Just One Less Inch Can Make All The Difference 6

I have been packaging orders daily for over 10 years now, and I have learned a lot of shipping tricks along the way. One of the biggest tricks I have learned is that just one inch less in the size of your package can make the difference between actual weight and dimensional weight – saving you and your customers a lot of money!

If you are unfamiliar with dimensional weight, it is a volumetric weight shipping companies charge for large, over-size packages. Dimensional weight is calculated based on the length, width, and height of a package. For example, we sell a lot of globes in our vintage shop. The globes themselves do not weigh that much, but because they need to be shipped in a fairly large box, we have to use dimensional weight to calculate the actual shipping charge. So, the finished package really weighs just 9 pounds, but we have to use 30 pounds to calculate the shipping charge, as that is it’s dimensional weight. That makes a HUGE difference in our shipping cost, since the large box size is expensive to ship!

Calculate Dimensional Weight

How do you calculate dimensional weight? It depends on the shipping company you are using, as they each calculate the weight slightly different. Here are the formulas for three of the most popular carriers:

USPS

The United States Postal Service (USPS) calculates dimensional weight by taking the Length of the box + 2 times the Width + 2 times the Height of the package, in inches. If the result is between 84″ and 108″ it is in the higher dimensional rate category. The maximum weight for a package shipped through USPS is 70 pounds. Packages must also be 108″ or less. Here is a link to the USPS Dimensional Weight Calculator. TIP: Another way to calculate dimensional weight through the post office is to take Length x Width x Height and divide that result by 194.

UPS

United Parcel Service (UPS) calculates dimensional weight by taking the Length x the Width x the Height of the package. The result is in cubic inches. You then divide that number by 166 to determine the dimensional weight. All measurements in inches must be rounded up to the nearest whole number. You also round up the dimensional result to the nearest pound. Here is a link to UPS Dimensional Weight information. NOTE: Starting this year, UPS has changed their dimensional rate slightly. If a package is over 1,728 cubic inches, the dimensional weight divisor is 139. If the package is less than 1,728 cubic inches, the original divisor of 166 still applies.

FedEx

FedEx calculates dimensional weight by taking the Length x Width x Height of the package. The result is in cubic inches. You then divide that number by 139 to determine the dimensional weight. All measurements must be rounded up to the nearest whole number. Here is a link to the FedEx Dimensional Weight Calculator.

Why Is Dimensional Weight Used?

Ever wonder WHY carriers use dimensional weight? They do this because even though a large package may not weigh much, it still takes up a lot of cargo space on their trucks and planes. With dimensional weight charges, you are basically paying for the space that package occupies in the carriers trucks and planes.

Tips for Reducing Dimensional Weight

Of course we want to keep shipping charges as low as possible for our customers. One of the ways to do that is to try to avoid the dimensional weight charges by reducing the size of the packages we use to ship products in. As I mentioned above, even one inch can make a big difference!

Using the globe example above, if we modify a 16″ x 16″ x 16″ box to 16″ x 16″ x 14″, we’ve changed the dimensional weight of that box from 30 pounds to 26 pounds. If we can safely and securely get a globe in a box that is 14″ x 14″ x 14″, we’ve reduced the dimensional weight to 20 pounds! Of course we always want to use a box that is adequately sized to provide the most protection possible for the vintage items we ship, but if an item can fit safely in a slightly smaller box, we are helping keep the shipping costs lower for our customers. We don’t always have the exact size box we need to stay under the dimensional weight rules, but by modifying an existing box to a smaller dimension, we can often achieve the goal of staying under the dimensional weight rule.

The other way we keep shipping charges lower for our customers is by shipping as much as possible through the USPS. With their higher limit on dimensional weight, oftentimes we can ship large, light-weight packages with USPS and avoid the dimensional weight costs that UPS or FedEx would have charged.

So there you have it! My tips for shipping and keeping your actual shipping charges as low as possible. Make sure to check out the additional tips below.

DIMENSIONAL WEIGHT TIPS:

• Calculator – If you need a quick way to determine the dimensional weight of a box, use this Dimensional Weight Calculator provided by Shipping Easy. It uses 139 as the divisor, so keep in mind the weight will be different with USPS.
• Box Resizer – To easily and neatly resize your shipping boxes, a Carton Sizer/Reducer is a great tool! This link is to the one I use. Just dial in the number of inches you want to reduce the height of a box, then slide the tool along the top edge of the box to create a neat straight fold line. Cut the corners to accommodate this new fold line and you’re set!

Do you have any packaging tips you’d like to share? Post a comment below.