How to distinguish between Actual Weight, Volumetric Weight and Billable Weight in international logistics transportation?

In the process of international logistics transportation, the cargo inquiry and booking process involves several key weight concepts: Actual Weight (A-W or AW), Volumetric Weight and Chargeable Weight (C.W.). They are important in determining freight rates. In this article,perkhidmatan penghantaran we will analyze in detail the difference between these three and their specific applications in cost calculation.

1. Chargeable Weight

Actual Weight, i.e. real weight, refers to the weight of goods measured directly by weighing equipment. It includes two concepts:

Gross Weight (G.W.)**: the weight of the goods itself plus the weight of its packing materials;

Net Weight (N.W.)**: the weight of the goods alone, excluding packaging.

Generally, references to actual weight refer to gross weight.

2.Volumetric Weight

Volumetric weight is a weight indicator calculated by a specific coefficient according to the dimensions of the goods to reflect the amount of space occupied by the goods.logistics news today The formula is as follows:

- For regular items: length (cm) x width (cm) x height (cm) ÷ 5000 = weight (KG)

- For irregular goods: longest (cm) × widest (cm) × highest (cm) ÷ 5000 = weight (KG)

For example, if the package size of the goods is 30cm × 20cm × 20cm, the volumetric weight is 30 × 20 × 20 ÷ 5000 = 2.4kg.

The purpose of calculating the volumetric weight is to compare it with the actual weight to determine which weight will result in a higher freight cost. If the volumetric weight is greater than the actual weight, the charge will be based on the volumetric weight (known as light blister cargo); otherwise, the charge will be based on the actual weight (known as heavy cargo).

3. Billable Weight

Chargeable weight is the weight that is ultimately used to calculate the freight charge, and it may be the greater of the actual weight or the volumetric weight.ship cost In other words, the chargeable weight depends on whether the shipment is heavy or light. Which weight is used depends on the type of merchandise and the type of charge.

4. Other relevant points

CBM: Cubic meter (Cubic Meter), used to express the volume of a shipment. It can be converted by multiplying by centimeters (CM) or directly using meters (M).

International express companies such as DHL, UPS, FEDEX usually use L x W x H ÷ 5000 to calculate the volume weight, while domestic express generally use L x W x H ÷ 6000.

Marine transportation is simpler than air transportation for the classification of cargo weight. China's maritime LCL business is usually 1 cubic meter is equal to 1 ton as a differentiation standard. LCL in sea transportation is mainly billed by volume, which is different from air transportation billed by weight. Therefore, most of the sea transportation is light bubble cargo.

Stowage Factor: Cargoes with a stowage factor less than the vessel's capacity factor are considered heavy cargoes; conversely, they are light/bubble cargoes.

Freight calculation perspective: Cargo with a stowage factor of less than 1.1328 m3/ton or 40 cfm/ton is considered heavy; greater than that is light/foamy cargo.

The classification of the weight of cargo by air is more complicated, and is usually based on the following ratios: less than 1:300 for heavy cargo; more than 1:300 to 1:1,000, the lighter the cargo, the more preferential rates, because heavy cargo occupies less space, which is conducive to making full use of the limited space on the aircraft. Ideally, there should be a "reasonable mix of light and heavy cargo" to maximize the use of space and load.

To summarize, understanding the concepts of real weight, volumetric weight and billable weight and their interrelationships is crucial to the reasonable calculation of international logistics costs. With this knowledge, merchants can more accurately estimate transportation costs and make the best freight decisions.