WHAT IS UPS DIMENSIONAL WEIGHT AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

Resource Center » What is UPS Dimensional Weight and How Does it Apply to Drinkware?

UPS dimensional weight determines density and may be used to determine billing for promotional drinkware that is not dense.

The United Parcel Service (UPS) dimensional weight determines the density of a package. UPS dimensional weight may be used to determine the price of shipping when promotional drinkware like personalized water bottles does not fill every space when packed. UPS uses two different kinds of weight measurements to determine the price of shipping a package, dimensional weight and actual weight, and UPS calls this billing. The heaviest weight of the two will be used to determine billing.

To calculate UPS dimensional weight for a package of promotional drinkware for a ground shipment, measure the dimensions of the package. The height of the package multiplied by the length and multiplied by the width of a package equals the cubic size of a package. Divide the cubic size by 194 if the cubic size is larger than 5,184. For example, if the drinkware package is 24 inches high, 30 inches long, and 20 inches wide, the cubic size would be 14,400. Since this cubic size is larger than 5,184, then 14,400 is divided by 194 to calculate the UPS dimensional weight. The result of dividing 14,400 by 194 is 74.226804. Round this result up to the nearest pound and 75 pounds is the UPS dimensional weight.

The calculation differs for sending promotional drinkware by air; in that case, all cubic sizes are divided by 194, not just those over 5,184 inches. If the drinkware package is 12 inches high, 15 inches long, and 11 inches wide, the cubic size would be 1,980 inches. 1,980 is divided by 194 to equal the cubic weight of 10.206185 pounds. This number is rounded up to the UPS dimensional weight of 11 pounds.

After the dimensional weights are calculated for a ground shipment or for an air shipment of promotional drinkware, the UPS dimensional weight is compared with the drinkware package’s actual weight. The larger weight will be the one used for the price of shipping. If the actual weight of the drinkware package shipped by air is only ten pounds and the dimensional weight is 11 pounds, then 11 pounds will be used for billing.

International drinkware shipments also use the UPS dimensional weight, but the cubic size is divided by 166 instead of divided by 194. For most international shipments, all cubic sizes are divided by 166 except when shipping to Canada. Drinkware going to Canada uses the actual weight unless the cubic size is more than 5,184.

If the drinkware package is very large, then it may be deemed a large package by UPS and require an extra surcharge. To determine if the package is classified as a large package, measure the length, height, and width in inches and round each fraction of an inch to the closest inch. Double the height and double the width, and then add them to the length. A sum over 130 inches is considered a large package and will be billed extra. No package should have a sum of over 165 inches as this is too large for UPS to ship.

It's important to remember that inches are rounded to the nearest inch. When determining pounds, any fraction of a pound is always rounded up to the next pound (it's never rounded down). The billing weight of the drinkware package is the heaviest of the UPS dimensional weight and the actual weight.

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