What will my shipment cost?
Enter your consignment below for an indicative freight range and transit time from Pakistan. The calculator works out chargeable weight the way carriers actually bill it, so the figure reflects how your cargo will really be priced.
Your consignment
Identical cartons of the size below
Dimensions are per piece. Leave them blank if you only know the weight — but the figure will be less accurate, because airlines bill on whichever is greater of actual and volumetric weight.
Indicative range
$770 – $1,470
USD, per chargeable kg (max of actual and volumetric weight)
- Chargeable weight
- 320 kg
- Actual / volumetric
- 250 / 320 kg
- Indicative transit
- 3–6 days
This consignment is charged on volume, not weight — it takes up more space than it weighs. Packing more densely would reduce the cost.
This is not a quotation. It is a planning range based on typical rates for the lane. Freight pricing moves with carrier space, fuel and security surcharges, season, and commodity, and it excludes duty, taxes, and destination charges. Send the details below for a firm written quote.
How freight is actually priced
Almost every surprise on a freight invoice comes from the same place: chargeable weight. Carriers do not bill what a consignment weighs, they bill whichever is greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight derived from its dimensions. Air freight divides the cubic centimetres by 6000; express and courier services use 5000, which is why the same box can cost more by courier than by air freight.
Sea freight works differently again. It is priced per cubic metre, so weight barely matters until a container is close to its payload limit. That is the real reason the air and sea answers diverge so sharply for bulky cargo, and switching mode in the calculator above shows the gap for your own numbers.
What the estimate includes and excludes
The range is freight only, and deliberately wide. It is there to let you sanity-check a budget, not to serve as a price.
- Included: carriage on the lane, based on typical rates for the season
- Included: an indicative transit band, door to door where applicable
- Excluded: customs duty and import taxes at destination
- Excluded: destination terminal, storage, and delivery charges
- Excluded: cargo insurance, which is quoted on declared value
- Excluded: dangerous goods, temperature control, and special handling
What we need to quote properly
A firm quote takes a few specifics. Supplying them up front normally saves a full round of email.
- Commodity — what the goods actually are, not just a category
- Number of pieces and the dimensions of each
- Gross weight, and whether it is palletised
- Collection address in Pakistan and full delivery address
- Any deadline the shipment has to meet
- Whether the goods are new, used, or personal effects
Frequently Asked Questions
How is air freight cost calculated?
Air freight is charged on chargeable weight, which is the greater of the actual gross weight and the volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is length x width x height in centimetres divided by 6000 for air freight. A light but bulky consignment is therefore charged on the space it occupies rather than what it weighs, which is the most common reason a freight invoice is higher than expected.
What is volumetric weight and which divisor applies?
Volumetric weight converts a consignment's size into a billable weight. Air freight uses a divisor of 6000, and express or courier operators typically use 5000, so the same carton produces a higher chargeable weight by courier than by air freight. Sea freight does not use a divisor at all: it is priced per cubic metre.
Why can you not give a fixed price online?
Freight rates move with available carrier space, fuel and security surcharges, the season, the commodity, and the balance of trade on a lane. A figure calculated from a web form cannot account for those, so the calculator gives a planning range and any firm figure is issued as a written quote against live rates.
What is not included in the indicative range?
The range covers freight only. It excludes customs duty and import taxes at destination, destination terminal and delivery charges, cargo insurance, dangerous goods surcharges, and any special handling such as temperature control. A written quote sets out which of these apply to your shipment.
How quickly will I get a firm quote?
Enquiries submitted through this page are answered within one working day. To price a consignment properly we need the commodity, the number of pieces, the gross weight, the dimensions of each piece, and the origin and destination addresses. Supplying a packing list up front usually removes a round of questions.
Is air or sea freight cheaper for my shipment?
Sea freight is almost always cheaper per kilogram for dense, heavy, low-value cargo, while air freight wins where speed protects the value of the goods or the cost of holding stock outweighs the freight premium. Switching modes in the calculator shows the difference for your own figures, which is usually clearer than a general rule.