Shipping Cost Calculator
Work out what it costs to post one order, including the packing, the insurance and the dimensional weight.
Shipping is the cost that turns a profitable sale into a break even one, and it is regularly undercharged because the maker counts the postage and forgets the box. This calculator adds the carrier charge, the packing materials, the insurance and the handling into one cost per parcel, and it checks the dimensional weight, which is the rule that makes a large light parcel cost more than its actual weight suggests.
At a glance
- What you enter
- Packed parcel weight, Parcel length, Parcel width, Parcel height, Carrier base charge, Carrier charge per kilogram, Dimensional weight factor, Packing materials, Declared value for insurance, Insurance rate, Handling
- What you get
- Dimensional weight, Chargeable weight, Dimensional weight is higher, Dimensional weight against actual weight, Carrier charge, Insurance, Total cost to ship one parcel, Suggested shipping charge, Cost per chargeable kilogram, Packing as a share of the shipping cost, Carrier charge as a share, Shipping cost for a hundred orders, Saving from a parcel four centimetres slimmer, Order value needed to absorb free shipping, Shipping as a share of a fifty dollar order, Shipping as a share of a hundred and fifty dollar order, Orders needed to justify a 250 dollar courier account
- Formula shown
- Yes, every step, right below your results.
- Cost and privacy
- Free, no account needed, and nothing you type is stored.
See worked examples ↓ Read the FAQ ↓ Share this calculator ↓
Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.
How to use the Shipping Cost Calculator
- 1 Enter Packed parcel weight (kg), The parcel as packed, not the item. The box and the packing add weight.
- 2 Enter Parcel length (cm), The outside dimensions of the packed parcel.
- 3 Enter Parcel width (cm)
- 4 Enter Parcel height (cm)
- 5 Enter Carrier base charge, The fixed part of the carrier rate for this service.
- 6 Enter Carrier charge per kilogram, The weight dependent part of the carrier rate.
- 7 Enter Dimensional weight factor, Five thousand for centimetres and kilograms, or 139 for inches and pounds. The carrier divides the volume by this.
- 8 Enter Packing materials, Box, tape, wrap, tissue, label. Per parcel rather than per item.
- 9 Enter Declared value for insurance
- 10 Enter Insurance rate (%), A share of the declared value, which is how most carriers price cover.
- 11 Enter Handling, The time to pack, label and post. Zero if you choose to absorb it.
- 12 Press Calculate. You get Dimensional weight, Chargeable weight, Dimensional weight is higher, Dimensional weight against actual weight, Carrier charge, Insurance, Total cost to ship one parcel, Suggested shipping charge, Cost per chargeable kilogram, Packing as a share of the shipping cost, Carrier charge as a share, Shipping cost for a hundred orders, Saving from a parcel four centimetres slimmer, Order value needed to absorb free shipping, Shipping as a share of a fifty dollar order, Shipping as a share of a hundred and fifty dollar order, Orders needed to justify a 250 dollar courier account, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
- 13 Change one number at a time to see what moves the result, that is usually the most useful thing a calculator can tell you.
Worked examples
Real numbers run through this calculator. Open any example to load it into the form above and change it.
A small parcel under a kilogram
A 30 by 22 by 8 centimetre box weighing 1.2 kilograms.
You enter
- Packed parcel weight
- 1.20 kg
- Parcel length
- 30 cm
- Parcel width
- 22 cm
- Parcel height
- 8 cm
- Carrier base charge
- $4.50
- Carrier charge per kilogram
- $2.60
- Dimensional weight factor
- 5,000
- Packing materials
- $1.40
- Declared value for insurance
- $120.00
- Insurance rate
- 1%
- Handling
- $0.00
You get
- Dimensional weight
- 1.06 kg
- Chargeable weight
- 1.20 kg
- Dimensional weight is higher
- 0
- Dimensional weight against actual weight
- 0.88
- Carrier charge
- $7.62
- Insurance
- $1.20
- Total cost to ship one parcel
- $10.22
- Suggested shipping charge
- $11.50
- Cost per chargeable kilogram
- $8.52
- Packing as a share of the shipping cost
- 13.7%
- Carrier charge as a share
- 74.6%
- Shipping cost for a hundred orders
- $1,022.00
- Saving from a parcel four centimetres slimmer
- $1.37
- Order value needed to absorb free shipping
- $81.76
- Shipping as a share of a fifty dollar order
- 20.4%
- Shipping as a share of a hundred and fifty dollar order
- 6.8%
- Orders needed to justify a 250 dollar courier account
- 25
A dimensional weight of 1.06, so the actual 1.2 kilograms is charged. A total shipping cost of about 9.86 including the packing and the insurance.
