The Ultimate Guide for How to Calculate CBM?

CBM, or Cubic Meter, is a unit of measurement used to calculate the volume of cargo in packaging and shipping for determining storage and freight costs.

When you purchase packaging from Letai Packaging, we do our best to pack items flat whenever possible and organize them into shipping cartons. The final shipping cost is calculated based on the total CBM

If your measurements are in meters (m):

• Measure the length, width, and height of the package in meters.
• Multiply these three numbers together:
  CBM = length × width × height
• The result is the volume of the package in cubic meters.

Example:
If a box is 0.5 meters long, 0.4 meters wide, and 0.3 meters high:
CBM = 0.5 × 0.4 × 0.3 = 0.06 CBM

How to Calculate cbm with cm

If your measurements are in centimeters (cm):

• Measure the length, width, and height of the package in centimeters.
• Multiply these three numbers together to get the volume in cubic centimeters (cm³).
• Divide the result by 1,000,000 (since 1 cubic meter = 1,000,000 cubic centimeters):
  CBM = (length × width × height) / 1,000,000

Example:
If a box is 50 cm long, 40 cm wide, and 30 cm high:
CBM = (50 × 40 × 30) / 1,000,000 = 60,000 / 1,000,000 = 0.06 CBM

For multiple packages:

If you have different types of boxes, just calculate the CBM for each box and then add them all together to get the total CBM.

Steps:

1. Calculate the CBM for each box (using meters or centimeters as explained above).
2. Add up the CBM of all the boxes.

Example:

• Box A: 0.5m × 0.4m × 0.3m = 0.06 CBM
• Box B: 0.6m × 0.5m × 0.2m = 0.06 CBM
• Box C: 60cm × 40cm × 30cm = (60×40×30)/1,000,000 = 0.072 CBM

Total CBM = 0.06 + 0.06 + 0.072 = 0.192 CBM

Just add up the CBM of each box to get the total. It’s very simple! For how to measure the box dimensions, click here. You will get details and learn more about the relationship between CBM to delivering cost.

You just need to enter all your measurements in the same unit, and you can calculate CBM—even if you need to convert from inches to centimeters.

Also, for How to Measure and Read Box Dimensions Clearly, you can click here for details.