Shipping costs have historically been calculated on the basis of gross weight such as kilograms. By charging only by weight, lightweight, low density packages become unprofitable for freight carriers due to the amount of space they take up in the truck/aircraft/ship in proportion to their actual weight. The concept of Cubic Weight has been adopted by the transport industry worldwide as a uniform means of establishing a minimum charge for the cubic space a package occupies.
You can use our Cubic Weight Calculator to determine the chargeable weight of your package.
Australia Standard Pallets are square hardwood pallets which are standard in Australia and non-standard anywhere else in the world.
They are 1,165 by 1,165 millimetres in size and fit perfectly in the RACE (container) of the Australian railways. They are not suited for the standard 20 feet (6.1 m) and 40 feet (12 m) ISO shipping containers used around the globe. Australian Standard Universal Pallets are usually manufactured in Hardwood, but 1165 x 1165 pallets can also be manufactured using lighter timber suitable for use as disposable (shipping) pallets.
Well-known and utilised Australian Pallet manufacturers include Chep and Loscam.
Chep and Loscam primarily hire out pallets - the client is charged per pallet per day.
You can use our 'Cartons per Pallet' Calculator to determine the optimum number of cartons to store on a pallet.