Enter how many packages you have of each size. The calculator adds up the volume in cubic metres (CBM) and cubic feet, and shows roughly how much of a container it would fill.
Total volume of 10 packages
1.200 m³
42.4 cubic feet
20′ standard
About 28 m³ loadable (33.2 m³ inside)
Fills about 4%
40′ standard
About 58 m³ loadable (67.7 m³ inside)
Fills about 2%
40′ high cube
About 68 m³ loadable (76.3 m³ inside)
Fills about 2%
A rough guide: what really fits depends on the packing, pallets and the container’s weight limit.
CBM = length × width × height (in metres) × number of packages. With sizes in centimetres, divide length × width × height by 1,000,000 first. In inches, divide by 61,024.
Example: 10 cartons of 60 × 40 × 50 cm are 0.6 × 0.4 × 0.5 = 0.12 m³ each, 1.2 CBM in all, or about 42.4 cubic feet.
A container never fills completely: package shapes, pallets, gaps and the weight limit take space. As a rough guide you can load about 28 m³ into a 20′, 58 m³ into a 40′ and 68 m³ into a 40′ high cube, a little less with pallets or awkward cartons.
CBM means cubic metre (m³), the unit of cargo volume in shipping. One CBM is a box 1 m long, 1 m wide and 1 m high. Sea LCL rates, warehouse storage and container planning are all based on it.
Multiply length × width × height of one package in metres, then by the number of packages. In centimetres: L × W × H ÷ 1,000,000. Example: 10 cartons of 60 × 40 × 50 cm are 10 × 0.12 = 1.2 CBM.
A 20-foot container has about 33 m³ inside, a 40-foot about 67 m³ and a 40-foot high cube about 76 m³. Because of package shapes, pallets and gaps, you can usually load about 25–28, 55–58 and 65–68 m³. This calculator uses the upper end as a rough guide.
It depends on the rates of the day, but from around 13–15 CBM a full 20-foot container is often cheaper than paying per cubic metre in a shared (LCL) container. Compare both quotes.
1 cubic metre is 35.3147 cubic feet. The calculator shows both.
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