The IATA 1:6000 Volumetric Standard
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) establishes standard conventions for commercial air freight. Under standard airline tariffs, 1 cubic meter of cargo space is deemed equivalent to 166.67 kilograms of volumetric weight. This derives from the 6,000 cm³/kg divisor (1,000,000 cm³ ÷ 6,000 = 166.67 kg).
Per-Shipment vs Per-Piece Calculation
A vital distinction exists between general airline cargo and express couriers:
* General Air Cargo (IATA): Typically aggregates total shipment volume and total gross weight before comparing: Chargeable Weight = max(Total Gross Weight, Total Volume ÷ 6000).
* Express / Courier Air: Often evaluates chargeable weight on each piece individually, then sums the chargeable weights. Individual piece evaluation frequently produces higher billable totals.
Airline Weight Rounding Rules
Standard international airline practice rounds chargeable weight up to the nearest whole kilogram or half-kilogram (0.5 kg). For example, 142.1 kg is rounded to 142.5 kg or 143.0 kg depending on carrier tariff.