Chargeable weight is the measurement of a carrier to determine the actual price of a shipment. The chargeable weight is based on either the gross weight or the volumetric weight. In a shipping business, calculating weight is an important aspect.

1) Gross weight

It is an actual weight of a package measured including its content. Gross weight refers to actual weight/total weight of a package.

2) Volumetric weight

Volumetric weight is a calculation based on the size or volume of a package. The dimension of a package, such as its length, breadth and height measured determines the space occupied by a package.

Here, the chargeable weight is based on either the gross weight or the volumetric weight, whichever is higher and according to that, the actual cost is provided.

For example: If the actual weight of a package is 5kg, but the volumetric weight is 10kg then the chargeable weight for the shipment would be of 10kg. The actual price for the shipment would be estimated according to that 10kg weight.

This process is done so that shipping companies charge for the space that a package occupies, rather than just its actual weight, which helps to optimize the transportation capacity. It helps to ensure that shipping costs are based on the space a package takes up.