Dimensional Weight and How it Impacts Your Shipping
What is Dimensional Weight, why does it exist and how can you try and avoid over paying for your shipping.
The What and the Why?
Dimensional weight is a calculation that all carriers use in determining the actual shipping weight of a package. There was a time when carriers would take packages simply based on their weight. As time went on this process proved to be advantageous for the shipper but not for the shipping company.
Imagine the carrier picks up 2 packages – 1 from customer A and 1 from customer B. Customer A is shipping toaster ovens. The box is 16″ x 10″ x 10″ and when placed on a scale comes in at 20 lbs. Customer B is shipping plastic chairs. The box the chair comes in is 26″ x 18 x 18 and when placed on a scale it weighs 20 lbs. Based on a per weight only method both of these packages will be billed the same rate. However the cost to transport these items is not the same. A standard delivery truck would be able to fit 2.5x more toaster oven than chairs. If the items need to be transported on a plane again fewer items will fit based on the size.
This discrepancy in the actual cost to transport an item is what led all carriers to adopt a dimensional weight system. This allows the carriers to make sure each square inch of their trucks and planes are producing similar returns.
How is Dimensional weight calculated:
Dimensional weight is calculated using a simple formula. The length of a product times the width times the height divided by a DIM factor
Take the 2 examples above:
Company A
Item: Toaster Oven
Box weight: 20 Lbs
Box size: 16 x 10 x 10
Dimensional weight: ((16 x 10 x 10)/166) 9.63 Lbs
Since the actual weight is more than the dimensional weight this package would ship at 20 Lbs
Company B
Item: Plastic Chairs
Box weight: 20 Lbs
Box size: 26 x 18 x 18
Dimensional weight: ((26 x 18 x 18)/166) 51 Lbs
Since the dimensional weight is more than the actual weight this package would ship at 51 Lbs
How IWS can work to decrease the impact dimensional weight
Dimensional weight can be mitigated a few ways:
- Most products don’t present a dimensional problem alone. They face a dimensional problem when multiple units are being shipped at the same time. For this reason having access to a multitude of packaging materials can be the solution. Since customer orders can and will vary there is most likely not one or two shipping options to keep costs inline. Many other 3PL providers try and standardize all their customers orders into 10 or 15 total packaging options. While this may help to reduce the 3PL’s cost it is may not be the best thing for their customers. IWS stocks over 40 different shipping boxes and bags allowing IWS to most closely match box sizes to the items shipping. As an additional benefit items that are shipped in boxes with limited empty space tend to have fewer damages while in transit
- Shipping rates. Utilizing IWS’s highly discounted rates can help to decrease the impacts of dimensional weight.
Written by:
Jason Steinman:
Jason is a content contributor for IWS with over 15 years in the logistics space. Jasons goal is to help small to mid sized brands by providing content that helps them plan for growth rather than react to growth.
Simple Ways To Optimize Your Website For SEO
Want to know the one thing that every successful digital marketer does first to ensure they get the biggest return on their marketing budget? It’s simple: goal-setting. This is an absolutely essential practice for any digital marketer who knows how to execute their campaigns in a productive, cost-effective way. With a few. With a few simple tips, you can be doing the same in no time! In this blog, we’ll walk you through the first steps every savvy digital marketer takes to ensure that they’re on target to hit all their marketing objectives. Get ready for revenue!
Remember: even if the channel you’re considering is all the rage right now, it might not fit your brand. Always make informed decisions that directly relate to your company. Otherwise, your message won’t be delivered to its intended audience and you’ll have wasted time, effort and money.
Know Your Digital Goals
The first step is clearly identifying which goals you want to achieve. Get specific. Do you want to increase brand awareness? Are you all about locking in leads? Do you want to establish a strong network of influencers that can help you be discovered? How about pushing engagement on social media?
Get Specific
A useful tool for narrowing down your goals to ensure they’re viable is the SMART mnemonic. It’s important to get specific to understand exactly what you’re working towards, and help you break down the process of hitting your targets. This is exactly what this mnemonic helps you to achieve.
- Does the channel reach my intended audience?
- Is the channel sustainable and affordable within my company’s marketing budget?
- Will I be able to measure the success of the channel?
- Does the channel allow me to express my brand’s intended message?
- Do the channels I’m considering work together to convey my message?
Always Remember Your Goals!
Establishing a solid vision for your business is the first step to planning your digital marketing budget. Always keep your final goals in sight when organising anything for your company. When deciding which steps to take next in your business, ask yourself how they will help you achieve the goals you outlined in Step #1. This will ensure that you stay on track and prevent you from spending your budget on anything that won’t help you achieve.
Cum et essent similique. Inani propriae menandri sed in. Pericula expetendis has no,
quo populo forensibus contentiones et, nibh error in per.Denis Robinson
As your budget progresses and evolves, continue referring to your SMART objectives. Stay focused and remember your goals – they will always inform what your next step will be!