Calculate Cubic Feet (CFT) and Cubic Meters (CBM) instantly with our free online calculator. Perfect for shipping, logistics, and freight calculations.
When it comes to shipping, cargo logistics, and warehousing, calculating the exact volume of your cargo is essential. Shipping carriers determine pricing, container space availability, and dimensional freight rates using two primary volume metrics: Cubic Feet (CFT) and Cubic Meters (CBM).
Whether you are calculating freight volumes for an international commercial cargo container or figuring out the volume of packages for local e-commerce distribution, the CFTCalculator.org tool gives you instant, highly accurate conversions. Understanding volume calculations helps businesses prevent shipping rate surprises, choose the right shipping method (Less than Container Load vs Full Container Load), and optimize material handling storage space.
Follow these quick step-by-step instructions to calculate volume in cubic feet or cubic meters in seconds.
Type in the length of the package or cargo item in the Length input box.
Type in the width of the package or cargo item in the Width input box.
Type in the height of the package or cargo item in the Height input box.
Select the unit of measurement (Inches, Feet, Yards, Centimeters, or Meters).
If using the Advanced tab, enter the number of cargo items to find the total volume.
The calculator automatically processes and displays the volume. Copy or share it!
Suppose you have a shipping carton with the dimensions 24 inches × 18 inches × 18 inches, and you need to calculate the Cubic Feet (CFT) for 5 items.
Calculating the volume of three-dimensional rectangular boxes is mathematically straightforward, but converting between various imperial and metric units requires care. Here are the primary formulas used by our calculator.
If dimensions are measured in inches: CFT = (Length × Width × Height) / 1,728
If dimensions are measured in centimeters: CBM = (Length × Width × Height) / 1,000,000
To convert from one unit to another, logistics providers and shipping experts rely on the following mathematical conversion factors:
| Conversion Type | Formula / Multiplier | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cubic Meters (CBM) to Cubic Feet (CFT) | Multiply CBM by 35.3147 | 1.5 CBM × 35.3147 = 52.972 CFT |
| Cubic Feet (CFT) to Cubic Meters (CBM) | Divide CFT by 35.3147 (or multiply by 0.028317) | 50 CFT × 0.028317 = 1.4158 CBM |
| Inches to Feet | Divide inches by 12 | 36 inches / 12 = 3 feet |
| Meters to Feet | Multiply meters by 3.28084 | 2 meters × 3.28084 = 6.561 feet |
| Cubic Feet to Cubic Yards | Divide CFT by 27 | 81 CFT / 27 = 3 cubic yards |
Volume calculations play a key role in various industries. Here is how CFT and CBM measurements are used daily.
Freight forwarders use CBM to calculate shipping fees for LCL cargo shipments. Ocean freight carriers charge rates based on total CBM when shipping internationally.
Truck loaders plan the volume of trucks using CFT to maximize loading efficiency and prevent overloading vehicles, ensuring safe transport routes.
Warehouse managers calculate CFT to allocate shelf and floor spaces. Storage facilities charge pricing packages based on total volume occupied.
Furniture makers calculate CFT when boxing large furniture shipments. Accurate volume helps calculate structural space in courier container boxes.
Contractors compute CFT to measure raw materials like concrete, sand, gravel, and timber. Timber measurements are traditionally calculated in CFT.
Sellers on Amazon and Shopify use carton CBM measurements to estimate third-party storage fees (like FBA fees) and optimize multi-pack shipments.
Find answers to the most common questions regarding CFT, CBM, and logistics volume calculations.
CFT stands for Cubic Feet. It is an imperial unit of volume measurement, calculated by multiplying length, width, and height in feet. It is commonly used in shipping, storage, and the timber trade.
CBM stands for Cubic Meter. It is the metric unit of volume measurement used globally in international shipping and freight logistics to describe the space occupied by cargo packages.
To calculate CFT, multiply the length, width, and height of an object in feet. If measuring in inches, multiply the dimensions in inches and divide the result by 1,728 (Length × Width × Height / 1728).
