Volumetric weight calculator
Calculate volumetric weight in kilograms from centimetres using the 5000, 6000 or 4000 divisor. Compare DHL, FedEx, UPS, Indian couriers and air freight in one view.
DHL Express · divisor 5000
DHL is 1.2 kg cheaper than Australia Post — a 20% difference on the same parcel.
Same parcel, different answers. The divisor is a pricing policy, not a law of physics — which is why the cheapest carrier for a bulky box is often not the cheapest for a dense one.
Questions people ask about this
What is the volumetric weight formula?
Length times width times height in centimetres, divided by 5000, gives kilograms. A 40 by 30 by 20 cm box is 24,000 cubic centimetres, which is 4.8 kg volumetric — even if the contents weigh one kilo.
Why do some carriers use 6000 instead of 5000?
The divisor is a policy choice about how much a cubic metre is worth in weight terms. 5000 means 200 kg per cubic metre, 6000 means 167 kg. Air freight and many postal operators use 6000 because they are less space-constrained than a courier van. Australia Post uses 4000, which is harsher still at 250 kg per cubic metre.
Which divisor do Indian couriers use?
Delhivery, Blue Dart, DTDC, Xpressbees and Ekart all use 5000 with centimetres, billed in half-kilogram slabs. That means a parcel calculating at 2.1 kg is billed at 2.5 kg.
Is volumetric weight the same as dimensional weight?
They are the same calculation under two names. "Volumetric" is the common term outside the United States and usually implies centimetres and kilograms; "dimensional" is American usage and usually implies inches and pounds. The divisors differ because the units differ, not because the concept does.
Related calculators
Where these numbers come from
Rates and rules change, and a calculator running on stale data is worse than no calculator. Every figure below carries the date we last checked it and a confidence level, so you can judge how much weight to put on it.
| Source | Publisher | Effective | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensional weight divisors by carrier FedEx and UPS daily rates use 139 for inches and pounds, 5000 for centimetres and kilograms. UPS retail counter rates use 166. DHL Express uses 5000. Compiled from carrier documentation and multiple independent operators; FedEx blocked our automated read on 2026-08-17. | ShipMargin (compiled) | — | Corroborated |
| Volumetric weight formula for Indian couriers Indian domestic couriers bill L × W × H in centimetres divided by 5000. | Shiprocket | — | Primary source |
| IATA volumetric ratio for air cargo (1:6000) 6000 cubic centimetres per kilogram, equivalently 167 kg per cubic metre. This is why an air-freight quote and a courier quote on the same box differ: couriers use 5000, giving 200 kg per cubic metre. | Air cargo standard practice | — | Corroborated |
Page last reviewed . Spotted something out of date? Tell us — corrections are published with the date they were made.