Cubic feet calculator for boxes and pallets

Enter length, width and height in any common unit to get the volume in cubic feet, cubic metres (CBM) and cubic inches. Add a pallet height to measure a loaded pallet.

Length

Width

Height

Unit

InchesFeetCentimetresMetresMillimetres

Quantity

Whole number, 1 or more. Blank counts as 1.

Pallet height to add (optional)

Added to the height, in the same unit.

Calculate

Enter length, width and height to see the volume.

How it is calculated

Each length is converted to metres using the exact definitions: 1 in = 0.0254 m and 1 ft = 0.3048 m (NIST SP 811). Volume in m³ is length × width × (height + pallet height) × quantity. Cubic feet is m³ divided by 0.028316846592 (that is 0.3048³), and cubic inches is cubic feet × 1,728.

A 12 × 12 × 12 in box is 1.000 ft³, 0.028 m³ and 1,728 in³. A 1 m cube is 35.315 ft³ and 1.000 m³. A 48 × 40 × 40 in load on a 6 in pallet (46 in tall in total) is 51.111 ft³ or 1.447 m³.

What CBM means

CBM is short for cubic metre, the volume unit used in sea freight to describe how much space a shipment takes. This page shows it as the m³ result and does not quote rates. To see how many boxes fit on a pallet, use the pallet calculator; for container floor space, see pallets per container and shipping container sizes. Freight density uses cubic feet too: see the freight class calculator.

Limits

The result is the volume of the outer box measured as entered. It does not account for irregular shapes, overhang or empty space between boxes, and carriers may round dimensions in their own way. Check how your carrier or forwarder measures before using the figure for a quote or booking. Pallet sizes are in the size table.