Why are air freight charges sometimes based on volume and not on the actual weight?
It is an international air cargo convention to charge for weight or volume, whichever is the greater according to the following formulae: length x height x width (cm) divided by 6000 or length x height x width (ins) divided by 366 These formulae convert volume to weight, and ensure that the air carriers receive a reasonable amount of revenue for very light items. For example a bag of feathers would take up a great deal of space in a cargo hold but because of their light weight, the airline would earn little revenue from their carriage. Basically you are allowed up to 6000cc (366cu ins) per kg; [5000cc (300cu ins) on certain mostly Europe-Africa routes]. For example a tea carton dimensions 41x51x61cm; 16x20x24ins would be calculated as follows: 41x51x61 divided by 6000 = 127551 divided by 6000 = 21kg volumetric weight or 16x20x24 divided by 366 = 7680 divided by 366 = 21kg volumetric weight. This means that the above items would be charged for the actual weight if greater than 21 kg. If