The CBM formula is: Length (meters) × Width (meters) × Height (meters). If measuring in centimeters, multiply the dimensions and divide by 1,000,000.
There are approximately 35.3147 cubic feet (CFT) in 1 cubic meter (CBM).
CBM is crucial because ocean freight shipping carriers use it to determine the volume of cargo. This volume directly affects the cost of shipping, especially for Less than Container Load (LCL) shipments.
Freight volume is calculated by measuring the maximum length, width, and height of the package, multiplying these dimensions, and converting the result into CFT or CBM depending on the shipping mode.
The primary difference is the system of measurement. CFT is an imperial unit (cubic feet) used mostly in the US, UK, and India, while CBM is a metric unit (cubic meters) used globally in international trade.
Logistics companies use CBM to calculate the volumetric weight of a shipment, determine shipping charges, plan how to pack cargo into containers, and optimize shipping route spaces.
To convert inches to CFT, multiply Length (in) × Width (in) × Height (in) and divide the final sum by 1728. For example, a box measuring 12x12x12 inches equals 1 CFT (1728 / 1728 = 1).
Multiply Length (cm) × Width (cm) × Height (cm) and divide the result by 1,000,000 to get the volume in Cubic Meters (CBM).
To convert CFT to CBM, divide the CFT value by 35.3147, or multiply the CFT value by 0.028317.
For a standard rectangular box, measure its length, width, and height in feet, and multiply them. If the measurements are in other units, convert them to feet first before multiplying.
To calculate the CFT of a cylindrical object, use the cylinder volume formula: π × r² × h (where r is the radius in feet and h is the height in feet). Alternatively, compute it in inches and divide by 1728.
The most common dimensional units are inches, feet, centimeters, and meters. The calculated volume units are cubic inches, cubic feet, cubic centimeters, and cubic meters.
Dimensional (or volumetric) weight is a pricing technique that uses volume (CFT/CBM) multiplied by a shipment factor to compare volume to actual weight. Carriers charge based on whichever is greater.
Ocean LCL (Less than Container Load) rates are priced per CBM or CFT. Knowing your exact CFT ensures you pay accurate freight costs and can secure appropriate space on container vessels.
First, calculate CBM by multiplying the dimensions in meters. Then, multiply the total CBM by 35.3147 to convert the final volume to CFT.
Multiply the dimensions in yards to get cubic yards, and then multiply by 27 to obtain the volume in cubic feet (CFT) since one cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet.
Air freight charges depend heavily on volumetric weight. The volume in CBM is converted using a standard air factor (usually 1 CBM = 167 kg dimensional weight) to determine shipping charges.
A standard 20-foot shipping container holds about 33 CBM (approx. 1,179 CFT), while a standard 40-foot shipping container holds about 67 CBM (approx. 2,377 CFT).
Calculate the CFT for a single package using its dimensions, then multiply that result by the total quantity of identical packages (or use the Advanced Tab of our calculator).
Yes. While liquids are typically measured in gallons or liters, CFT is often used to calculate the physical space required by liquid storage tanks, drums, and industrial IBC totes.
Quantity acts as a direct multiplier. The total volume is simply the volume of one item multiplied by the quantity. Our advanced calculators support this multiplier seamlessly.
Yes. In many regions, raw construction materials like sand, timber, concrete, and bricks are priced and ordered by the cubic foot (CFT).
Free online tools like CFTCalculator.org automate these calculations, eliminating errors and saving time compared to manual mathematical conversions.
Net weight is the cargo weight without packaging. Gross weight is the cargo weight with packaging. Volume is the physical space the packaged cargo occupies in CFT or CBM.
If dimensions are in columns A, B, and C in inches, use `= (A2 * B2 * C2) / 1728`. If dimensions are in feet, use `= A2 * B2 * C2`.
Couriers compare actual gross weight with dimensional weight (volume divided by a factor, e.g., 5000 for cm/kg). They charge according to whichever value is higher.
Yes, CFTCalculator.org offers a completely free, fast, and mobile-friendly calculator for calculating both CFT and CBM with advanced options for quantity adjustments.