When you’re prospective shipping a product, the terms net, gross and tare weight are often used in logistics. If you’re not familiar with them, don’t worry, this post focuses on some of the confusion you’ll encounter. We’ll go over what each weight means and how to easily calculate them. The main aspects to be covered are as follows:

Net weight is the weight of the actual product itself, excluding any packaging, containers, or other materials used for shipping. This is the weight of the item you are selling or shipping, not including the additional weight of boxes, packaging, or fillers.

Net Weight = Gross Weight – Tare Weight

• Gross Weight is the total weight of the product plus its packaging.
• Tare Weight is the weight of the packaging materials (such as boxes, plastic, bubble wrap, etc.).

Let’s say you’re selling a box of chocolates:

• Gross Weight: The total weight of the chocolates and the box, which is 1.5kg.
• Tare Weight: The weight of the box and any protective packaging, which is 0.3kg.

To calculate the Net Weight (the weight of just the chocolates), you would subtract the tare weight from the gross weight:

Net Weight = 1.5kg (Gross Weight) – 0.3kg (Tare Weight) = 1.2kg

So, the Net Weight of the chocolates (without the box) is 1.2kg.

Gross weight refers to the total weight of a shipment, including both the product itself and the packaging. It represents everything that is being shipped—product, box, wrapping, and any other materials used for protection during transport. Essentially, gross weight is the combined weight of the goods and all the materials used to pack and protect them.

Shipping companies and logistics services use gross weight to calculate shipping costs because it accounts for the entire load being transported, not just the product itself.

The formula for calculating gross weight is simple:

Gross Weight = Net Weight + Tare Weight

• Net Weight is the weight of the product alone, without packaging.
• Tare Weight is the weight of the packaging materials (like boxes, wrapping, and padding).

By adding the net weight (product) and the tare weight (packaging), you get the gross weight.

Let’s say you are shipping a box of books:

• Net Weight: The books inside the box weigh 4kg.
• Tare Weight: The weight of the box and the protective bubble wrap is 0.5kg.

To calculate the gross weight, you simply add the two:

Gross Weight = 4kg (Net Weight) + 0.5kg (Tare Weight) = 4.5kg

So, the gross weight of your shipment (books + packaging) is 4.5kg.

Gross weight is the main basis used by transportation companies to calculate shipping costs, as shipping costs are based on total weight and volume. The higher the gross weight, the higher the transportation cost will usually be. In contrast, net weight represents just the weight of the product, without packaging and other additional materials.

Warehouse managers use net weight to measure the actual quantity of goods, while gross weight helps managers plan storage space. Gross weight helps logistics companies assess how difficult it is to transport and how much space is needed, while net weight helps to understand the actual quantity of goods and helps warehouses manage inventory.

In international transportation, customs require both net and gross weights. Net weight is typically used to calculate import taxes and duties, while gross weight affects costs and classification during transportation. Correctly completing the net and gross weights on the customs declaration form ensures that the shipment clears customs smoothly and avoids additional costs or delays caused by inaccurate weights.

On shipping documents, net and gross weights are usually listed separately.

• Shipping documents or invoices: Shipping documents and invoices will clearly list the net and gross weights. Gross weight is usually more visible because it directly affects the cost of transportation. The net weight is usually listed along with a specific description of the product, making it easy to confirm the actual weight of the item.
• Cargo Labeling: On the outer packaging of a product, there is also usually a label showing the net and gross weight. These labels usually contain all the weight information needed during transportation, ensuring that the logistics company will be able to process the shipment based on this data.

In international trade, net weight and gross weight are usually required to be entered on the customs declaration form:

• Net Weight: The net weight of the product is what is required to be entered on the customs declaration form. This weight is used to calculate customs duties, import taxes, etc. An accurate net weight helps to ensure that duties and taxes are paid at the correct rate.
• Gross Weight: Gross weight must also be indicated on the customs declaration form and is used primarily to determine the overall weight of the shipment. Customs will often use the gross weight to calculate the cost of a shipment, especially if multiple modes of transportation are used in parallel (e.g., sea plus air).

Tare weight refers to the weight of the packaging or container used to hold a product during transportation. It is the weight of everything except the product itself. This includes the weight of the box, wrapping materials, labels, pallets, or any other materials used to pack and protect the product.

Empty Container Weight (Tare Weight): Every shipping container has its own tare weight. For example, a standard 20-foot container typically weighs about 2,300 kg (2.3 tons) when empty.

