How do I calculate CBM?

Multiply length × width × height in metres, then by the number of pieces. From centimetres, multiply the three sides and divide by 1,000,000 — a 60 × 40 × 50 cm carton is 0.12 m³.

How many CBM is a 40ft container?

About 67.6 m³ for a 40ft dry box and 76.2 m³ for a 40ft high cube, in Ocean Network Express's published specifications; a 20ft dry box is about 33.1 m³. Usable volume is lower once cartons and pallets are stowed.

How do I convert CBM to cubic feet?

Multiply by 35.31. One foot is exactly 0.3048 m, so one cubic metre is 35.3147 ft³; 1.2 m³ is about 42.4 ft³.

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CBM Calculator

Work out the cubic metres (CBM) and cubic feet of cartons, pallets or crates, in centimetres or inches, and see how much of a 20ft or 40ft container they would fill.

Your shipment

Length

Width

Height

Number of pieces

Total volume

1.2m³

Total volume: 42.4ft³
Each piece: 0.12m³
Of a 20ft dry container (33.1 m³): 3.6%
Of a 40ft dry container (67.6 m³): 1.8%

Nominal volume: cartons and pallets never fill every centimetre of a container.

The formula

CBM = length × width × height × pieces, in metres · from centimetres: L × W × H ÷ 1,000,000

Cubic feet from inches: L × W × H ÷ 1,728. One cubic metre is 35.31 ft³, since 1 ft is exactly 0.3048 m.

Worked example

The calculator opens on iContainers' worked example: 10 cartons of 60 × 40 × 50 cm. Each is 0.6 × 0.4 × 0.5 = 0.12 m³, so the shipment is 1.20 m³ — about 42.4 ft³.

The same sum checks a container: ONE's 40ft dry box measures 12,032 × 2,350 × 2,390 mm inside, which is 67.58 m³ — the 67.6 m³ ONE publishes.

When the answer misleads

CBM is the space the goods occupy, not the space they need. Cartons leave gaps, pallets fix the footprint, and the door opening is lower than the inside height, so a container is full well before its nominal cubic metres. And carriers rarely bill on volume alone: LCL and part loads are charged on chargeable weight — the greater of actual weight and volume converted at the carrier's factor.

FAQ

CBM Calculator: common questions

How do I calculate CBM?: Multiply length × width × height in metres, then by the number of pieces. From centimetres, multiply the three sides and divide by 1,000,000 — a 60 × 40 × 50 cm carton is 0.12 m³.
How many CBM is a 40ft container?: About 67.6 m³ for a 40ft dry box and 76.2 m³ for a 40ft high cube, in Ocean Network Express's published specifications; a 20ft dry box is about 33.1 m³. Usable volume is lower once cartons and pallets are stowed.
How do I convert CBM to cubic feet?: Multiply by 35.31. One foot is exactly 0.3048 m, so one cubic metre is 35.3147 ft³; 1.2 m³ is about 42.4 ft³.