Volumetric weight calculator.

What is volumetric weight?

Volumetric weight (also called dimensional weight or DIM weight) is a pricing technique carriers use for lightweight, low-density packages. Without it, a large box of pillows would ship for the same cost as a small box of bricks — even though the pillows take up far more space on the plane or truck.

The formula divides the package volume by a carrier-specific divisor:

volumetric weight = (L × W × H) / divisor

Carriers charge whichever is greater: actual weight or volumetric weight.

Sources & standards

The 1:6000 divisor below is the IATA standard for international air freight. Express couriers often use a different divisor (commonly 5000) for domestic and express services — check the specific carrier's own rate documentation, linked on their page, before relying on a single divisor for cost estimates.

• IATA — Air Cargo Tariffs and Rules (official industry body; source of the 1:6000 divisor standard for international air freight) — verified 2026-08-03 source
• Individual courier dimensional-weight divisors — Express couriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) commonly use a 5000 divisor for domestic/express shipments rather than IATA's 6000 air-freight standard — see each carrier's own page for its current divisor.