Reviewed 2026-09-30 · quarterly cycle
Volumetric weight: where the divisor changes your bill
Is this box going to bill on volume rather than on weight?
- Volume
- 24,000 cm³
- Volumetric weight
- 4.00 kg
- Actual weight
- 1.80 kg
- Chargeable weight
- 4.00 kg
- Extra billed as air
- 2.20 kg (100% of the bill)
Divisor reference
| Divisor | Applies to | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 5000 | Dense goods and some express services; bills the highest volumetric weight. | 4.80 kg for this box |
| 6000 | The most common divisor on consolidated air services. | 4.00 kg for this box |
| 8000 | Bulky-goods services; bills the lowest volumetric weight for the same box. | 3.00 kg for this box |
Where this weight lands on a budget
| Tier | Goods budget | Shipping | Tax | Shipping and tax share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower tier | $157.50 | $61.20 – $234.00 | $26.78 – $42.53 | 25% – 54% |
| Entered budget | $350.00 | $61.20 – $234.00 | $59.50 – $94.50 | 13% – 34% |
| Higher tier | $665.00 | $61.20 – $234.00 | $113.05 – $179.55 | 7% – 22% |
- Lower tier
- Goods $157.50; shipping $61.20 – $234.00; tax $26.78 – $42.53; total $245.47 – $434.02.
- Entered budget
- Goods $350.00; shipping $61.20 – $234.00; tax $59.50 – $94.50; total $470.70 – $678.50.
- Higher tier
- Goods $665.00; shipping $61.20 – $234.00; tax $113.05 – $179.55; total $839.25 – $1078.55.
Shipping assumed at $5.10 – $19.50 per kilogram and tax at 17%–27% of goods value. The full budget tool is at /tools/budget-ladder/. Example configuration, built for illustration — nothing here is a quote.
Inputs and defaults
- Length, width and height in centimetres (defaults 40, 30, 20)
- Actual weight in kilograms (default 1.8)
- Divisor (default 6000; selectable 5000, 6000, 8000, or a custom value)
How it computes
- Volumetric weight is length times width times height divided by the divisor, reported to two decimals.
- Chargeable weight is the greater of volumetric weight and actual weight.
- The difference between chargeable and actual weight is reported, along with the proportion of the bill attributable to volume.
What you get out
- Three figures: volumetric weight, actual weight and chargeable weight
- A scale bar showing where the two weights sit relative to each other
- The budget ladder, mapping the chargeable weight onto three budget tiers
- A divisor reference table with the conditions under which each value applies
Boundaries and failure behaviour
- Any dimension at or below zero returns a validation message.
- Any dimension above 120 centimetres returns a note that oversized freight is outside this tool.
- A custom divisor is accepted but flagged as non-standard, with a reminder to confirm it against the line.
Used with
Background reading: Chargeable weight: where the volumetric divisor changes your bill