Free tools
Free CBM calculator for sea freight and chargeable weight calculator for air freight — what they weigh, and who pays for what. Work them out here, then send the result into a shipment request.
Enter the dimensions of one carton and how many you have. Sea freight is priced on the space you occupy, so this is the number a forwarder asks for first.
Based on typical usable capacity of 33 CBM for a 20ft, 67 CBM for a 40ft and 76 CBM for a 40ft high cube. Real loading depends on carton shape and stacking, so treat this as a planning figure rather than a booking figure.
Airlines charge on whichever is greater: what your shipment actually weighs, or the space it takes up. Light bulky cargo is almost always billed on volume.
Uses the standard IATA volumetric divisor of 6000 for air freight. Express couriers often apply 5000 instead, which produces a higher chargeable weight.
The Incoterm decides where your responsibility ends and the buyer's begins. Agreeing it before you quote avoids the most common dispute in a first export.
| Term | Means | You pay | Buyer pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW | Ex Works | Nothing beyond having goods ready at your premises | Collection, export clearance, freight, duty, delivery |
| FCA | Free Carrier | Delivery to the named carrier, export clearance | Main freight, insurance, import duty, delivery |
| FOB | Free On Board | Everything to the ship's rail at the load port | Sea freight, insurance, import duty, delivery |
| CFR | Cost & Freight | Freight to the destination port | Insurance, import duty, delivery from port |
| CIF | Cost, Insurance & Freight | Freight and insurance to destination port | Import duty, clearance, delivery from port |
| DAP | Delivered At Place | Everything to the buyer's address except import duty | Import duty and taxes |
| DDP | Delivered Duty Paid | Everything, including import duty at destination | Nothing |
First-time exporters are usually quoted FOB, and first-time importers usually want CIF or DAP. If you are not sure which suits your deal, tell us the destination and we will explain the difference in cost.
Next step
Send them over and we will come back with one landed cost, covering duty, freight and our service fee, inside a business day.