Bill of Lading Calculator

It identifies whether a container's weight capacity or its physical volume runs out first for the cargo you've entered — whichever utilization percentage (weight or volume) is higher becomes the limiting factor. If Volume is the limiting factor, you're filling the container's physical space before hitting its weight limit, typically with lighter, bulkier cargo; if Weight is limiting, the container would hit its maximum payload weight while still having usable space left inside.

A standard 20-ft container, a 40-ft container, and a 40-ft High Cube container each have different internal dimensions and different rated maximum payload weights set by their manufacturers and by carrier and road-weight regulations, so the same cargo weight or volume produces different utilization percentages depending on which container type you select. The calculator applies the correct maximum weight and volume figures for whichever type you choose.

A revenue ton is the greater of a shipment's weight in metric tons or its volume in cubic meters (CBM), and it reflects how ocean carriers commonly price freight — on whichever measure produces the larger number for a given shipment, not on weight alone. A shipment of light, bulky cargo can be billed on its volume even though its actual weight is modest, so revenue tons is often a better predictor of freight cost than weight alone.

TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) is the standard capacity measure ocean carriers use: a 20-ft container counts as 1 TEU, while a 40-ft or 40-ft High Cube container counts as 2 TEU because it's roughly twice the length. Total TEU multiplies that per-container TEU value by your Container Count, giving the total capacity figure carriers use for vessel space allocation and, often, for pricing.