Air freight is the shipment of goods via an air carrier such as a cargo or charter plane. It is typically used to transport time-sensitive goods and is one of the fastest modes of shipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Air freight cargo can be categorized as either general or special cargo. Their categorization will affect how the cargo is handled, the shipping documentations required and the planes they will be transported by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
General cargo is ordinary freight that does not require special handling during shipment. Some examples include retail and consumer goods such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These goods may be transported via any plane like commercial, cargo or charter planes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Special cargo is freight that requires special handling and\/or documentation when being transported, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are usually transported by charter or cargo planes only. The latter is typically filled with consolidated freight<\/a> that may be on a transshipment<\/a> route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Air freight is usually charged per kilogram (kg), taking either the actual or volumetric weight of the cargo, whichever is greater. This is referred to as the chargeable weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also known as gross weight, this is the total weight of cargo (in kg) measured on a weighing scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the volume of cargo in cubic centimeters (cm) with a density ratio applied to it. For air freight, carriers usually use a ratio of 1:6. The formula is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Length x width x height (in cm) \/ 6,000 = volumetric weight (in kg)<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you are engaging the services of air carrier company XYZ that charges $5 per kg to transport 3 boxes of cargo with the following measurements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Actual weight = 15kg x 3 boxes = 45kg In this scenario, the volumetric weight is greater than the actual weight. The chargeable weight would thus be 48kg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cost of air freight = 48kg x $5 = $240<\/p>\n\n\n\n You would thus have to pay $240 to ship your packages via air carrier XYZ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n *Note that this divisor may differ for the carrier that you engage.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sea freight<\/a> is the method of shipping goods via sea vessel. These goods are typically packed into shipping containers<\/a> before being loaded onto a ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sea and air freight are the 2 most common methods of transporting cargo, especially for international shipments. Some factors to consider when choosing between either mode include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Air freight is typically known to be the faster shipment method as compared to sea freight. As a rough estimate, air shipments usually take a few days or weeks to complete, while sea transportation may take several weeks or months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some factors that may affect the speed of shipments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Air freight services<\/a> offer greater flexibility than sea carriers when facing schedule changes. This is because there are usually multiple flights traveling between major cities each day, while sea vessels typically leave weekly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sea freight service<\/a> rates are usually much lower than air freight rates. This is especially true for large quantities of cargo due to the way air freight is calculated. However, air shipments may be cheaper in lower quantities as sea freight rates are subject to LCL shipment prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shipments via air have weight and dimension restrictions due to the size and weight limitations onboard planes. Ocean vessels generally have more space for heavier, bulkier cargo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Air freight is the shipment of goods via an air carrier such as a cargo or charter plane. It is typically used to transport time-sensitive goods and is one of the fastest modes of shipment. Summary Air freight is the transportation of cargo via an aircraft. Air freight cargo can be categorized into general and … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":496,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-glossary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/encyclopedia.mp.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/encyclopedia.mp.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/encyclopedia.mp.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/encyclopedia.mp.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/encyclopedia.mp.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/encyclopedia.mp.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/encyclopedia.mp.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/encyclopedia.mp.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/encyclopedia.mp.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/encyclopedia.mp.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How Much Does Air Freight Cost?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nDifferent air carriers may have different rates when calculating the cost of freight. Engaging a freight forwarder<\/a> like M&P International Freights<\/a> may give you access to their large network of partners offering the best rates.
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nExample of Calculating Air Freight<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Volumetric weight = (60cm x 40cm x 40cm) x 3 boxes \/ 6000* = 48kg<\/p>\n\n\n\nAir Freight vs Sea Freight<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n