A big light box costs more to ship than the scales suggest, because it takes up space a heavier small box would not. Enter your box size and weight and you see which of the two the carrier will charge you for, and how much you are paying for empty air.
The longest side of the box you are shipping, not the product inside. Round up to whole centimetres, because the carrier does too.
The width of the box on the outside. If the sides bulge because it is packed full, measure the bulge.
How tall the closed box is. Filler and thick cardboard count, so measure the box you actually hand over.
What the whole parcel weighs on the scales: product, box, tape and filling together.
The number your carrier divides by. It is in your rate sheet. Road and parcel usually use 5000, air freight often 6000. Leave 5000 if you do not know.
5.00
Chargeable weight
kg. This is what ends up on the invoice.
kg. What the box weighs according to its size.
kg. What it weighs on the scales.
kg you are billed for that is not really there. If this is zero, your box is the right size.
A one-page summary with your figures, the method and what the answer means.
The fix is packing decisions made at the pack bench: the right box for the order, chosen automatically instead of by eye.
See how packing advice worksIn plain terms: the carrier turns the size of your box into a pretend weight, then bills whichever is higher, the pretend one or the real one. The sum: multiply length, width and height in centimetres, divide by the carrier's number (usually 5000), and compare the answer with what the parcel actually weighs.
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If the volumetric weight is far above the real weight, you are shipping fresh air at your own expense. Half a dozen box sizes and a packer who picks the right one usually beats any discount you can negotiate.
Check the divisor in your contract before you trust any figure. Parcel, air and pallet services each work with their own, and some carriers round every measurement up to the next centimetre first.
It is a weight derived from the size of the parcel rather than what it weighs, so that carriers are paid for the space a light but bulky shipment occupies.
Use the one in your carrier contract. 5000 is widely used for European road and parcel shipments and 6000 for air freight, but there is no universal figure.
Loading metres, floor area, volume and trailers needed, from your own pallet sizes and stacking height.
Warehouse space calculatorSquare metres for a given number of pallet positions, including aisles and support space.
Safety stock calculatorSafety stock from demand and lead time variability, at the service level you choose.
Loading metres, stock levels and order points are only as good as the stock data behind them. That is what a warehouse management system keeps accurate, every movement, without anyone maintaining a spreadsheet.