Cubic meters
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Calculate cubic meters (CBM) for shipping, storage, or moving. Calculate the total volume and weight of your shipment using this CBM calculator.
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How to calculate CBM
To calculate cubic meters (CBM), multiply the length, width, and height of a space (measured in meters) to obtain the total volume. CBM = length (m) × width (m) × height (m).
If your dimensions are in another unit (cm, feet, etc.), you'll first need to convert them to meters. One meter equals 100 centimeters, 3.281 feet, or 39.37 inches.
Formulas for calculating cubic meters
- From meters: m³ = l × w × h
- From centimeters: m³ = (l × w × h) ÷ 1,000,000
- From feet: m³ = l(ft) × w(ft) × h(ft) × 0.0283
- From inches: m³ = l(in) × w(in) × h(in) × 0.0000164
💡 Calculating CBM for one or more items is straightforward using the above formulas.
Example CBM calculation
Let's say you need to calculate the CBM for one unit of a box that measures 200cm × 50cm × 50cm. Your calculation would look something like this:
Step 1: 200 × 200 × 50 = 2,000,000 cm³
Step 2: 2,000,000 ÷ 1,000,000 = 2 m³
How to calculate volumetric weight
When sending a parcel by courier, it's possible that a courier may impose a fee based on the "volumetric weight" rather than the actual weight of the parcel. This is because space is limited, and light, bulky items take up space that could be used more efficiently. To calculate volumetric weight:
For example, if your parcel measures 100cm × 50cm × 40cm = 200,000 cm³, then the volumetric calculation would be:
100 × 50 × 40 ÷ 200,000 ÷ 5000 = 33.33 kg (volumetric weight)
If this volumetric weight exceeds the actual weight of the item, the courier may charge accordingly. This means that even a light package can be expensive to send if it takes up a lot of space.
Calculations for shipping containers
If you're looking to work with units on a larger scale, for instance, for shipping containers, you will need to know the internal dimensions of the container. The most common standard shipping containers for shipping are labeled 20ft, 40ft, and 40ft High Cube sizes of 33.1, 67.6 and 76.3 cubic meters respectively.
How many cubic meters does a 40 foot container measure?
A standard 40-foot container has an internal cubic capacity of around 67 cubic meters (2,389 cubic feet). Typically, you can fit around 54-58 cubic meters of goods inside, depending on the size and shape of items.
Below, approximate sizes are in cubic feet and cubic meters. Note that these are approximate and may vary by a few percentage points depending on container specification:
| Container | Internal Length | Internal Width | Internal Height | Capacity (m³) | Capacity (ft³) |
|---|
| 20ft Standard | 5.9m | 2.35m | 2.39m | 33.1 | 1,169 |
| 40ft Standard | 12.03m | 2.35m | 2.39m | 67.6 | 2,389 |
| 40ft High Cube | 12.03m | 2.35m | 2.69m | 76.3 | 2,694 |
If you use a 40-foot container, you can typically fit approximately 22 standard euro pallets (120cm × 80cm). A 20-foot container can hold approximately 10 pallets. These figures assume optimal loading, but in practice the actual number may vary depending on the height of your goods.
How many cubic meters does a 20 foot container measure?
A standard 20-foot container has an internal cubic capacity of around 33 cubic meters (1,169 cubic feet). Typically, you can fit around 25-28 cubic meters of goods inside, depending on the size and shape of items.
More cubic meter conversions
For your further needs in converting between cubic value types, here's what you need to know:
| If converting... | Multiply by | Or divide by |
|---|
| m³ to ft³ | 35.3147 | — |
| ft³ to m³ | 0.0283168 | — |
| m³ to liters | 1,000 | — |
| m³ to gallons (US) | 264.172 | — |
| m³ to yd³ | 1.30795 | — |
If you find yourself doing this kind of thing more often, it will also help you to visit our cubic feet calculator, cubic yards calculator, and our unit conversions section, which contains a huge array of different conversion tools.
Calculator created by Alastair Hazell.
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