Warehouse cages are classic 'light bulky cargo', and whether freight is billed on actual gross weight or volume weight decides a few to tens of yuan difference per cage. Understand the billing rules, or you'll be hooked by a low-lead-generation quote when comparing prices.
LTL logistics generally uses the 'take the larger' rule: first calculate actual gross weight (a folded warehouse cage is about 25–45 kg), then calculate volume weight — length × width × height ÷ 6000 (in cm) — and bill whichever is larger. Cages are big but light, so volume weight almost always wins.
Example: a cage that measures 1200×1000×890mm open folds to about 1200×1000×250mm; volume weight is 120×100×25÷6000 = 50 kg, while actual gross weight is only 35 kg, so logistics bills 50 kg. The thinner the fold and the closer volume weight sits to gross weight, the more freight you save.
Full-truck shipping isn't billed by volume weight — it's a flat price per truck — so bulk orders are cheaper by FTL. When sharing a truck in the same direction, the maker folds and palletizes the cages, then computes total volume and total weight and splits them across cages.
Ways to save freight: ask the maker to fold tightly, pack compactly and reduce void; and combine same-direction orders to fill a truck. When quoting, Nanjing Tongnuo Warehouse Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. gives both the per-cage freight converted by volume weight and the FTL flat price, side by side, so the customer can choose.