CBM to KG (Cubic Meters to Kilograms)
Convert CBM to KG using the sea-freight convention of 1 m³ = 1,000 kg. For air freight, 1 m³ ≈ 167 kg.
The quick answer
One cubic meter is billed as 1,000 kg on ocean freight, and that is the ratio this converter applies. Air freight puts the switch near 167 kg per cubic meter, express near 200 kg. None of those figures is what your cargo weighs, so weigh the shipment too.
- The heavier side wins — a 6 CBM load at 4,000 kg bills as 6 revenue tons.
- Why it is 1,000 — fresh water weighs about 1,000 kg per cubic meter. That sets the line.
- Light loads pay for space — under 1,000 kg per cubic meter, the bill follows volume.
- Which figure will you be billed on? Compare weight against volume in the chargeable weight calculator.
1 m³ = 1,000 kg
kilograms (kg)
This uses the ocean/LCL revenue-ton ratio (1 m³ = 1,000 kg). Air freight uses 1 m³ ≈ 167 kg (the 6,000 cm³/kg factor). It is a billing convention, not the actual weight of your goods.
Quick reference
How to convert cubic meters to kilograms
To convert cubic meters to kilograms, multiply by the conversion factor:
A cubic meter has no fixed weight, so CBM to kg is a billing step, not a physics one. Each freight mode sets how many kilograms one cubic meter counts as, then bills the higher of that and the real weight. Sea freight in a shared container uses 1,000 kg, which is what the converter above applies. Road freight often uses 333 kg and air cargo 166.67 kg. Find your volume in the table and read across to your mode.
| CBM | Counts as (sea · road 1:3 · air) |
|---|---|
| 1 CBM | 1,000 kg · 333 kg · 167 kg |
| 2 CBM | 2,000 kg · 667 kg · 333 kg |
| 5 CBM | 5,000 kg · 1,667 kg · 833 kg |
| 7 CBM | 7,000 kg · 2,333 kg · 1,167 kg |
| 10 CBM | 10,000 kg · 3,333 kg · 1,667 kg |
| 15 CBM | 15,000 kg · 5,000 kg · 2,500 kg |
| 20 CBM | 20,000 kg · 6,667 kg · 3,333 kg |
| 33.1 CBM (full 20ft) | 33,100 kg · 11,033 kg · 5,517 kg |
| 67.6 CBM (full 40ft) | 67,600 kg · 22,533 kg · 11,267 kg |
One conversion, three different ratios — pick by mode
There is no physical CBM-to-KG conversion — a cubic meter of pillows and a cubic meter of tiles weigh wildly different amounts. What carriers use instead are billing equivalences, and they differ by mode: ocean LCL treats 1 CBM as equivalent to 1,000 kg, air freight (IATA convention, 6,000 cm³ per kg) treats 1 CBM as about 167 kg, and express couriers using the 5,000 divisor treat it as 200 kg.
Budgeting with the wrong ratio is the classic error. A 2 CBM shipment is "2,000 kg" to an ocean tariff but "334 kg" to an air tariff — quote requests that mix these up come back with prices that make no sense.
How weight-or-measure billing actually works
Ocean LCL is charged per revenue ton: the greater of your cargo's weight in metric tons or its volume in CBM. Light cargo of 3 CBM weighing 1.2 t bills as 3 revenue tons (volume wins); dense cargo of 2 CBM weighing 3.5 t bills as 3.5 (weight wins). The break-even is exactly the 1,000 kg/m³ convention this page converts with.
Air freight runs the same contest at a different ratio. A 1.2 CBM consignment has a volumetric weight of 1,200,000 cm³ ÷ 6,000 = 200 kg; if it actually weighs 150 kg, you're billed on 200. Anything lighter than about 167 kg per cubic meter pays for space, not mass.
Frequently asked questions
How much is 1 CBM in kg for sea freight?
1,000 kg. Shared-container (LCL) sea freight bills per cubic meter or per 1,000 kg, whichever is more, so 1 CBM and 1 tonne cost the same.
How many kg is 1 CBM by air?
166.67 kg for air cargo, which divides cubic centimeters by 6,000. Express couriers that divide by 5,000 count it as 200 kg.
What size is 1 CBM?
A cube 1 m long, 1 m wide and 1 m high, or about 35.3 cubic feet. A 120 × 100 cm pallet stacked about 83 cm high is roughly 1 CBM.
How many kg is 2 CBM?
2,000 kg by sea, about 667 kg by road at 1:3, and about 333 kg by air. If the goods weigh more than that, you pay on the real weight instead.
Is 1 CBM always 1,000 kg?
No. 1,000 kg is only the sea-freight billing rule, taken from the weight of a cubic meter of water. What your cargo really weighs depends on what it is, so weigh it and let the carrier compare weight with volume.