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Shipping Volume & Dimensional Weight

Calculate volume and volumetric (DIM) weight across FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS and Amazon FBA carriers. Free Shipping Volume & Dimensional Weight — instant results.

Volumetric (kg)
1.80
Volumetric (lb)
3.95
Billed weight (kg)
1.80
Billed weight (lb)
3.95
Volume (cm³)
9000
Volume (m³)
0.0090
Volume (in³)
549
Volume (ft³)
0.318
How billed weight works: carriers charge the greater of actual weight vs volumetric weight. Your shipment will be billed at 1.80 kg (3.95 lb) via FedEx Domestic (US). Reducing box size by even 10% can drop DIM weight by ~27% — often worth the packaging investment.
Length + Girth (US domestic size limit reference): 39.4 in. UPS/FedEx/USPS usually cap residential at 130 in.

Derivation

  1. ├── 01Given30×20×15 cm, actual = 1.5 kg, carrier = FedEx Domestic (US)
  2. ├── 02Formulavolumetric kg = L·W·H (cm) / divisor · volumetric lb = L·W·H (in) / divisor
  3. ├── 03Volume cm³9000 cm³ (≈ 549 in³)
  4. ├── 04DIM divisor5000 (metric) · 139 (imperial)
  5. ├── 05Volumetric weight9000 / 5000 = 1.80 kg (3.95 lb)
  6. ├── 06Actual weight1.50 kg (3.31 lb)
  7. └── 07Billed weightmax(actual, volumetric) = 1.80 kg (3.95 lb)
Did you know?

Carriers bill by "dimensional weight" (volume/divisor) or actual weight, whichever is greater — a pricing rule introduced by UPS in 2015 to discourage oversized boxes.

§01What is

Understanding the Shipping Volume & Dimensional Weight

Calculate shipment volume and dimensional (DIM) weight across FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS Priority, Amazon FBA and other carriers — so you know whether actual weight or volumetric weight will be billed before you print the label.

Every decision in a business eventually reduces to a number — margin, ROAS, payback period, break-even. Getting those numbers fast and accurate is how operators avoid leaving money on the table. The Shipping Volume & Dimensional Weight sits in that toolkit — it calculate volume and volumetric (DIM) weight across FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS and Amazon FBA carriers. Enter your numbers above and the result updates instantly; every step of the math is shown in the Derivation panel so you can see exactly how the answer was reached.

§02The Formula

How it’s calculated

DIM (kg) = (L × W × H in cm) ÷ divisor | Billed = max(actual, DIM)

Where

L × W × H
Outer package dimensions
divisor
Carrier-specific (5000 for most metric, 139 for most imperial)
DIM weight
Volumetric weight — what lightweight bulky packages get billed at
Billed weight
The greater of actual vs DIM
§03Practical Example

Step-by-step walkthrough

Scenario

A 30×20×15 cm box weighing 1.5 kg shipping via FedEx Domestic.

  1. 01Volume: 30 × 20 × 15 = 9,000 cm³
  2. 02DIM weight: 9,000 ÷ 5000 = 1.8 kg
  3. 03Actual weight: 1.5 kg
  4. 04Billed weight: max(1.5, 1.8) = 1.8 kg
  5. 05Reducing the box to 25×20×15 drops DIM to 1.5 kg — you’d ship at actual.
§04FAQ

Frequently asked questions

FedEx: 5000 for metric (cm³/kg), 139 for imperial (in³/lb), globally as of 2026. Check your contract — enterprise accounts sometimes negotiate better divisors.
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