Air and parcel quotes: from billable weight to a clear offer
A complete worked example separating the dimensional divisor, cost, margin and customer scope. All prices and shipment assumptions below are fictional, not a carrier tariff.
Fictional conditions; before-tax estimates only
1. Confirm the divisor before calculating
Ten identical cartons measure 50 × 40 × 30 cm each; total actual weight is 85 kg. With an illustrative divisor of 6,000, dimensional weight is 100 kg; using 5,000 gives 120 kg. Compare with actual weight and apply the carrier rounding rules. DHL lists 5,000 as its standard cm/kg divisor. Do not treat 6,000 as universal; confirm per-piece versus total rating and rounding for your service.
Primary divisor reference: DHL
2. Separate markup from gross margin
Assume JPY 600/kg cost, JPY 10,000 other cost and a 20% gross-margin target. At divisor 6,000: 100 kg chargeable, JPY 70,000 cost and JPY 87,500 before-tax quote. At divisor 5,000: 120 kg, JPY 82,000 cost and JPY 102,500 quote. Price = cost ÷ (1 − margin). Adding 20% to cost is a different calculation.
3. Tell the customer what is included
State the quote reference, issuer, validity, included charges and how customs, insurance, taxes and extra work are handled. Mark uncertain items as unconfirmed. Send a customer-facing price, not the internal HTML containing cost and target margin.
This example does not guarantee carrier rates, capacity, taxes or delivery dates.
Extract the ZIP and open the HTML in desktop Edge or Chrome. Both calculator interfaces currently use Japanese/Chinese, not a full English interface. This English storefront does not change that limitation. Phones are suitable for viewing and simple estimates; use a computer to edit, save and print.