Reference
Chargeable weight for China to USA shipments
Freight is billed on the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is the carton volume in cubic centimetres divided by a divisor, and Plain Freight uses 6,000 cm³ per kg. A 210 x 90 x 80 cm crate holding 60 kg (three-seat sofa, crated) therefore bills at 252 kg, not 60 kg.
That gap is the single most common reason a quote comes back higher than someone expected. Below is the arithmetic, then the same calculation on 15 carton shapes we price every week, 12 of which bill on volume rather than weight.
The formula
- Volume in cm³ = length x width x height in cm, per carton, added up across cartons.
- Volumetric weight in kg = volume in cm³ divided by 6,000. One cubic metre is 1,000,000 cm³, so 1 CBM at this divisor is 167 kg.
- Chargeable weight = whichever is greater, the actual weight or the volumetric weight.
- Working in inches and pounds instead: volume in in³ divided by 166 gives the same chargeable weight in pounds that cm³ divided by 6,000 gives in kilograms, because a cubic inch is 16.387 cm³ and a kilogram is 2.2046 lb.
Real cartons, and what they bill
Each row is a carton size and weight from our own price list, one carton per row so the arithmetic is easy to check. The last column is what we would bill.
| Carton, cm | Volume | Actual | Volumetric | Chargeable | Governed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 x 20 x 10One boxed toy sample | 6,000 cm³0.006 CBM | 0.6 kg | 1 kg | 1 kg | volume |
| 35 x 25 x 13One boxed pair (sample) | 11,375 cm³0.011 CBM | 1.2 kg | 1.9 kg | 1.9 kg | volume |
| 35 x 30 x 15One handbag sample | 15,750 cm³0.016 CBM | 0.8 kg | 2.6 kg | 2.6 kg | volume |
| 45 x 35 x 15One bedding sample set | 23,625 cm³0.024 CBM | 2 kg | 3.9 kg | 3.9 kg | volume |
| 40 x 30 x 251 carton, about 25 T-shirts | 30,000 cm³0.03 CBM | 8 kg | 5 kg | 8 kg | actual weight |
| 45 x 35 x 30Hand tools, 1 carton | 47,250 cm³0.047 CBM | 15 kg | 7.9 kg | 15 kg | actual weight |
| 55 x 40 x 26Toys with a circuit board, 1 carton | 57,200 cm³0.057 CBM | 6.3 kg | 9.5 kg | 9.5 kg | volume |
| 58 x 40 x 25One carry-on suitcase, boxed | 58,000 cm³0.058 CBM | 4 kg | 9.7 kg | 9.7 kg | volume |
| 50 x 40 x 40Ceramic vases, 1 carton | 80,000 cm³0.08 CBM | 10 kg | 13.3 kg | 13.3 kg | volume |
| 65 x 40 x 3510 boxed pairs, 1 carton | 91,000 cm³0.091 CBM | 9 kg | 15.2 kg | 15.2 kg | volume |
| 60 x 40 x 40Plush toys, 1 carton | 96,000 cm³0.096 CBM | 8 kg | 16 kg | 16 kg | volume |
| 60 x 45 x 40A duvet set | 108,000 cm³0.108 CBM | 5.2 kg | 18 kg | 18 kg | volume |
| 120 x 65 x 15Flat-packed metal and glass coffee table | 117,000 cm³0.117 CBM | 25 kg | 19.5 kg | 25 kg | actual weight |
| 70 x 65 x 60One accent chair, boxed | 273,000 cm³0.273 CBM | 12 kg | 45.5 kg | 45.5 kg | volume |
| 210 x 90 x 80Three-seat sofa, crated | 1,512,000 cm³1.512 CBM | 60 kg | 252 kg | 252 kg | volume |
Why the divisor matters more than the rate
Divisors differ between services and between companies, and a lower divisor means a higher billed weight for the same box. Compare two quotes on the per-kg rate alone and the one with the lower divisor can be the more expensive. The same cartons, at three divisors:
| Carton, cm | Divisor 4,000 | Divisor 5,000 | Divisor 6,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 x 20 x 10 | 1.5 kg | 1.2 kg | 1 kg |
| 35 x 25 x 13 | 2.8 kg | 2.3 kg | 1.9 kg |
| 35 x 30 x 15 | 3.9 kg | 3.2 kg | 2.6 kg |
| 45 x 35 x 15 | 5.9 kg | 4.7 kg | 3.9 kg |
| 40 x 30 x 25 | 7.5 kg | 6 kg | 5 kg |
| 45 x 35 x 30 | 11.8 kg | 9.5 kg | 7.9 kg |
| 55 x 40 x 26 | 14.3 kg | 11.4 kg | 9.5 kg |
| 58 x 40 x 25 | 14.5 kg | 11.6 kg | 9.7 kg |
| 50 x 40 x 40 | 20 kg | 16 kg | 13.3 kg |
| 65 x 40 x 35 | 22.8 kg | 18.2 kg | 15.2 kg |
| 60 x 40 x 40 | 24 kg | 19.2 kg | 16 kg |
| 60 x 45 x 40 | 27 kg | 21.6 kg | 18 kg |
| 120 x 65 x 15 | 29.3 kg | 23.4 kg | 19.5 kg |
| 70 x 65 x 60 | 68.3 kg | 54.6 kg | 45.5 kg |
| 210 x 90 x 80 | 378 kg | 302.4 kg | 252 kg |
Bold is our divisor, 6,000 cm³ per kg, which is the most generous of the three. We publish it rather than the divisors other companies use, because a divisor can change with a service, a contract or a tariff update: ask yours and check it against this table.
Five things this changes in practice
- Air quotes hinge on packing, not just weight. Pressing the same goods into fewer, fuller cartons lowers the bill directly, because the volume falls even though the weight does not.
- Light and bulky is the expensive combination. Cushions, jackets, lampshades and assembled furniture almost always bill on volume. Dense goods like tools, ceramics and hardware almost always bill on actual weight.
- Void fill is freight you pay for. A carton one fifth empty carries a quarter more volumetric weight than the same goods packed tight, so the padding costs the same per kg as the product.
- Measure after packing, not before. The carton is measured at its outside dimensions, including tape, corner protectors and any overbox, once it reaches the warehouse.
- Round numbers are rounded up. Dimensions are taken to the nearest centimetre and chargeable weight to the next increment, so a carton on a boundary will land on the higher side.
What it costs once you know the chargeable weight
Our prices are published by weight and dated. On September 15, 2026, 20 kg chargeable of general goods was $299.20 door to door with US customs and duty included, and 5 kg was $80.96. The full series, at twelve weights, is in the China to USA shipping price index ›
Cite this page
Free to quote with a link back. A suggested sentence:
Freight bills on the greater of actual and volumetric weight, where volumetric weight is the carton volume in cm³ divided by the carrier's divisor. At a divisor of 6,000, a 210 x 90 x 80 cm crate holding 60 kg bills at 252 kg, more than four times its actual weight (Plain Freight, chargeable weight reference).
Canonical URL: https://plainfreight.com/data/chargeable-weight-china-usa
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Price index ›Air vs sea freight ›LCL shipping ›Prices by product ›