How To Measure a Box for Shipping—Dimensions & Instructions — Shopify Tutorials (2022)

Preparing packages for shipping can be a confusing process the first time you have to do it – especially if you’re a brand new business fulfill your first order!

Don’t worry, ‘how to measure a box,’ is not a stupid question. Knowing exactly how to measure a box is important for shipping, as carriers and freight companies will either charge according to the dimensional weight (volume) or the actual weight of the package; so you may be asked about the dimensions, volume or girth of your package. Knowing this number can help you guarantee a better delivery rate or find out what type of delivery best benefits your business.

Once you know how to measure boxes for shipping and have secured the best rates, this process will become an easy part of your business — which is why it’s important to get it right from the jump.

How to measure a box

To measure your package, you will need a measuring tape or ruler, a box, a pencil and a piece of paper to mark the dimensions.

When you measure a box for shipping, you need to measure the outside dimensions. On the other hand, when you buy a box for your business, you definitely want to know the internal dimensions. This ensures that your product fits neatly inside and prevents any damage. Calculated dimensions ensure little room for movement so your product stays secure during shipping and handling.

When measuring the outside dimensions of your box, you need to measure long, width and height (L x W x H). This is the industry standard order in which measurements should be listed.

How to measure box dimensions:

• The first dimension to measure is length. This will be the longest side of the box that has the flap.

• Next is the width. The wide side also has flaps, but will be shorter than the length. Turn the box 90 degrees to measure the width.

• Lastly is the package height. Height is the only dimension without a flap Close the flap of the box and measure the height from top to bottom.

Note: Acceptable manufacturing variance is +/- inches.

How to calculate the volume of a box

Calculating your package volume will help determine everything from shipping to warehousing and distribution processes more easily. Volume calculation is important in material and cost optimization.

To calculate the volume of your package for shipping, you need to multiply the length by the width by the height.

L x W x H = Volume. For example;

• L = 16in
• W = 12in
• H = 8in

16 x 12 x 8 = 1,536 cubic inches (cu).

How to measure the circumference of a box

For uniquely shaped packages such as cylindrical boxes (used to ship prints or posters), you may need to calculate the circumference. Some carriers require the circumference of the box to calculate shipping costs.

You can calculate the circumference of the box by using a flexible measuring tape to find the distance around the widest point of the package. This measure is the girl.

To find a girl you need to measure width and also height and times by two.

Circumference = 2(W + H)

If we use the example above, we will multiply the width (12 inches) by 2. This will give us 24. Then we take the height (8 inches) and also multiply by 2. This will give us 16.

We then add the results together to get the girl.

How to keep shipping costs low

With shipping costs rising worldwide, it’s important to keep an eye on them change the transmission rate. But there are a few tips for small business keep in mind to help maintain the best delivery rates.

• Make sure you use the right box for your product. If you use a large box for a small or light product, you will pay more because of the space used by the package. Large boxes lead to large dimensional weight which means more expensive shipping costs.
• You can reduce your shipping costs by reusing old boxes or using “ships in own container” (SIOC) packaging (your product packaging is what you add a shipping label to, so you don’t need to pack it in another box). For smaller items you can exchange the box for a lower weight poly shipper.
• Check if your e-commerce platform provides any discounted shipping rates. For example, Shopify shipping helps vendors save up to 88% with discounts for USPS, UPS and DHL.

Find Cheaper Shipping with Shopify

source: https://www.shopify.co.id/blog/how-to-measure-a-box