Volumetric Weight: What You Actually Pay For
Why a six-kilo carton can cost you like sixteen — and how to control it.
International freight is not charged on the weight of your goods. It is charged on the greater of two numbers: actual weight and volumetric weight.
For most products that distinction barely matters. For toys it matters more than anything else. A plush toy weighs two hundred grams and occupies the volume of a brick. A playset in a large blister weighs half a kilo and takes up space you’ll pay three kilos for.
Below is the formula every carrier in the world uses, and the practice: how to know in advance whether your shipment bills on actual or volumetric weight, and what to do about it.
The formula
Volumetric weight = length × width × height (cm) ÷ 6000
The result is in kilograms. The 6000 divisor is used by air carriers and most consolidated freight; some express couriers use 5000, which makes volumetric weight larger still. Sea LCL is charged per cubic metre under a “weight or measure, whichever is greater” rule.
The carrier bills the greater of the two numbers. That isn’t greed, it’s physics: a truck, a container or an aircraft holds a fixed volume, and that space costs money regardless of what you put in it.
A worked example on real carton dimensions
A carton of plush toys, 60 × 40 × 40 cm.
Volume: 60 × 40 × 40 = 96,000 cm³ = 0.096 m³
Volumetric weight: 96,000 ÷ 6000 = 16 kg
Actual weight: about 6 kg
You pay for 16. Almost a threefold difference — and it only fails to arrive as a nasty surprise if you calculated it beforehand.
The same carton filled with building blocks: actual weight 22 kg, volumetric still 16. You pay for 22 — actual weight wins, and that is ideal freight density.
One rule that tells you in advance
Divide the carton’s weight by its volume in cubic metres. That gives you density in kilograms per cubic metre.
Above 167 kg/m³ — you’re billed on actual weight.
Below 167 — you’re billed on volume, i.e. you’re shipping air.
The number 167 isn’t ours; it is simply 1000 ÷ 6, the other side of the 6000 divisor.
How that maps onto our categories:
| Usually bills on actual weight | Usually bills on volume |
|---|---|
| building sets and blocks | plush and soft toys |
| die-cast cars and vehicles | balloons |
| board games and puzzles | playsets in large blisters |
| watches, keychains, jewellery | play structures and ride-ons |
| fidget and small-motor toys | inflatable beach goods |
A guide, not a law — any individual item can have any dimensions. Exact weight and volume for every position are on the product page, and the cart calculates from those, not from our generalisations.
Three ways to control it
One: mix dense goods with light ones. This is the big one, and almost nobody uses it. Ship only plush and you are paying for volume. Add building sets, die-cast cars or board games to the same consignment and they fill the weight you have already paid for through volume — arriving almost free. In practice a balanced consignment costs a quarter to a third less per unit than a shipment of a single light-weight category.
Two: don’t repack. A factory carton is designed around a specific stacking pattern with almost no dead space. Any “let’s make it neater” repacking adds air, and you pay to ship air. This is one reason we never open factory cartons — not only for shelf appearance, but for your freight bill.
Three: calculate before you order, not after. Every product page lists carton dimensions and weight. The cart totals them across the shipment and shows the final delivered cost before you pay. There is exactly one way to get this wrong: not looking.
How this connects to the 100 kg rule
The two rules work together, and together they shape your landed cost more than the price of the goods does.
The 100 kg minimum is measured the same way — on the greater of actual and volumetric. So a plush consignment with an actual weight of forty kilos may already “weigh” a hundred to the carrier, in which case the minimum costs you nothing. Meanwhile a hundred kilos of building sets occupies half a cubic metre and fits comfortably inside the rate.
One practical conclusion: build your shipment weight with volume in mind, not just mass. Calculate both numbers, work from the larger one, and top up to 100 kg against that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is shipping more than I calculated from the weight?
Because the carrier bills the greater of actual and volumetric weight. For toys it’s usually the volumetric figure.
How do I calculate volumetric weight?
Length × width × height in centimetres, divided by 6000. The result is in kilograms.
Where does 6000 come from?
It’s the industry divisor for air and consolidated freight. Some express couriers use 5000, which produces an even higher volumetric weight.
Which toys are worst for freight economics?
Plush, balloons, inflatables and anything in large blisters. That doesn’t mean don’t ship them — it means ship them alongside dense goods.
Can I reduce volume by repacking?
Usually not, and often the opposite. Factory stacking is denser than anything done by hand. That’s part of why we don’t open cartons.
Where do I find dimensions for a specific item?
On the product page. The cart totals weight and volume across the shipment and shows the delivered cost before you pay.