Shipping Cost Calculator

Dimensional (DIM or volumetric) weight is a weight carriers work out from a box's size: length × width × height divided by a divisor. You pay for whichever is higher, the actual weight or the DIM weight. A 16 × 12 × 10 in box is 1,920 in³; divided by 139 that's 13.81 lb, so a 6 lb item in it is billed as 14 lb.

UPS and FedEx use 139 in³/lb for daily (account) rates, and UPS uses 166 for retail rates. USPS uses 139 for Priority Mail and Ground Advantage parcels over one cubic foot. DHL Express and FedEx's metric rule use 5,000 cm³/kg. Contract rates can use a different divisor, so check your agreement and change it in the tool.

Only for parcels over one cubic foot (1,728 in³). A 12 × 12 × 12 in box weighing 2 lb is exactly 1,728 in³, so USPS bills 2 lb. Make it 13 in long and it's 1,872 in³, so it's billed at 14 lb. UPS's daily-rate rule has no threshold and would bill the 12-inch cube at 13 lb.

Carriers usually round each side to a whole inch or centimeter before multiplying, then round the billable weight up — to the next whole pound in the US, and often to the next half kilogram for metric services. Rounded up, a 16 × 12 × 10 in box (measured 15.2 × 11.6 × 9.1) is billed at 14 lb. Each carrier row has its own rounding settings.

It's a percentage added on top of the base charge, and most carriers change it weekly. In the worked example, 18% of the $15.40 base charge is $2.77; if the carrier also applies it to the $5.00 residential surcharge it becomes $3.67. Enter the current percentage from your carrier's fuel surcharge page.

Carrier prices depend on zone, service, account discounts and the date, and they change every year. The tool can't look them up, so it works from the rate you enter — a price per pound or kilogram with a minimum, or a weight-break table copied from your rate sheet.

Use the smallest box that fits and cut empty space. The estimator shows the volume at which each package would be billed on actual weight: the 16 × 12 × 10 in, 6 lb box would need to shrink to 834 in³ — 16 × 12 × 4 in. Heavy, compact items are billed on actual weight anyway: a 10 × 8 × 6 in, 12 lb box is billed at 12 lb.

Almost, but not exactly. Converted to metric, 139 in³/lb is about 5,022 cm³/kg and 166 in³/lb is about 5,997 cm³/kg, so imperial and metric DIM rules give slightly different billable weights for the same box. The estimator converts your box to each carrier's own units, so it applies whichever divisor and unit you set for that carrier.

Measure the outside of the packed box, including any bulge, and use the longest side as the length. Most carriers round each side to a whole inch or centimeter, so a box that is a fraction over can cost more than you expect; enter the real measurements and the estimator applies each carrier's rounding.

Yes. Add a row for each package size with its quantity, and keep a row for each carrier or service you want to compare. The estimator quotes every carrier on the whole shipment, shows the billable weight, base charge, fuel and surcharges for each, and highlights the cheapest.

No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is stored or uploaded.