Do you ship products across oceans to your customers? How can businesses determine how much shipping costs to charge? When comparing freight quotations and documentation, the chargeable weight can often be confusing. It is common for couriers to ask questions about chargeable weight. It doesn’t matter if you are sending luggage first-hand to a destination before you fly or if you need to ship products to a business address. It cannot be very clear. These are the details about chargeable weight and how they can be calculated.
What is the Chargeable Weight?
Different weights are required when items are sent in freight. The actual weight is one, and it can come in different forms depending on what item you are sending. This can be the gross weight or the volumetric weight.
These formulas will help you calculate the weight of your object to be shipped via air freight.
Calculate the Gross weight
Sometimes, the gross weight is referred to as “the actual weight” of the object. A weighing scale is a good way to do this. It will depend on the type and weight of the shipment.
Airfreight shipping is different from regular freight. The actual package weight is not all that matters. It also includes the pallet that the item is resting on. The scale will display the results.
Sometimes, the weight values displayed on the scale will be in pounds. If this happens, convert the weight values in pounds to kilograms.
Sometimes, packaging weight must be included. This means that a company must weigh the product it is shipping and the additional weight of the packaging (or bubble wrap) and the box.
Calculate the volumetric weight
Volumetric weight must be dealt with differently. In contrast to the gross weight, this method takes into account the package’s area and volume. This value can be determined using a step-by-step method. This is how it works:
- Calculate the volume (LxWxH)
- Be sure to verify that the volume is in cubic meters (CBM).
- Multiply the volume by the air cubic conversion factor (167)
Volumetric weight refers to how much space the item takes up in the vehicle the courier will use rather than its actual weight. Sometimes, lighter items may have a higher volumetric mass than their actual weight.
In other cases, the volume will be determined by the object’s shape.
The higher value between the gross and volumetric weights is taken
After calculating the gross and volumetric weights, compare these values and choose the highest. The courier then gives a quote for freight costs.
These steps may vary depending on the object’s shape and density or weight. These situations will be discussed and explained in the following sections.
It is important to determine the chargeable weight
Couriers can use air freights or delivery vehicles to transport their packages. The chargeable weight is used as the basis of shipping and air freight costs.
Consider shipping steel and cotton, for example. Steel would be heavier than cotton, which is evident when it was weighed. The steel cargo would be charged a weight based on its gross weight.
The cotton package’s gross weight is low, but its chargeable weight is very high. Even though it weighs less on the scale, it still takes up a lot of volumes. This high volumetric or dimensional weight is the basis of the chargeable weight.