Guides
Freight Guides
Plain-language explainers for the freight math forwarders and shippers run every day — the formulas, the worked examples and the practical detail the tools don't have room to spell out.
01CBM & Weight
What Is CBM? Cubic Meters in Freight, Explained
How CBM is calculated, why carriers use it, and how it turns into the price you pay.
Read →02CBM & Weight
Chargeable Weight: Why You Pay for Space, Not Just Kilograms
Actual vs volumetric weight, the 6000 and 5000 divisors, and how to avoid billing surprises.
Read →03Containers
How Many CBM Fit in a 20ft, 40ft, and 40ft HC Container?
Nominal vs practical container capacity: why a 67.7 m³ container carries about 55 CBM of real cartons.
Read →CBM & Weight
- CBM to CFT Conversion for Shipping (Table + Formula)Convert cubic meters to cubic feet and back: the exact factor, quick tables, and when each unit is used.
- Volumetric Weight Explained: Why Light Cargo Costs More Than It WeighsWhat dimensional weight is, the divisors carriers use, and five ways to reduce it.
Containers
- Shipping Container Dimensions: 20ft, 40ft, 40HC, 45HC, Reefer, Open TopInternal dimensions, door apertures, tare, payload, and capacity for every common ISO container type.
- How to Maximize Container Space: Loading Patterns That Add Real CBMPractical container loading optimization: orientation, carton design, floor vs pallet, weight distribution.
- Container Weight Limits: Payload, Road Rules, and VGM ExplainedGross, tare, net, payload — why road limits bind before the container does, and how VGM declaration works.
Pallets
- Standard Pallet Sizes: GMA 48×40, EUR Pallet, and Regional StandardsEvery major pallet standard with exact dimensions, load ratings, and which to use per destination.
- How Many Boxes Fit on a Pallet? Layer Patterns, Height Limits, OverhangCalculate cartons per pallet: column vs interlocked stacking, overhang rules, and worked examples.
- How Many Pallets Fit in a 20ft and 40ft Container?Exact pallet counts per container — EUR and GMA, single and double stacked — and the patterns behind them.
LTL
- Freight Class Chart (NMFC Density Scale): All 13 Classes ExplainedThe NMFC density-based freight class table after the 2025 changes — class 50 through 400 by lb/ft³.
- How to Calculate Freight Density for LTL (Step by Step)The exact pcf density method carriers use: measuring rules, multi-piece math, and reclass-fee pitfalls.
- The LTL Linear Foot Rule: When Floor Space, Not Class, Sets Your PriceHow carriers measure linear feet, the 10–16 ft thresholds that trigger volume pricing, and how to stay under them.
Air Freight
Mode Choice
- FCL vs LCL: The Real Break-Even Point (It's Lower Than You Think)When to book a full container vs shared LCL space: cost structure, the 13–15 CBM break-even, and risk.
- Sea Freight vs Air Freight: Cost, Transit Time, and the CrossoverHow sea and air freight really compare — billing units, door-to-door transit times, and choosing per shipment.
- Freight Surcharges Explained: BAF, CAF, THC, LSS & MorePlain-English definitions of every surcharge on your ocean freight invoice, and who pays each one.