CBM Calculator
Enter length × width × height in any unit to get the cubic meters (CBM) and cubic feet of a single carton or your whole shipment.
How the CBM calculator works
CBM is short for cubic meter, the volume of a box expressed in m³. The formula is simply length times width times height, with every dimension in meters:
CBM = L (m) × W (m) × H (m)
If you enter centimeters, inches or feet, the calculator converts each side to meters first, then multiplies. For a quantity of identical cartons it multiplies the single-carton CBM by the count. The result is also shown in cubic feet using the exact factor 1 CBM = 35.3147 ft³.
Worked example (page defaults)
Take the default carton of 100 × 80 × 60 cm. Convert each side to meters:
- 100 cm = 1.0 m
- 80 cm = 0.8 m
- 60 cm = 0.6 m
Multiply: 1.0 × 0.8 × 0.6 = 0.48 CBM per carton. In cubic feet that is 0.48 × 35.3147 = 16.95 ft³. Ship 20 of these cartons and the total is 20 × 0.48 = 9.6 CBM (339 ft³).
A fast mental shortcut when you are already in centimeters: multiply the three sides and divide by 1,000,000, since there are 1,000,000 cm³ in one cubic meter. Here, 100 × 80 × 60 = 480,000 cm³ ÷ 1,000,000 = 0.48 CBM, the same answer.
Unit-to-meter conversion table
| Enter in | Multiply each side by | Then |
|---|---|---|
| meters (m) | 1 | L × W × H |
| centimeters (cm) | ÷ 100 | L × W × H |
| millimeters (mm) | ÷ 1000 | L × W × H |
| inches (in) | × 0.0254 | L × W × H |
| feet (ft) | × 0.3048 | L × W × H |
What CBM is used for
CBM is the volume figure that sits underneath sea LCL, road and air freight planning. It tells you how much space a consignment occupies, which is why it pairs naturally with a container load calculator when you need to know how many cartons or pallets fit into a 20ft or 40ft box. CBM measures the carton's own cube only, it does not account for stacking gaps, pallet overhang, or void space inside the container, so the real space used is always a little higher than the raw CBM sum.
If your cartons are not all the same size, switch to the CBM calculator for multiple boxes to total a mixed load, or read what is CBM for the background and more examples. To get just the raw cube of one box in m³, ft³ and litres, use the box volume calculator.
CBM is pure geometry: it never changes with carrier or season, which makes it the most stable number in any shipping plan.