IC ExpressVOLUMETRIC CALCULATORThe billable weight on screen before you send anything

Volumetric & Billable Weight Calculator

Enter length, width, height and actual weight. IC Express works out the volumetric and billable weight as you type — no sign-up, and nothing is sent until you ask for a quote.

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The boxes, and how they are measured

One line per item type. The figures update as you type — a line only produces a weight once its length, width, height and actual weight are all in, because two dimensions out of three is not a volumetric weight, it is a wrong one.

Divisors differ by transport mode. A smaller divisor produces a HIGHER volumetric weight for the same box.

How the figure is worked outVolumetric weight (kg) = Length × Width × Height (cm) ÷ divisor. You are billed on the billable weight — the greater of actual and volumetric, never the sum of the two.
Items

Group identical boxes on one line and give the quantity. Add a line whenever the size or the weight changes.

0 item line(s) on this shipment.

Shipment totals

Total volume—
Total actual weight—
Total volumetric weight—
Total billable weight—

— unit(s) altogether. A line shows nothing until all four of its measurements are in, and a divisor of zero produces no figure at all rather than an impossible one.

What is volumetric weight?

Volumetric weight — also called dimensional or cubic weight — is a weight figure derived from an item’s size rather than its mass. Carriers use it because a vehicle or an aircraft runs out of space long before it runs out of payload, so low-density freight such as pillows, lampshades or empty containers consumes capacity out of all proportion to what it weighs.

The divisor encodes the density a carrier assumes. 5000 is the common road and courier standard in South Africa; IATA air freight uses 6000; some express services apply 4000, which produces a higher volumetric weight for the same box.

You are charged on the billable weight, which is the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight — never the sum of the two. A 100 × 50 × 40 cm carton weighing 8 kg has a volumetric weight of 40 kg at a 5000 divisor, so it is billed as 40 kg.

Because the divisor and the rounding rule vary by carrier and by service, always confirm the basis before comparing prices. IC Express quotes on the billable weight shown above.

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