TACT Rates Explained
TACT built the standardized rules the whole industry still uses — chargeable weight, documentation, commodity codes. Its rate-publishing function has largely given way to carrier-specific and negotiated pricing.
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Publisher
Rules + Rates
TACT's two historical components
Carrier-specific
How most rates are actually set today
6000
TACT volumetric divisor, still the industry standard
What TACT actually standardized
IATA's The Air Cargo Tariff (TACT) originated as a comprehensive reference publishing standardized rules and rates for international air cargo — commodity classification codes, the volumetric weight divisor, packing and documentation standards, and published rate tables carriers could reference.
Rate deregulation across most of the industry over recent decades shifted actual pricing toward carrier-specific tariffs and individually negotiated forwarder agreements rather than a shared published rate table — so 'the TACT rate' isn't generally what determines what you pay today. What has endured is TACT's Rules component: the chargeable weight formula (see our dimensional weight guide), standardized commodity codes, and documentation conventions the whole industry still references.
When someone in the industry refers to 'TACT' today, confirm whether they mean the Rules (still broadly authoritative) or expect an actual published rate figure (which generally isn't how carriers price on this corridor anymore) — the two mean very different things.
Industry Note
TACT's rate tables are largely historical — carrier-specific and negotiated pricing sets actual rates today
Don't expect to look up a current, bookable rate in a TACT publication the way you could decades ago. The Rules component (weight, classification, documentation standards) remains the live reference; the rate-publishing function has been superseded by carrier and forwarder-negotiated pricing.
General industry knowledge, consistent with IATA's own TACT product description. Confirm current specifics with IATA's TACT publication directly if you need an authoritative citation for a specific claim.
Worked example
Where TACT actually shows up in a shipment today
Take a shipment being quoted and booked on this corridor — TACT's influence is present even though no one quotes 'the TACT rate' directly.
The chargeable weight calculation UAL runs at quote stage uses the TACT-standardized 6000 volumetric divisor. The commodity description and classification on the AWB follows TACT's standardized coding conventions. Neither of those facts means the actual freight rate itself comes from a TACT rate table — that number comes from the specific carrier's current tariff or our negotiated agreement with them.
This is why two shipments with identical chargeable weight on different carriers can have meaningfully different prices — the calculation method is standardized industry-wide via TACT's legacy, but the price applied to that calculation isn't.
What UAL confirms at quote stage
We calculate chargeable weight using the standard industry method and quote against the specific carrier's current rate, not an assumed published tariff figure — so the quote reflects what you'll actually be charged.
Frequently asked questions
IATA continues to publish TACT as a product, but relying on it for a live, bookable rate isn't how pricing works on most commercial lanes today — actual rates come from the specific carrier's current tariff or a negotiated forwarder agreement. Treat TACT's Rules component as the live reference, not its historical rate tables.
Related
Chargeable Weight & Dimensional Weight, Explained
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General industry reference to IATA's TACT product and its historical role. Last verified July 2026.
Air Freight Fundamentals
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