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Volumetric Weight Calculator

See the weight your courier bills you for, and how much trimming your box could save each month.

Reviewed by CA Apurav GargUpdated Calculated in your browser; copied links include your figures

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Calculator

Note:
Example values — replace with yours.

Your box

Box 1

Your courier’s terms

From your courier’s rate card or contract. Enter charges as you are billed for them.

Check your courier’s rate card; some use 4000 or 4500.

Billed weight goes up in steps of this size.

What one slab costs.

Added for each slab after the first.

Shipments sent in this box.

Your result

Charge a shipment

₹165

4 slabs on 1.8 kg volumetric weight · ₹4,95,000 a month for 3,000 shipments.

Volumetric weight
1.8 kg
Billed weight
2 kg (4 slabs)
Trim to save
₹1,20,000 a month

Trim to save

The smallest cut to one side of the box that drops the bill by one slab. Sizes are rounded down to the millimetre so the box really fits.

Save ₹1,20,000 a month

Cut the height by 2 cm (12 cm → 10 cm) and the bill drops to 3 slabs (1.5 kg): ₹125 a shipment. That saves ₹40 a shipment, ₹1,20,000 a month.

How the charge is worked out

How the charge is worked out
Itemkg or ₹How we got this
1.8 kg
Actual weight0.8 kg
Chargeable weight1.8 kg
Weight slabs billed4 × 0.5 kg
Charge a shipment₹165
Charge a month₹4,95,000

What this tells you

Couriers bill on the higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight, rounded up to the next slab. A box with a few centimetres of empty space can push every shipment into a higher slab.

Enter your box, your product’s weight and your courier’s own terms to see the weight you are billed for, what it costs a month, and whether trimming one side of the box would drop a slab.

Assumptions used

  • The divisor, weight slab and charges are the ones you enter from your courier’s rate card; none are built in.
  • Every shipment in a month uses the same box and weighs the same.
  • Charges are a first-slab charge plus a fixed charge for each additional slab; zone, fuel surcharges, COD fees and minimum charges are not included.
  • Trim to save looks at a cut to one side of the box only, and only one slab lower.
  • Figures are rounded for display only; the working uses exact values.

How this is calculated

  1. Volumetric weight = length × breadth × height (cm) ÷ divisor.
  2. Chargeable weight = the higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight.
  3. Slabs = chargeable weight ÷ slab size, rounded up (at least one).
  4. Charge a shipment = first-slab charge + (slabs − 1) × charge per additional slab. Charge a month = charge a shipment × shipments.
  5. Trim to save: the smallest cut to one side so that length × breadth × height ≤ (slabs − 1) × slab size × divisor, offered only when the actual weight also fits that lower slab.

Worked examples

Example: a 30 × 25 × 12 cm box weighing 0.8 kg

Courier terms: divisor 5,000, 0.5 kg slabs, ₹45 for the first slab and ₹40 for each additional slab; 3,000 shipments a month.

  • Volumetric weight: 30 × 25 × 12 = 9,000 cm³ ÷ 5,000 = 1.8 kg, higher than the 0.8 kg actual weight.
  • Slabs: 1.8 kg ÷ 0.5 kg = 4 slabs. Charge: ₹45 + 3 × ₹40 = ₹165 a shipment, ₹4,95,000 a month.
  • Trim to save: cut the height by 2 cm (to 10 cm) and the box is 3 slabs, ₹125 a shipment — a saving of ₹40 a shipment and ₹1,20,000 a month.

Our MIS & Reporting service tracks shipping cost per order alongside the monthly accounts.

Questions sellers ask

What is volumetric weight?

A weight worked out from the size of the box rather than what it weighs: length × breadth × height in centimetres, divided by the courier’s divisor. Couriers bill on it because a large, light parcel takes as much space in a van or plane as a heavy one.

Which divisor should I use?

The one in your courier’s rate card or contract. Some couriers use 5000, others 4000 or 4500, and it can differ between surface and air. A smaller divisor gives a higher volumetric weight for the same box.

Why is my bill higher than the weight on the scale?

The courier charges on whichever is higher, the actual or the volumetric weight, and then rounds it up to the next weight slab. A 0.8 kg product in a large box can be billed as 2 kg.

How does “Trim to save” work?

It finds the smallest cut to one side of the box — length, breadth or height — that brings the volumetric weight down by one slab. It only suggests a cut when the actual weight also fits the lower slab, and it rounds the new size down to the millimetre so the box really fits.

Can I compare a few box sizes?

Yes. Use “Compare another box” to add up to three boxes. Each one uses the same courier terms and shipments a month, and the lowest charge is shown at the top.

Should the charges include GST?

Enter them excluding GST if you claim input tax credit on courier invoices, and including GST if you cannot — the GST is then part of the cost.

Want our team to check these numbers against your actual settlement reports?

We reconcile marketplace settlements, GST and TDS for D2C and marketplace sellers every month. Share your reports and we will walk you through what we find.

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Disclaimer

A planning estimate for general information only, based on the figures you enter. It is not professional advice. Couriers set their own divisors, slabs, rounding and charges; your courier’s rate card and invoice decide what you pay.

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