Dimensional Weight and Calculation
What is Dimensional Weight and
How Do I Calculate it?
There are several different
factors involved in the calculation of the cost that any shipment may incur
when you are booking it. One of the most used ways of calculating that is the dimensional
weight of the package and as a customer, you need to know exactly how it works.
This is something that you can find on courier websites or even with third-party
logistics (3PL) partners if you are a business working with one. Keep reading
to find out more about what dimensional weight is and how it works in shipping
orders.
What is Dimensional Weight?
To understand the pricing
mechanism involved in dimensional weight, you need to understand the basic
concept first. Dimensional weight, also referred to as DIM weight, is a pricing
technique that freight and courier companies use to calculate pricing for the
packages that they deliver every day. Typically, this is a fixed formula that anyone
can easily use to calculate the price that they will incur for a particular
sized package.
The first step involved in this
is to calculate the volume of the package you will ship. This is done by
multiplying the length of the package with its width and height. The answer to
that equation gives you the volume of the package or, in simple words, the
amount of space it is going to cover in a truck. Shipping companies consider
the weight capacity of the truck and since it is a limited number, they assign
a specific density value to itand that helps distribute the weight across the
truck while staying within the limit.
However, it is not necessary that
the weight of each package will be exactly as expected by the courier company.
The package that you are shipping may have a dimensional weight that is lower
or higher than its actual weight. To make sure there is no loss to the company,
they use the higher value. If the dimensional weight is more, then that is what
they will charge you on but if the weight of the package exceeds the
dimensional weight, then they will charge you on actual weight.
How to Correctly Measure
Dimensional Weight?
When it comes to large packages,
you are looking to pay shipping fees that are in hundreds and sometimes
thousands of dollars. You do not want to be paying more than you anticipate and
that is why you must learn the proper method of calculating the dimensional
weight. The density values used by each courier company is confidential, so you
cannot calculate the price directly either. Here are the steps that you need to
follow when calculating the dimensional weight.
1.
Start
by measuring the length, width, and height of the package that you want to
ship. The dimensional calculation done by shipping companies considers any
bulges and misshapen characteristics, so you must measure each side using the
longest points. Not doing so could offset your calculations significantly in
many cases and you do not want that to happen because the resulting cost
difference will also be huge.
2.
Never
use accurate measurements down to decimal places and round off every number in
your calculation. This is a standard practice that everyone must follow since
most companies expect you to do that anyway. They also do it themselves, so it
is best not to let your estimate go lower.
3.
Once
you have calculated the dimensions, you need to calculate the cubic size of the
package that you are shipping. For example, if a package is 40 inches by 15
inches by 10 inches, then the cubic size would be calculated by multiplying
these three numbers, which will come out to 6000 cubic inches.
4.
The
next step is where the density calculation from the courier service comes in.
It is called a dimensional factor or a DIM divisor. This is basically the
number you use to calculate the dimensional weight allocated to your package.Most
major companies like DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.,usually use the following standard
which we apply to our shipments as well.
For
calculation in inches, the formula to divide the cubic size by 139 and the
value derived from it is in pounds. For centimeters, the cubic size is divided
by 5000 which gives a value in kilograms.
Using
this value, if were to calculate the dimensional weight of the example package
above in inches, it would be 6000 divided by 139 which comes out to 44 pounds
(rounded off to the next whole number from 43.165). Now that we have the value,
we can figure out what you would be paying to the courier for the package.
-
If
the actual weight of the package is lower than 44 pounds (say 40 pounds),then the
courier will charge you according to the dimensional weight as that is the
bigger value.
-
If
the actual weight of the package is higher than 44 pounds (say 50 pounds), then
the courier will charge you on actual weight as that is now the bigger value.
You must calculate both the
dimensional weight and the actual weight of the product you are shipping to
have the best possible estimate of the price that you would be paying for the
package you are shipping.
Thankfully, courier services
provide easy to use calculators on their websites, which you can use to get
estimate pricing on the packages. Using them is highly recommended for your
calculations to avoid discrepancies between your own calculations and the courier
service.
Summing Up
Some inexperienced people tend to
forget that the dimensions of the package also include any layers that may form
from the packaging that you add to the item you are shipping. Be sure to make
your calculations after you have fully packed the item(s) that you are shipping,
so you do not go lower than the final weight and size of the package. We hope
that with this guide, you can easily make any calculation you want for all
kinds of packages that you may want to ship.