Glossary · Weights
Volumetric weight
How much your cargo 'weighs' based on the space it takes up on the aircraft.
Technical definition
Volumetric weight (kg) = (Length × Width × Height in cm) / 6,000. The 6,000 cm³/kg factor equals 167 kg/m³ and is the air cargo standard (IATA). It's compared against gross weight to get the chargeable weight.
In plain terms
Volumetric weight converts your cargo's volume into kilos, because on an aircraft space is worth as much as weight. Cargo that takes up a lot and weighs little gets charged by volume.
How it works in Chile
With fruit and salmon, the box and pallet build-up inflates volume. Calculating it properly in advance lets you negotiate the rate and pick the right ULD.
Common mistakes
- Measuring boxes without the actual packaging.
- Applying the courier factor (5,000) instead of the air cargo one (6,000).
- Forgetting to multiply by the number of pieces.
How it connects to Skymetrics
The Skymetrics volumetric weight calculator returns gross, volumetric and chargeable weight instantly, with a configurable factor.