How to deduct cargo units?

I cannot seem to comprehend the method the game uses to define how many cargo units a given flight can fulfill.

I read on another thread that the game uses blocks of 100kg for 1 cargo unit, but that doesn’t add up when I calculate things. So I decided to try and figure it out myself by resetting a test airline a few times to see how many cargo units each a plane would get for a flight (SIN - ANC). Results are:

Plane | Cargo units | Calculated payload (performance eval. check tool)
777-200F | 833 | 91099 kg
767-300F | 391 | 42855 kg
767-300F (winglets) | 421 | 45957 kg
A330-200F Range | 484 | 51922 kg
A330-200F Payload | 460 | 49366 kg

If you do the math, you can also notice that it doesn’t work out to a standard value. It ranges between 107-109 kg per cargo unit.
Would anyone know exactly how the game calculates the amount of cargo units a plane can take on a flight?

I run a cargo airline on Yeager and I have found discrepancies in this as well. I operate a number of Tupolev - TU-204C/214C aircraft and they are all listed as having 31,210 kg cargo capacity, but in reality the TU-204-100C has a booking capacity of 279 cargo units, the TU-204-120C had a booking capacity of 251 cargo units, and the TU-214C has a capacity of 298 cargo units.

1CU = 100kg is correct.
But there is two absolutely different ways of how things are calculated:

  • old servers indeed do the simple calculation that “payload/100=CU”

  • later servers with dynamic turnarounds use volume based calculations (note the m^3 info given in the aircraft specs pages)
    so - take 77F values - what you see in the performance check tool here is the gross “payload” (91,099) your flight can load. The net payload or actual revenue payload (83,300=833CU) is then the result of substracting the container tare weights from the gross load. Valid for all airframes that load containerized cargo.

Alright thanks for the explanation! Makes way more sense now.
But is there a formula to the madness? As of right now I just need to guesstimate the revenue a plane can give on a certain route and am unable to properly calculate it.

How many m^3 does 1 container fill and how much does 1 container weigh F.E.?

Container weights/sizes depend on the type, detailed data is not available (and IMO not needed)
Still, if you want to get a good estimate, the following might help you:
1000kg = 6m^3
Under aircraft type you find payload values for three different cargo compartments (when applicable): bulk, lower deck and main deck.
m^3 shows the available volume, kg is possible revenue payload for the compartment.

  • Lower and main deck are containers, bulk is revenue capacity (check the 1/6 ratio)
  • Translate the m^3 into kg, subtract revenue payload from and you have the container weights per deck
  • Translate calculated payload from the tool into m^3 and fill the compartments in the following order: lower, main, bulk. When main isn’t filling, get the ratio of needed/available and calculate revenue payload upon.
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Flights with higher density seat configuration take less cargo

This is in regards to cargo planes.