Freight Quote Worksheet: CBM, Unit Conversion, ETD and Currency

A freight calculator is useful only when its units and service boundaries are clear. The same cargo can appear to have different prices when one quote excludes destination charges or uses a different chargeable basis. Use this worksheet to prepare a sea freight or container shipping enquiry. It is a planning aid, not a live carrier quotation or customs calculator.

Convert dimensions before calculating CBM

For a rectangular package, cubic metres (CBM) = length in metres × width in metres × height in metres. Convert centimetres to metres by dividing by 100. Add the volume of every package, including its outer packaging. One cubic metre equals 1,000 litres; 1,000 kilograms equals one metric tonne. Volume and weight are different measurements.

Example: ten identical cartons measuring 50 × 40 × 30 cm occupy 10 × 0.50 × 0.40 × 0.30 = 0.60 CBM. If each weighs 12 kg, the total gross weight is 120 kg. These are illustrative dimensions, not a freight rate. Ask the provider which weight/measure rules and minimums apply.

ETD full form in shipping

ETD usually means estimated time of departure in a shipping schedule. ETA means estimated time of arrival. Both are forecasts; actual departure and actual arrival are separate events. State the port and timezone, because an unexplained date can refer to different stages.

A shipping notice might be an advance shipment notice, a dispatch notification or an arrival notice. Read the document title and issuer. Confirm what action it requests, whether documents or charges remain outstanding and whether the goods are actually available. Verify unexpected payment instructions independently.

Sea distance is not a delivery time

A sea distance calculator estimates a route distance, often in nautical miles. One nautical mile equals 1.852 kilometres. Dividing distance by assumed speed produces only a simplified sailing calculation; it excludes port calls, routing changes, waiting, transfers and land delivery.

For illustration, 1,200 nautical miles at a constant 12 knots equals 100 sailing hours. It is not a promise that cargo will arrive in just over four days. Obtain the booked service schedule and allow for all other stages before making a business commitment.

Currency conversion versus a payable quote

“Convertitore di valuta” means currency converter. A conversion tool can help compare numbers, but the market rate shown is not necessarily the rate available for a supplier or freight payment. Bank charges, spreads, settlement dates and invoice terms can change the amount.

Record the original currency and conversion assumption alongside each figure. Do not mix a tax estimate from one date with freight converted at another rate without noting it. Ask the contracting party how long the quote is valid and whether any component can change before shipment.

Get a complete freight shipping quote

Send Wigmore the completed cargo details and explain whether you need procurement, consolidation, packing, export coordination, freight, clearance support or delivery. Ask for inclusions, exclusions, responsibility boundaries and current route acceptance. An itemised proposal is more useful than an anonymous price generated from incomplete information.