The volume occupied by a crate is a unit of measurement used in bulk purchases and sea freight. It determines the volume, or three-dimensional space, that a load of a given content will occupy within your warehouse and is usually measured in cubic meters. However, although the volume of a single crate tells you how much space it will occupy, that data will not reveal the 3 dimensions that underlie it: it will not tell you, that is, how long, wide and high each crate is. So it may also be useful to know the real dimensions, which are usually included in any technical data sheet or wholesale catalog that also shows the volume occupied by the cash box itself.
Steps
Step 1. Measure the length, width and height of a single unit in meters
- It is not important which unit of measure you will use, but rather that all dimensions are recorded with the same unit of measure. You can also choose to use the unit of measure in feet if that's more comfortable for you.
- You can also measure the chest in centimeters, but converting cubic centimeters to cubic meters (the final measurement) can be somewhat difficult. Then divide the measurement in centimeters by 100 to convert it to meters before continuing.
- The word "unit" refers to any quantity in which the item is sold / packaged. So a single bottle, box or bag represent a unit. But, if the item in question is sold in a pack of 3 bottles, you will need to measure the 3 bottles as a single unit, since they are packaged together, to get the dimensions needed to calculate the volume occupied by the case.
Step 2. Multiply the length by the width and height of the unit
Step 3. Divide the result by 1728 if the unit of measurement you chose was inches
The remaining number will give the volume occupied by a crate measured in cubic feet. If, on the other hand, you had taken the measurements in meters, it is not necessary to carry out other operations, since the result is already the volume occupied by the box in cubic meters.
Step 4. Done
Advice
- Knowing the volume occupied by a crate of a given product is more useful if you are stocking crates, rather than opening them and then storing and inventorying the individual units. But it is also useful when you are calculating the cost of a sea freight, or if a crate will fit into the container for a sea shipment.
- Other information which, as a rule, can be found in any datasheet or wholesale price catalog, includes: unit weight and weight per case, case dimensions, dimensions or volume of the single unit, packaging of the crate and how many units are contained in each crate.
- Remember that this unit of measurement may not take into account any additional padding or material required for packaging and shipping.
- If the company, or distributor you are buying from, sells internationally, the datasheet will likely include the volume occupied by the case, dimensions, weight and any other specific measures, both in the metric and imperial systems. British (in cubic meters and kilograms, and in cubic feet and pounds, respectively).
- Most wholesalers offer discounts when you shop in checkout. But this may not be convenient if you don't have the space to store the product, or if it adds to the cost of sea freight because the crate takes up too much space inside the shipping container.
