How Courier & Cargo Freight Rates Are Calculated
In freight logistics and courier transport, pricing is not based purely on the physical weight shown on a bathroom scale. Instead, carriers calculate charges based on Chargeable Weight — which is the higher value between the actual Dead Weight and the calculated Volumetric Weight.
Dead Weight vs Volumetric Weight
1. Actual / Dead Weight: This is the gross weight measured by placing the sealed carton or luggage on an electronic digital weighing scale (in kilograms).
2. Volumetric / Dimensional Weight: Light items packed inside a large cardboard box take up significant cargo volume inside express logistics vehicles and trucks. To standardize this space utilization, commercial logistics networks convert cubic volume into equivalent kilograms using standard divisors.
Standard Industry Divisors:
• Parcel & Express Surface Courier: (Length × Width × Height in cm) ÷ 5000
• Heavy B2B Surface Freight: (Length × Width × Height in cm) ÷ 4500
Practical Example: A carton measuring 40 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm containing winter blankets weighs 2.5 kg on a scale. Its volumetric weight is (40 × 30 × 30) ÷ 5000 = 7.2 kg. The carrier will bill for 7.2 kg chargeable weight because the carton occupies 7.2 kg of physical cargo space.
