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China → Australia / Commercial freight

Know what you're moving. Then choose how.

A practical desk for packed-weight calculations, mode trade-offs and customs preparation. Bring clearer questions to every freight quote.

Calculate chargeable weight Compare freight modes
Measurement card / Air example01—04
OriginChina
DestinationAustralia
Dimensions120 × 80 × 50 cm
Volume0.48 CBM
Air volume weight80 kg

Worked example only: 480,000 cm³ ÷ 6,000. The carrier contract may use another divisor.

Source-labelled assumptionsNo invented freight ratesFor B2B shipping decisions

The starting number

Get the weight a carrier may bill against.

Actual mass is only half the story. Compare it with volume-based mass using the divisor for your service, then ask the carrier how it rounds.

01 / Measurement desk

Enter one packed handling unit

Use gross weight including packaging. For multiple cartons, calculate each piece under the carrier's own rounding rules.

Air freight example: 6,000 cm³/kg (DHL Global Forwarding AU). Your carrier may use another divisor.

Arithmetic illustration only; this cannot price weight-rated air or courier services.

Calculation result

Your chargeable weight

— kg

Enter your packed measurements to see the calculation.

Dimensional weight
—
Actual weight
—
Volume
—
Volumetric uplift
—

Formula: length × width × height (cm) ÷ divisor = dimensional kg. Compare it with packed actual kg and use the larger number for this planning exercise.

Different contracts use different divisors, minimum charges and rounding. This tool does not return a carrier quote.

A shipment in three decisions

From carton to landed delivery.

Commercial freight involves more than the ocean or air leg. These are the decisions that change a quote.

01 / Measure

Establish the billed unit

Record packed dimensions, gross mass and the carrier's density ratio before comparing rates.

 02 / Route

Shortlist the mode

Trade timing, hand-offs and cargo size against the full scope of an actual quote.

 03 / Clear

Prepare the documents

Check classification, invoice details, cargo documents and biosecurity conditions early.

Field guides

The terms behind the quote.

Short, sourced explanations for the decisions a commercial shipper makes before booking.

Chargeable weight vs volumeWhy a bulky shipment can bill above its mass. Incoterms 2020 in the purchase orderDelivery point, cost and risk questions to settle. Australian import documentsWhat to gather before clearance. Freight terms, plainlyBooking, export declaration, clearance and final delivery.
Browse all field guides

Next decision

A better quote starts with better inputs.

Use the mode guide to ask for the complete door-to-door scope, including clearance, destination charges and a written timing commitment.

Build a mode shortlist