Shipping & Logistics
Chargeable Weight
Also known as: Volumetric Weight, Dimensional Weight
Chargeable weight is the figure carriers use to price a shipment when bulky but light cargo would otherwise be undercharged if billed on actual weight alone. Carriers calculate a volumetric or dimensional weight from the package's dimensions using a standard conversion factor, then bill on whichever is greater — the actual gross weight or the volumetric weight. This ensures that space-consuming shipments pay their fair share of a vehicle's limited capacity, and it is why exporters optimize packaging and palletization to minimize wasted space and control freight cost, especially in air freight where density economics are most acute.
Air freight charges the greater of actual and volumetric weight, which is why light bulky cargo costs what it does. Calculate it before committing to air — and note that customs value has nothing to do with either figure.
Related terms
Reviewed by a licensed customs broker. Definitions are general information, not legal or customs advice for a particular shipment. Duty rates, tariff programs and agency requirements change frequently.