CBM Calculator

The CBM Calculator (Cubic Meter Calculator) in Hive is a powerful tool that helps creators plan pallet stacking, carton arrangements, and container/pallet space usage with accuracy and efficiency.

By simulating how products fit into pallets or shipping containers, it allows you to estimate:

• How many pallets or containers you will need
• The total number of cartons and SKUs
• The percentage of CBM (cubic meter) utilization
• A 3D preview of how your cartons will be stacked

For creators, freight planning can often feel like a blind spot. Misjudging carton dimensions or failing to account for container space can lead to costly mistakes such as shipping underutilized pallets, repacking delays, or unexpected expenses.

Using our CBM Calculator, you can eliminate guesswork in freight planning and ensure you avoid underestimating or overpaying for transport.

The CBM Calculator offers you two different ways to organize your cartons, depending on the complexity of your project.

Single SKU Mode

In this mode, each carton holds only one product type. This is perfect for simple shipments, such as core games packed in identical boxes. You only need to enter the carton’s dimensions and quantity, and the system does the rest.

This is also the best way to calculate the best size for your product's box and cartons. You can experiment with different packaging dimensions and try and find the ones that better utilizes the pallet and container space.

The transport Modes available for this mode are:

• Euro Pallet (120 × 80 × 200 cm)
• Industrial Pallet (120 × 100 × 200 cm)
• 20ft Container
• 40ft Container
• 40ft HQ Container

Mixed Cargo Mode

This mode allows you to combine different SKUs into the same shipment. You define the width, length, and height of each carton, add the number of units you’ll be shipping, and assign colors so they’re easy to identify in the 3D stacking preview. This visualization helps you see exactly how each item fits into the available transport space.

For this mode, the available transport modes:

• Euro Pallet (120 × 80 × 200 cm)
• Industrial Pallet (120 × 100 × 200 cm)

In both modes, after you click the button "Calculate", the system tries to find a way to place your SKU in the selected transport mode. You’ll see how many pallets are needed, the total number of cartons, the CBM utilization rate, the total CBM, and the number of SKUs included. The 3D preview instantly shows you how efficiently the cargo is arranged, making it easy to spot wasted space or poorly optimized setups.

3D Scene Controls

The algorithm will do its best to create a transport configuration of your cargo, but you can also tweak and adjust the final outcome, by manipulating the cartons in the 3D Scene!

Using the mouse and the toolbar, you can: move, rotate, clone and delete them so that you get the estimate you are looking for.

You can also save/import/export each setup as a scene, allowing you to compare different transport scenarios. For example, testing whether a Euro Pallet or a 40ft HQ container provides better efficiency.

Keyboard Shortcuts

You can use both your mouse and your keyboard to move around the 3D scene. The system supports the following keyboard shortcuts:

A: Pan Left
D: Pan Right
E: Pan Up
S: Pan Down
CTRL: Hold the CTRL button down to multiselect cartons
DEL: You can use the DEL button to delete the selected carton

Stretch goals are a vital engagement tool during a campaign, but they also introduce financial uncertainty.

Each unlocked reward, whether it is a mini expansion, upgraded components, or thicker materials, can change the game’s physical profile and as a result its overall logistics cost structure.

From a business perspective, this affects:

1. Freight Efficiency: even a 0.5 cm increase in box height can reduce pallet utilization by 10–15%, leading to higher freight and storage expenses.
2. Unit Economics: changes in packing dimensions can shift the cost per unit, potentially narrowing your margin across thousands of copies.
3. Cash Flow Forecasting: additional pallets and higher shipping fees may require more upfront capital before fulfillment revenue is realized.

For example, a creator producing 10,000 units might see freight costs rise from $6.00 to $6.80 per unit after multiple stretch goals unlock. That can be several thousands of dollar difference during a project's fulfillment.

To protect profit margins, Hive recommends re-running the CBM Calculator once final campaign outcomes are known.

This ensures your post-campaign financial model accurately reflects the true landed cost of each game, avoiding unpleasant surprises when invoices from freight forwarders and fulfillment centers arrive.

📈 Financial Insight:

Re-evaluating your CBM after stretch goals isn’t just about controlling costs; it’s about protecting your return on investment.

Accurate freight data keeps your profit margins, pricing strategy, and cash-flow forecasts aligned with the real cost of delivering each game.

To see the CBM Calculator in action, let’s look at two real scenarios: one using a Euro Pallet and one using an Industrial Pallet.

Case Study 1: Euro Pallet (120 × 80 × 200 cm)

In this example, with the calculator the creator managed to optimize the load of 35 cartons with a mix of SKUs.

• Pallets used: 1
• Total cartons: 35
• CBM Utilization: 78.6%
• CBM: 1.51
• Total SKUs: 230

The 3D visualization shows how cartons of different dimensions and SKUs fit together efficiently. By nearly 80% utilization, the Euro Pallet offers strong space optimization, reducing wasted volume and improving cost efficiency.

Case Study 2: Industrial Pallet (120 × 100 × 200 cm)

Switching the same set of SKUs to an Industrial Pallet changes the outcome:

• Pallets used: 1
• Total cartons: 35
• CBM Utilization: 62.9%
• CBM: 1.51
• Total SKUs: 230

The wider base of the Industrial Pallet provides different stacking options, but in this case, it leaves more unused space compared to the Euro Pallet. The CBM Calculator makes this difference immediately visible, showing creators how to choose the most efficient option for their shipment.

Case Study 3: Why Carton Size Matters

This example demonstrates the critical impact of carton size, something creators often decide early — sometimes even before production.

1. Carton A (30×30×45 cm): 40 cartons fit into the container, with a CBM of 1.62 and 84.38% utilization, totaling 240 SKUs.
2. Carton B (32×32×36 cm): Only 36 cartons fit, with a CBM of 1.33 and 69.12% utilization, totaling just 144 SKUs.

That’s a 15% drop in efficiency and nearly 100 fewer SKUs shipped — all because of carton dimensions.

This shows why decisions made early in packaging design affect your entire fulfillment chain. Choosing the right carton size can:

• Save thousands in freight costs.
• Reduce the number of pallets or containers required.
• Avoid underutilization and wasted space.

Why this matters so much:

When creators choose carton sizes at the manufacturing stage, the decision feels minor — a few centimeters up or down. But in freight logistics, those centimeters multiply across hundreds or thousands of cartons. The result can be:

• Entire extra pallets or containers being required.
• Backers waiting longer because fewer units ship per load.
• Profit margins shrinking due to wasted space and higher per-unit shipping costs.

Key Takeaway

The CBM Calculator allows you to test these scenarios before finalizing carton design, giving you hard numbers and 3D visualization to back your decision. Instead of guessing or relying only on the manufacturer’s suggestion, you can optimize early and avoid costly mistakes later in fulfillment.