Advice: Measuring Freight
Why do I need to measure it? I know what it weighs!
Courier companies charge freight costs based on the higher of actual weight of the item (how heavy it is) compared to it’s cubic weight (how much space it takes up). To get an accurate quote you must first package your freight, then measure the FINAL packaged size.
When measuring you’ll need to do this to the nearest 1CM at the most extreme point on EACH of the 3 dimensions (length, width and height) – most items are not nicely rounded shapes like 10cm by 10cm by 20cm, so don’t just guess.
Remember to include any bits that stick out, don’t just measure the small point from the edges. Scanned cubic weight will include anything that is loose such as bubblewrap, tape, wheels, handles… the scanning machines will do a full scan and charge for everything.
Take an example of a bike. It weighs 10Kg and goes in a box 165cm x 10cm x 87cm – which gives it a cubic weight of 36Kg.
HOWEVER, let’s say you get one of the measurements wrong, and it scans as being bigger at 18cm, not 10cm as declared.
It’s only 8cm right – so what’s the problem, it’s still only a 10Kg bike? Unfortunately, the way cubic weight is calculated this small 8cm actually increases the overall cubic weight from 36Kg to 65Kg, so it will now cost you nearly double to what your quoted freight cost was. Ouch!
Help yourself get an accurate freight quote by;
• Keep your external packaging as neat as possible, any loosely packaged or bulging items will end up you costing more,
• Measuring accurately to the nearest 1cm at the most extreme point on each dimension, rounding up!!!
• Make sure you upload clear photo evidence online after you process your shipment of the weight and each dimension against a tape measure to validate your declarations. You can’t contest it if you don’t have photo evidence to prove it.
