Freight Claim Value
A carrier’s liability is often capped by weight, not by what your goods are worth. Enter the actual value, the weight, and the carrier’s released rate to see what you can actually recover — and the shortfall you carry.
Recoverable
Released value vs actual value
When freight is lost or damaged, two numbers matter. The actual value is what the goods are worth — what you’d claim to be made whole. The released value is the carrier’s liability limit: a rate per pound times the weight, agreed when you booked at a released rate. If the released value is lower than the actual value, the carrier only owes up to the cap, and the shortfall is on you — unless you carried separate cargo insurance.
Claim = actual value − salvage · Carrier cap = released rate × weight · Recoverable = the lower of the two
Why carriers cap by the pound
Carriers rate freight by weight and class, not by the value inside the box, so they limit their exposure the same way — a flat dollar figure per pound tied to the commodity or freight class. Higher-value goods need a higher released rate or their own cargo insurance to close the gap.
This is an educational estimate, not legal or insurance advice. Actual recovery turns on the carrier’s contract, the bill of lading terms, and applicable law — confirm with your broker or insurer before filing.