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Freight questions, answered in one minute
Plain answers on pricing, documents and customs. Written by forwarders, not marketers.
Short answers
What is chargeable weight in air freight?
Chargeable weight is the weight an airline bills: the actual weight or the volume weight, whichever is higher. Volume weight = length × width × height in cm ÷ 6000.
Read answer →What is W/M in sea freight?
W/M (weight or measurement) is how LCL sea freight is priced: per cubic metre or per 1000 kg, whichever is higher. One W/M is one 'revenue ton'.
Read answer →FCL or LCL: which one should I choose?
Choose LCL for small volumes, up to roughly 13–15 m³. Above that, a full container (FCL) is usually cheaper, faster and safer.
Read answer →What is an air waybill (AWB)?
The air waybill is the transport contract and receipt for air cargo. It is not a document of title. Its 11-digit number starts with the airline's 3-digit prefix and is your tracking number.
Read answer →What is a bill of lading (B/L)?
The bill of lading is the key document in sea freight: a receipt for the goods, evidence of the transport contract and, as an original, a document of title. Whoever holds the original can claim the cargo.
Read answer →What is an EORI number and do I need one?
An EORI number identifies your company to customs in the EU. You need one for every import or export outside the EU. Without it, customs cannot clear your goods.
Read answer →What are demurrage and detention?
Both are charges for keeping a container too long. Demurrage: the full container stays in the terminal past its free days. Detention: you keep the container outside the terminal past its free time.
Read answer →What is a loading meter (LDM)?
A loading meter is one metre of trailer length across the full width (2.4 m). A standard trailer has 13.6 LDM. A Euro pallet (120 × 80 cm) takes 0.4 LDM; a block pallet (120 × 100 cm) 0.5 LDM.
Read answer →How do I ship dangerous goods?
Dangerous goods can be shipped if they are classified, packed, labelled and declared correctly. The rules: IATA DGR for air, IMDG Code for sea, ADR for road and RID for rail.
Read answer →Freight calculator
Chargeable weight, CBM and W/M in seconds.
Calculate →- AWB
- Air waybill: transport contract and receipt for air cargo.
- B/L
- Bill of lading: receipt, contract and document of title in sea freight.
- CBM
- Cubic metre (m³), the volume unit in freight.
- Chargeable weight
- The higher of actual and volume weight; the billing basis in air freight.
- Consolidation
- Combining several shipments into one load.
- Customs clearance
- Completing the customs formalities for import or export.
- Demurrage
- Charge for a container staying in the terminal past its free days.
- Detention
- Charge for keeping a container outside the terminal past its free time.
- DGR
- Dangerous Goods Regulations (IATA), the rules for dangerous goods by air.
- EORI
- EU customs identification number for companies.
- ETA / ETD
- Estimated time of arrival / departure.
- FCL
- Full container load: a container for one shipper.
- HS code
- International product code that sets the import duty rate.
- LCL
- Less than container load: a shared container.
- LDM
- Loading meter: 1 m of trailer length × 2.4 m width.
- POD
- Proof of delivery: signed confirmation of delivery.
- Reefer
- Temperature-controlled container.
- T1
- EU transit document for moving goods under customs supervision.
- Telex release
- Release of sea cargo without original B/L, after originals are surrendered at origin.
- TEU
- Twenty-foot equivalent unit: one 20ft container.
- ULD
- Unit load device: air cargo container or pallet.
- VGM
- Verified gross mass: the container weight the shipper must declare under SOLAS.
- W/M
- Weight or measurement: LCL pricing per m³ or per 1000 kg, whichever is higher.
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