Guides
Freight Guides
Practical guides for shippers and freight forwarders, from CBM and freight class to container and pallet specs, VGM, demurrage and surcharges. Each one covers the formula, a worked example and the details a calculator screen has no room for.
01CBM & Weight
What Is CBM? Cubic Meters in Shipping and How to Calculate It
CBM is the cubic meter: how to calculate it (L × W × H × quantity), why carriers bill for space, and how it becomes your sea, air or express chargeable weight.
Read →02CBM & Weight
Chargeable Weight Explained: Why You Pay for Space
Chargeable weight is the higher of actual and volumetric weight. See how the 6,000 and 5,000 divisors work, with worked examples, to avoid surprise freight bills.
Read →03Containers
How Many CBM Fit in a 20ft, 40ft or 40ft HC Container?
A 40ft container is rated at 67.7 m³, but boxes usually fill about 55 CBM. Usable capacity for 20ft, 40ft and high cube containers, and why it’s lower.
Read →CBM & Weight
- CBM to CFT Conversion: Cubic Meters to Cubic Feet Chart1 CBM = 35.315 cubic feet. Convert m³ to ft³ and back with the formula, a two-way chart and container volumes, plus which unit each freight document uses.
- Volumetric (Dimensional) Weight: Why Light Boxes Bill HeavyVolumetric weight turns box size into kilograms: L × W × H (cm) ÷ 6,000 for air, ÷ 5,000 for express such as UPS. How it’s measured and 5 ways to reduce it.
Containers
- Demurrage vs Detention: Two Clocks on One ContainerDemurrage runs while a loaded container sits in the terminal and detention once it leaves: when each clock starts, US FMC invoice rules and how to avoid both.
- What Is a TEU? TEU Meaning and Container ConversionsTEU meaning: a twenty-foot equivalent unit, where a 20’ container is 1 TEU and a 40’ is 2, plus what a TEU doesn’t measure and how to convert it to CBM and kg.
- Container Dimensions Explained: 20ft, 40ft, High Cube, ReeferInternal dimensions, door openings, capacity, tare weight and payload for 20ft, 40ft, 45ft high cube, reefer and open top containers, and how to choose one.
- Reefer Container Dimensions and Weight: 20ft and 40ft HC20ft and 40ft HC reefer container dimensions: internal size, door opening, capacity, tare weight, payload and max gross, plus space lost vs. dry containers.
- How to Maximize Container Space: Orientation & Box SizeFit more boxes in the same container: allow rotation, size the box to the 235 cm inside width, weigh floor loading vs. pallets, and keep the weight centered.
- Container Weight Limits: Payload, Road Limits and VGMTare, payload, max gross and VGM explained: why road limits cap a container’s weight before its rating does, and the two SOLAS methods for getting a VGM.
Pallets
- Standard Pallet Sizes: 48 × 40 GMA, Euro 1,200 × 800 & MoreStandard pallet sizes with exact dimensions: 48 × 40 in GMA, 1,200 × 800 mm Euro, UK, Asian and Australian pallets, plus load ratings and which to use where.
- How Many Boxes Fit on a Pallet? Layers, Height & OverhangWork out boxes per pallet as boxes per layer × layers, with column stacking vs. interlocking, overhang rules and a worked 300 × 250 × 200 mm example.
- How Many Pallets Fit in a 20ft or 40ft Container?A 40ft container takes 24–25 euro pallets or 20 standard 48 × 40 in pallets; a 20ft takes 11 or 10. See the loading patterns and when to double stack.
LTL
- Freight Class Chart 2025: 13-Tier NMFC Density ScaleUS LTL freight class chart after the 2025 NMFC update: the 13-sub density scale from class 50 to 400 in lb/ft³, boundary rules and four worked examples.
- How to Calculate Freight Density for LTL, Step by StepCalculate LTL freight density in lb/ft³ the way carriers do: measure the full handling unit with overhang, handle multiple pallets and avoid reclass fees.
- LTL Linear Foot Rule: When Carriers Price by Trailer SpaceHow LTL carriers measure linear feet, where capacity load rules start (15–21 ft in the tariffs we checked) and how stacking or turning pallets cuts the footage.
Air Freight
Mode Choice
- FCL vs LCL: Cost Differences and the Break-Even CBMFCL’s flat container rate vs LCL’s per-CBM charges and CFS fees: why FCL often wins from about 13–15 CBM, and how transit time and damage risk differ.
- Air Freight vs Sea Freight: Cost and Transit Time ComparedAir bills a cubic meter as about 167 kg, LCL ocean as 1,000 kg. See why air costs several times more, the 2–5 week transit gap, and which mode fits your cargo.
- Ocean Freight Surcharges Explained: BAF, CAF, LSS, THCWhat BAF, CAF, LSS, THC, ISPS and the other ocean freight surcharges on your quote pay for, and who pays each one, seller or buyer, under Incoterms rules.