Last reviewed: August 2026. Built by a UK freight forwarding professional with 32 years of international logistics experience.
Five free calculators designed for UK importers, exporters, and logistics teams. Each shows the underlying logic behind the freight or landed-cost result, so you can spot supplier-quote surprises and mode-choice decisions before they hit the invoice.
How to use these tools: the calculators are teaching tools, not carrier tariffs. They're most useful
before asking for quotes — they help you spot whether a shipment is dense or bulky, VAT-heavy, duty-sensitive, or close to the FCL/LCL crossover point. Always confirm the result against an actual carrier quote or customs declaration.
The five calculators
CBM Calculator (Sea Freight Volume)
Sea freight · Volume · LCL / FCL
Convert carton, pallet or crate dimensions (in cm or metres) into cubic metres — the fundamental unit of sea freight volume. Multi-carton and multi-piece support. Uses the standard formula L × W × H in metres, or L × W × H in cm divided by 1,000,000.
When to use it: before booking any sea freight shipment. LCL is charged per CBM (with a "weight or measure" rule); FCL is charged per container. Knowing your CBM tells you which lane makes sense and where you sit versus the standard container capacities (33 CBM for 20ft, 76 CBM for 40ft HC).
Open CBM Calculator →
Chargeable Weight Calculator (Air / Courier / Express)
Airfreight · Courier · Rating
Calculate the chargeable weight for airfreight, international courier (DHL/UPS/FedEx), and domestic express services. Supports all three standard divisors: IATA airfreight (6,000), international courier (5,000), and some domestic express (4,000).
When to use it: whenever you're getting airfreight or courier quotes and want to know whether your cargo will be rated on actual weight or volumetric (dim) weight — this determines whether you have a "weight cargo" or "volume cargo" problem, which is the key mode-choice decision.
Open Chargeable Weight Calculator →
Freight Density Calculator (kg/m³)
All modes · Mode-choice guide
Calculate cargo density in kilograms per cubic metre, and get an automatic recommendation on which freight mode is likely cheapest. Includes break-even density points for airfreight (167 kg/m³), courier (200 kg/m³), and sea LCL (1,000 kg/m³).
When to use it: when comparing modes for a shipment. Very bulky cargo (under 100 kg/m³) is punished by air; dense cargo (over 500 kg/m³) is efficient by sea and reasonable by air. The density number is the single best predictor of the cheapest mode.
Open Freight Density Calculator →
UK Landed Cost Calculator
UK imports · Full landed cost · Includes duty + VAT + delivery
The full picture: goods value + international freight + insurance + UK customs duty + UK port charges + broker fee + UK delivery + import VAT (with PVA toggle). Shows both cash landed cost and the customs value that duty is calculated on.
When to use it: before setting selling prices on imported products. Most first-time importers underestimate landed cost by 20–35% because they use the supplier invoice as "cost" — the calculator forces you to see the full picture. Essential for margin planning.
Open Landed Cost Calculator →
UK Import VAT Calculator (with PVA comparison)
UK imports · VAT-focused · Cash flow analysis
Focused calculator for UK import VAT with side-by-side comparison of paying at the border vs Postponed VAT Accounting (PVA). Handles VAT-registered vs partially exempt vs non-registered scenarios. Shows the net cash impact for each.
When to use it: when planning cash flow for import operations, or when explaining PVA benefits to your finance team. For a UK VAT-registered importer of even modest volume, PVA can free up tens of thousands in working capital.
Open Import VAT Calculator →
Before you use any calculator
Freight calculations are only as good as the shipment data you enter. Two rules cover 90% of misestimates:
- Use packed dimensions, not product dimensions. The carrier rates on what they physically handle — that's the outer carton or pallet-plus-cargo footprint. Include bulges, strapping, void fill, and any pallet overhang. If you're shipping palletised, add pallet height (14–15 cm for a standard UK or Euro pallet).
- Separate cost components. For imports, keep goods value, international freight, insurance, duty, VAT, UK destination handling, and inland delivery as distinct line items. Not doing this hides the driver of the total cost and makes optimisation impossible.
