What is a pallet space?

The footprint of a standard EUR pallet, 120×80 cm, with cargo of standard height — a common unit between shippers, warehouses and carriers.

Cargo volume calculator: CBM, pallet spaces and LDM online

Q: How do I calculate CBM manually?

Multiply length, width and height of a box in metres, multiply by quantity and sum across all sizes. A 60×40×40 cm box is 0.096 m³.

Add boxes and packages of different sizes — the calculator sums them into total volume in cubic metres (CBM), converts it to pallet spaces and loading metres (LDM), and shows how much of a truck or sea container your cargo takes. Free, no sign-up.

All dimensions are in centimetres, results in m³. Nothing is sent anywhere: the calculation runs entirely in your browser.

Got the volume — get a freight quote. The BTRANS team will price LCL or container shipping for your dimensions and route.

Get a quote at BTRANS

How to use the calculator

Add every cargo position as a separate line: length, width, height in centimetres and the number of identical pieces. Boxes can be of any different sizes — the calculator adds them up. For non-rectangular items (pipes, drums, bags) enter the dimensions of the bounding box: carriers rate cargo by its outermost points.

What it calculates

Volume in cubic metres (CBM)

The base formula is length × width × height per box, multiplied by quantity and summed across all positions. CBM is the key figure for LCL freight: it drives both the rate and the space your cargo takes.

Pallet spaces

A pallet space is the footprint of a standard EUR pallet (120×80 cm) with cargo. It is the common language between you, the warehouse and the carrier.

Loading metres (LDM)

One LDM equals one metre of trailer length across its full width and height. LDM is used for cargo that cannot be stacked. Most online calculators skip LDM — this one does not.

Truck and container fill

The calculator instantly shows what share of a standard mega trailer (~86–92 m³) and of 20'/40' sea containers your cargo occupies — handy to decide between LCL and a dedicated unit.

Reference dimensions

Unit	Internal dimensions	Capacity
EUR pallet	120 × 80 cm	~1.5–2 m³ with cargo up to 180 cm
Mega trailer	13.6 × 2.45 × 2.7 m	~86–92 m³ · 33 pallets · 13.6 LDM
20' container	5.9 × 2.35 × 2.39 m	~33 m³ · 11 pallets
40' container	12.03 × 2.35 × 2.39 m	~67 m³ · 25 pallets
40' HC container	12.03 × 2.35 × 2.69 m	~76 m³ · 25 pallets

FAQ

How do I calculate CBM manually?

Multiply length × width × height of one box in metres to get its volume in cubic metres. A 60×40×40 cm box is 0.6 × 0.4 × 0.4 = 0.096 m³. Multiply by quantity and sum across sizes — the calculator above does exactly that.

What is LDM (loading metre)?

One metre of trailer length across its full width and height. Non-stackable cargo is rated in LDM because it consumes the entire cross-section. 1 LDM ≈ 2 pallet spaces ≈ 6–7 m³.

Does the calculator handle weight?

Chargeable (volumetric) weight differs by carrier and mode. For air freight use our volumetric weight calculator; for exact pricing pass your CBM to BTRANS.

Is my cargo data sent anywhere?

No. The widget is a script that runs entirely in your browser — dimensions and results are not transmitted or stored.

Embed this calculator on your site

The widget is free to embed on any logistics blog, warehouse or store page. Copy two lines:

<div id="acm-cargo-calc"
     data-brand="CoolVolume"
     data-brand-url="https://coolvolume.com/en/"></div>
<script src="https://coolvolume.com/widgets/cargo-calc.en.js" defer></script>

Responsive, theme configurable via data-theme. The only condition — keep the source link.