To ensure you don't incur any carrier adjustments after you ship, it's critical to measure your packages as accurately as possible. Sometimes, that means accounting for a little extra bulge in your boxes now and then 😉
This guide contains instructions for measuring the most common types of packages, along with some info on properly weighing your shipments.
Don't rely on the dimensions printed on the box
Take your own measurements: If you see dimensions printed on your box, DO NOT enter these when making your label! Not only do these printed dimensions not account for any extra bulge in your box, but they often reflect a box's inner dimensions rather than its outer dimensions.
Entering a box's inner dimensions instead of its outer dimensions may result in carrier adjustments, since carriers only check for outer dimensions when transporting packages.
Learn more about the difference between inner dimensions and outer dimensions.
Measuring boxes
Standard box dimensions are length, width, and height
Boxes require you to measure three dimensions: When shipping a box, you must measure its length, height, and width. To do this, we recommend using a tape measure and entering your dimensions as accurately as you can (using decimal points). Our system will automatically round up or down from there 👍
Measure boxes AFTER you pack them: To get the most accurate measurements for boxes, we recommend measuring after you have packed them. When you measure a box's length, width, and height after the contents are inside, you can account for any extra bulge that may increase your postage costs.
For instance, you may need to account for an extra inch of height if the top of your box doesn't close perfectly flat.
Here's a video example of accounting for box bulge when you measure:
In this case, you'd want to measure the box's height as 11 inches, not 10, to account for the bulge 📦
Measuring envelopes and poly mailers
Measure envelopes BEFORE you pack them: Unlike measuring boxes, you must measure the two dimensions of envelopes (length and width) before you place any contents inside.
Expandable or pleated envelopes are the exception: Shipping carriers consider expandable or pleated envelopes to have three dimensions (length, width, and height) instead of two. Therefore, these envelopes technically get treated as boxes, and you'll need to measure all three dimensions after the envelope is packed to account for any bulge 👌
Pro Pirate Tip: Beware of cardboard sandwiches! A "cardboard sandwich" refers to shipping a thin item, such as a sign or poster, between two flat pieces of cardboard that you tape up.
Shipping carriers treat cardboard sandwiches as boxes and not envelopes. Therefore, you'll need to provide three dimensions for these shipments: length, width, and height. If you don't, you'll likely incur a carrier adjustment.
Measuring tubes and irregular packages
Tubes
Tubes have three dimensions: Like boxes, tubes have three dimensions: length, width, and height. When measuring tubes, best practice is to treat them as though they are rectangular.
Due to their shape, tubes often have two identical measurements for their width and height. For instance, a cylindrical tube that fits a standard poster size might measure 24x3x3", where the width and height are both 3 inches.
Tubes are irregular packages: A final thing to keep in mind about shipping tubes is that carriers consider them to be irregular packages. As such, you'll need to designate this when creating your label, and some surcharges may apply.
Irregular packages
Irregular packages don't fit into standard boxes or envelopes: On top of tubes, some other common examples of irregular packages are tires, wooden crates, golf sets, and guitars. Generally speaking, a shipment is "irregular" if it isn't able to fit inside a standard box or envelope.
When measuring an irregular package, it's critical to take three measurements as accurately as you can...even if one or more of its sides is slanted or crooked. Like tubes, best practice is to measure the space around the package as though it were a rectangle.
Select the "Irregular Package" checkbox: When creating a label for an object that doesn't fit inside a standard box or envelope, you'll need to select the Irregular Package checkbox. Here's how that looks:
Surcharges may apply: Keep in mind that selecting the "Irregular Package" checkbox may incur surcharges on top of your label cost.
Weigh your packages AFTER you have packed them
Properly weighing packages: No matter what packaging type you're using, you must weigh your shipment AFTER you have packed and taped it up. This way, you take into account your total shipment weight, which includes the weight of your items plus the weight of your box or envelope.
Use a scale that displays ounces: You can use any standard kitchen scale to weigh your shipment, as long as it displays weight to the nearest ounce. You can also use a regular fitness scale, but packages often aren't heavy enough for these scales to display their weight 😅
Pro Pirate Tip: For the most accurate weight measurements, we recommend investing in a shipping scale. These scales are specifically designed to weigh handheld packages to the nearest ounce. See which scales we recommend!