When shipping goods, tare weight is important because it helps in calculating the gross weight, which is the total weight of both the product and its packaging. By knowing the tare weight, you can determine the net weight (the actual weight of the product) by subtracting the tare weight from the gross weight.

To calculate tare weight, you can use this simple formula:

Tare Weight = Gross Weight – Net Weight

Where:

• Gross Weight is the total weight of the product and its packaging.
• Net Weight is the weight of the product alone, without any packaging or container.

By subtracting the net weight (product’s weight) from the gross weight (total weight with packaging), you get the tare weight (the weight of the packaging).

1.20-Foot High Cube Container （20′ HC）

• Tare Weight (Empty Container): Approximately 2,300 kg (2.3 tons)
• Maximum Gross Weight: Around 30,480 kg (30.48 tons)
• Maximum Payload (Cargo Weight): Subtract the tare weight from the maximum gross weight:

30,480 kg – 2,300 kg = 28,180 kg
(So, the maximum cargo weight you can load into the 20-foot high cube container is 28,180 kg).

Gross Weight (Fully Loaded): When fully loaded, the total gross weight of the 20-foot high cube container will be around 30,480 kg.

2.40-Foot High Cube Container (40′ HC)

• Tare Weight (Empty Container): Approximately 3,700 kg (3.7 tons)
• Maximum Gross Weight: Around 32,500 kg (32.5 tons)
• Maximum Payload (Cargo Weight): Subtract the tare weight from the maximum gross weight:

32,500 kg – 3,700 kg = 28,800 kg
(So, the maximum cargo weight you can load into the 40-foot high cube container is 28,800 kg).

Gross Weight (Fully Loaded): When fully loaded, the total gross weight of the 40-foot high cube container will be around 32,500kg.

Container Type	Tare Weight	Maximum Gross Weight	Maximum Payload （Cargo）	Gross Weight （Fully Loaded）
20-Foot-High Cube （20′ HC）	2,300kg	30,480kg	28,180kg	30,480kg
40-Foot High Cube (40′ HC)	3,700kg	32,500kg	28,800kg	32,500kg

Tare weight is usually the empty weight of a container, pallet or other packing container. It does not include the weight of the goods, but only the weight of the shipping container or package.

Gross weight is the total weight of the goods, including the weight of the goods themselves (net weight) and the weight of all packaging and containers. Gross weight is equal to the net weight of the goods plus the weight of the packaging and means of transportation.

Gross weight = net weight + packing weight + tare weight (weight of the transport container)

Suppose you are importing a shipment of goods from China in a standard 20-foot container. Let’s see how to calculate the total weight by gross weight.

• Net Cargo Weight: The weight of this shipment is 10,000 kg (i.e. the weight of the cargo itself).
• Packing Weight: The weight of the packing material used for this shipment (e.g. cardboard boxes) is 500 kg, and a total of 50 boxes were used. The total weight of the package is 500 kg × 50 = 25,000 kg.
• Container Tare Weight: The weight of an empty 20-foot container is approximately 2,300 kg.

According to the formula for gross weight:

Gross weight = 10,000 kg (net cargo weight) + 25,000 kg (packing weight) + 2,300 kg (container tare weight)

Gross weight = 37,300 kg

Therefore, the gross weight of the shipment is 37,300 kg.

Net weight refers to the weight of the merchandise itself, excluding the weight of any packaging, containers, packing materials or other additions. In other words, the net weight is the “pure weight” of the item – excluding any external packaging and counting only the actual contents of the item.

Calculation formula: Net weight = Total weight of the item – Packaging weight

Dry weight is often used to describe items that may contain water or liquid, where the weight of the water or liquid is to be excluded. The dry weight is the “pure weight” of the excluded moisture or liquid. This term is often used to describe goods such as agricultural products, chemicals, or other goods that may contain moisture.

Calculation formula: Dry weight = Total weight of the item – Moisture weight

The net weight in ounces is one of the units used to measure the weight of an item, usually used in the United States and some other countries that use imperial units. It refers to the weight of the item itself, excluding any packaging, containers, or other additions.

Formula:
Net weight in ounces = Gross weight – Packing weight

The trim weight is the deadweight of the vehicle or conveyance, including all standard features, but not including additional cargo or passengers.
Tare weight is the weight of the packing material or container, excluding the goods themselves.

We hope this article on gross, net and tare weights just helps you. If you have any questions or are confused by anything in this article, please let me know by leaving a comment below.

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