# tonne-kilometre

*Last updated: 2026-06-22*

> The tonne-kilometre is the standard unit for quantifying freight transport performance: it is calculated by multiplying the weight of goods carried in tonnes by the distance travelled in kilometres.

The tonne-kilometre is the standard unit for quantifying freight transport performance: it is calculated by multiplying the weight of goods carried in tonnes by the distance travelled in kilometres. Ten tonnes moved over 200 km yield 2,000 tonne-kilometres – the same figure as 20 tonnes over 100 km. National and European transport statistics and emissions inventories rely on tonne-kilometre data to measure and compare freight volumes across road, rail, and inland waterway. For carriers and forwarders, the metric underpins cost allocation, efficiency benchmarking, and the calculation of specific CO₂ emissions per unit of transport work. In air freight, the closely related freight tonne-kilometre (FTK) measures actual freight payload carried over a given distance.

**Source:** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonne-kilometre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonne-kilometre)

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Term | tonne-kilometre |
| Language | EN |
| Word count | 113 |
| Last updated | 2026-06-22 |
| Source | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonne-kilometre |

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