Lose the retail carton
Display packaging is mostly air and it is the single biggest cause of a volumetric charge. We strip it as standard unless you ask us not to.
Work out your real weight
Chargeable weight, and the calculator that works it out
Couriers charge on whichever is greater, what your parcel weighs or how much space it takes. Here is the arithmetic, and a calculator so you do not have to do it.
What is chargeable weight?
Chargeable weight is whichever is greater: the actual weight of your parcel, or its volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is length times width times height in centimetres, divided by five thousand. A light but bulky parcel is therefore priced on its size, because space on an aircraft is as scarce as payload.
Do the sum
Volumetric weight calculator
Enter the outside dimensions of the finished box and its actual weight. Nothing is sent anywhere, this runs entirely in your browser.
Volumetric weight—
Actual weight—
You are charged on—
Fill in all four boxes to see your chargeable weight.
Get a price for this weightWe use a divisor of 5000, which is what our carriers apply on these routes. Some carriers use 6000 on some services, which produces a lower volumetric figure.
The arithmetic
Four steps, done by hand
-
01
Measure the box
Length, width and height in centimetres, measured on the outside of the finished parcel including any bulge. Not the item, the box.
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02
Multiply and divide
Length times width times height gives you the volume in cubic centimetres. Divide that by five thousand. The answer is the volumetric weight in kilograms.
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03
Weigh the parcel
The actual weight of the finished box with everything in it, again in kilograms.
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04
Take the bigger number
Compare the two. Whichever is greater is your chargeable weight, and that is the figure the rate card is applied to.
Why the box matters so much
The same three kilograms, four different bills
Identical contents weighing three kilograms, packed four different ways.
| Box size | Volume | Volumetric weight | Charged on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 x 20 x 15 cm | 9,000 cm³ | 1.8 kg | 3 kg, the actual weight |
| 35 x 25 x 15 cm | 13,125 cm³ | 2.6 kg | 3 kg, the actual weight |
| 40 x 30 x 20 cm | 24,000 cm³ | 4.8 kg | 4.8 kg, the volumetric weight |
| 50 x 40 x 30 cm | 60,000 cm³ | 12 kg | 12 kg, the volumetric weight |
Four times the bill for the same goods, decided entirely by the box. This is why stripping retail packaging is worth more than any discount you are likely to be offered.
Bringing it down
Four ways to reduce what you are charged
Consolidate, do not split
One well packed box has far less wasted space than three small ones, and the per kilogram rate falls as the parcel gets heavier.
Fill the voids properly
A half empty box has to be big enough for its contents to rattle around. Packed tightly, the same goods fit a smaller box.
Watch the 120 cm limit
Any single side over one hundred and twenty centimetres attracts a carrier oversize charge on top of the volumetric calculation.
Common questions
Questions we get asked most
Because an aircraft runs out of room before it runs out of lifting capacity. A hold filled with pillows weighs very little but is completely full, and the carrier cannot sell that space twice. Charging on volume where it exceeds weight is how they price the thing that is actually scarce.
It is the industry divisor for air freight, representing roughly how many cubic centimetres the carriers treat as equivalent to one kilogram. Some carriers and some services use 6000, which produces a lower volumetric weight. Every rate we quote uses 5000, which is the figure our carriers apply on these lanes.
The box, from the outside, including any bulge. Carriers measure the finished parcel as it sits on their scale, not the contents. This is precisely why repacking matters, because the box is the thing being charged for.
Yes, and they do. Carriers reserve the right to reweigh and remeasure to confirm the calculation, and any difference is billed afterwards. We measure accurately before quoting so there is no correction later, which is better for everyone.
Remove the retail packaging. Indian retail boxes are built for display and for a short van journey, and they are mostly air. Stripping an outer carton and repacking into a box that actually fits the contents routinely drops a parcel a whole weight band, which is a bigger saving than any discount.
Keep reading
Where to go next
Know your weight, get your price
Send us the dimensions and we will confirm the chargeable weight and quote all three carriers.
