargo editorial team, October 20, 2026. Read our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Tell us.