Calculate volumetric (DIM) weight and find your billable shipping weight. Add multiple packages for cumulative totals.
Rates and DIM factors vary by carrier and route. Always confirm pricing directly with your carrier before shipping.
Carriers don't always charge by the weight on your scale. For light, bulky parcels they charge by the space the box occupies — the dimensional (volumetric) weight. This tool computes both your actual weight and your DIM weight, then shows the billable weight: whichever of the two is greater, which is what your carrier invoices you for.
It supports the DIM factors used by major carrier types — air freight and express courier (5000 cm³/kg, or 139 in³/lb) and road/ground freight (4000 cm³/kg, or 111 in³/lb) — plus a custom factor for any carrier-specific divisor. People use it to:
Everything runs local and in-browser — your dimensions and weights never leave your device, nothing is uploaded, and you can export or copy a plain-text quote for your records.
Dimensional weight, also called volumetric weight or DIM weight, is a pricing weight based on how much space a parcel occupies rather than how heavy it is. It is calculated as length × width × height divided by a DIM factor. Carriers use it so that a large, light box is not shipped for the price of its low actual weight alone.
The DIM factor (or DIM divisor) is the number you divide your cubic dimensions by to convert volume into weight. In metric it is expressed in cm³ per kg — for example 5000 means 5000 cm³ counts as 1 kg. In imperial it is in³ per lb. A higher factor produces a lower dimensional weight, so a carrier with a larger divisor charges less for bulky parcels.
Billable weight is the greater of the actual (scale) weight and the dimensional weight: billable = max(actual, DIM). Whichever is larger is what the carrier charges you for. This tool highlights the billable figure for each package and totals it across your whole consignment.
As a general guide, UPS and FedEx commonly use 5000 cm³/kg (139 in³/lb) for most domestic and international parcels, while DHL Express also typically uses 5000 cm³/kg (139 in³/lb). Road and ground freight often uses 4000 cm³/kg (111 in³/lb). Factors change by service, region and contract, so always confirm the exact divisor with your carrier.
Yes. Use the cm/kg toggle for metric, where the calculator divides cm³ by a factor such as 5000 to get kilograms. Switch to in/lb for imperial, where it divides in³ by the equivalent factor — 139 for the 5000 preset and 111 for the 4000 preset — to get pounds. The preset factors convert automatically with the units.
Use a box that fits the contents snugly — every empty centimetre adds to the volume and the DIM weight. Remove excess void fill, choose flatter packaging where possible, split or combine items to avoid an awkwardly large box, and compare carriers, since one with a higher DIM factor will charge less for the same bulky parcel.
No. All calculations run entirely in your browser. Your dimensions, weights and the quote you export or copy never leave your device and nothing is sent to a server.