The calculators deliberately show the logic behind each result. That transparency makes them useful when checking supplier quotes, comparing modes, or deciding whether to ask a forwarder for airfreight, courier, LCL, FCL or road groupage.
How to use these tools sensibly
- Measure after packing. Include bulges, strapping, and pallet overhang. Round each dimension up to the nearest cm (rounding down is what carriers charge you extra for later).
- Check your carrier's divisor. Different services use different volumetric divisors — IATA (6,000), courier (5,000), some express (4,000). The calculator supports all three.
- Don't treat example duty rates as live tariff advice. The example rates in the landed cost calculator are illustrative. Always check the current UK Trade Tariff for your specific commodity code and country of origin.
- For live customs entries, get the customs value right. Freight, insurance, buying commissions, royalties and "assists" can all affect the customs value in ways the calculator doesn't fully model. See the UK Import Duty guide for the detail.
- PVA is available to all UK VAT-registered importers. No approval needed. If your business isn't yet using it, the Import VAT Calculator shows the cash flow benefit at a glance.
Example workflow — importing a pallet of goods from China
For a typical UK SME import — say, a pallet of consumer goods from Shenzhen — the calculator sequence is:
- Start with the CBM Calculator. Enter your pallet dimensions to get total CBM. If under 12 CBM, you're firmly in LCL territory; over 15 CBM, you should be pricing FCL too.
- Use the Freight Density Calculator. Divide total weight by CBM. Below 100 kg/m³, you have bulky cargo that's punished by every mode; sea LCL is usually the least bad. Over 500 kg/m³, sea is very efficient.
- If time-critical, use the Chargeable Weight Calculator. Compare actual vs volumetric weight at the airfreight divisor (6,000) — if volumetric weight is 3× actual weight, air is going to be brutal.
- Estimate landed cost with the Landed Cost Calculator. Enter goods + freight + insurance + duty rate + destination charges. The result is what the goods actually cost you, not what the supplier invoice says.
- For repeated imports, check PVA with the Import VAT Calculator. If you're not yet using PVA, the working capital saving alone can be significant.
Who these calculators are for
- UK SME importers checking supplier quotes and planning landed cost for pricing decisions.
- Freight forwarder account managers teaching new colleagues how rate structures actually work.
- Procurement teams comparing suppliers on total landed cost rather than headline invoice price.
- Finance and accounts teams understanding the cash flow implications of import VAT and duty deferment.
- Sales teams at freight forwarders wanting to explain rate breaks, rating up, and mode-choice to prospects.
- Students and industry trainees learning the practical arithmetic behind textbook freight terminology.
What the calculators don't do
Being honest about the limits:
- They don't quote real freight. Only your forwarder or carrier can give you a live rate. The calculators help you understand whether a quote you receive is reasonable.
- They don't replace commodity code classification. Getting the right UK commodity code is a legal responsibility. See the UK Import Duty guide and use the official UK Trade Tariff tool.
- They don't handle anti-dumping duty, excise duty, or preferential rates. These are important cost components on specific goods (bicycles, ceramics, steel, alcohol, tobacco). Check with your customs broker.
- They don't provide legal or tax advice. Customs valuation, VAT recovery, and Incoterms have specific commercial and legal consequences that require professional input.
Related guides on this site
The calculators are companion tools to a broader UK freight reference:
- Sea Freight A–Z — Bill of Lading types, container types, surcharges, UK ports
- Airfreight A–Z — AWB, HAWB, MAWB, chargeable weight, dangerous goods
- UK Customs Terms — CDS, PVA, EORI, AEO, commodity codes
- Incoterms 2020 Guide — all 11 terms explained
- What a Freight Forwarder Does — when to use one, how they charge
- UK Import Duty & Commodity Codes — the classification story behind the duty number
- Postponed VAT Accounting (PVA) — the mechanism, MPIVS, and how to activate
- Volumetric Weight Guide — the maths behind chargeable weight, with rating-up examples