What is CBM and why does everyone quote in it?
CBM is cubic metres — length × width × height (in metres) × quantity. Sea freight sells space before weight for most goods, so CBM is the currency of the quote: LCL rates are priced per CBM, and container choice is a CBM question first. Know your CBM before any freight conversation and you'll be quoted like a professional.
Should I ship LCL or book a full container (FCL)?
The working rule: below roughly 13–15 CBM, sharing a container (LCL) usually costs less; above that, a full 20ft often wins — and it comes with your own sealed box, faster clearing and no co-loaders' delays. Between 13 and 20 CBM is the judgement zone where the quote decides. The calculator's advice line applies this rule to your numbers; the desk confirms it with real rates.
Why "practical" capacity instead of the full container volume?
Because air is undefeated: cartons never tile a container perfectly, pallets eat volume, and doors need clearance. Planning at ~85% of gross volume is how professionals avoid the classic disaster — 40 cartons on the quay that "should have fit." If your cartons are highly uniform, real utilisation can beat 85%; the desk's load plan will tell you.
My cargo is heavy — bags, tiles, liquids. Does the volume maths still apply?
Weight takes over: a 20ft container maxes out around 28 tonnes long before its volume fills with dense cargo. The calculator checks both limits and shows whichever bites first — if "max cartons" looks smaller than the volume suggests, weight is your constraint, and that's exactly what the desk needs to know for the right equipment and trucking.