A large light parcel
A 45 by 40 by 30 centimetre box weighing only 1.5 kilograms.
You enter
- Packed parcel weight
- 1.50 kg
- Parcel length
- 45 cm
- Parcel width
- 40 cm
- Parcel height
- 30 cm
- Carrier base charge
- $4.50
- Carrier charge per kilogram
- $2.60
- Dimensional weight factor
- 5,000
- Packing materials
- $2.20
- Declared value for insurance
- $200.00
- Insurance rate
- 1%
- Handling
- $1.00
You get
- Dimensional weight
- 10.80 kg
- Chargeable weight
- 10.80 kg
- Dimensional weight is higher
- 1
- Dimensional weight against actual weight
- 7.20
- Carrier charge
- $32.58
- Insurance
- $2.00
- Total cost to ship one parcel
- $37.78
- Suggested shipping charge
- $38.50
- Cost per chargeable kilogram
- $3.50
- Packing as a share of the shipping cost
- 5.8%
- Carrier charge as a share
- 86.2%
- Shipping cost for a hundred orders
- $3,778.00
- Saving from a parcel four centimetres slimmer
- $3.74
- Order value needed to absorb free shipping
- $302.24
- Shipping as a share of a fifty dollar order
- 75.6%
- Shipping as a share of a hundred and fifty dollar order
- 25.2%
- Orders needed to justify a 250 dollar courier account
- 7
A dimensional weight of 10.8 kilograms, so the carrier bills for 10.8 rather than 1.5. That is the dimensional weight rule in one example.
The same parcel four centimetres slimmer
A 45 by 40 by 26 centimetre box, which holds the same contents.
You enter
- Packed parcel weight
- 1.50 kg
- Parcel length
- 45 cm
- Parcel width
- 40 cm
- Parcel height
- 26 cm
- Carrier base charge
- $4.50
- Carrier charge per kilogram
- $2.60
- Dimensional weight factor
- 5,000
- Packing materials
- $2.20
- Declared value for insurance
- $200.00
- Insurance rate
- 1%
- Handling
- $1.00
You get
- Dimensional weight
- 9.36 kg
- Chargeable weight
- 9.36 kg
- Dimensional weight is higher
- 1
- Dimensional weight against actual weight
- 6.24
- Carrier charge
- $28.84
- Insurance
- $2.00
- Total cost to ship one parcel
- $34.04
- Suggested shipping charge
- $35.50
- Cost per chargeable kilogram
- $3.64
- Packing as a share of the shipping cost
- 6.5%
- Carrier charge as a share
- 84.7%
- Shipping cost for a hundred orders
- $3,403.60
- Saving from a parcel four centimetres slimmer
- $3.74
- Order value needed to absorb free shipping
- $272.29
- Shipping as a share of a fifty dollar order
- 68.1%
- Shipping as a share of a hundred and fifty dollar order
- 22.7%
- Orders needed to justify a 250 dollar courier account
- 8
The dimensional weight falls to 9.36, which saves about 3.74 on the carrier charge for four centimetres of box.
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Frequently asked questions
What is dimensional weight?
It is a weight calculated from the size of the parcel rather than its mass, and carriers charge on whichever is greater. The volume in cubic centimetres is divided by a factor, usually five thousand, to give a weight in kilograms. A large light parcel can therefore be charged as though it were heavy, because it takes up van space. Measure the packed parcel and use a box no bigger than it needs to be.
Should I charge for packing materials in my shipping?
Yes, or at least know what they cost. A box, tape, wrap, tissue and a label come to between fifty cents and two dollars on a small handmade parcel, which is ten to twenty percent of a typical shipping charge. Charging the postage rate printed on the label and nothing else means absorbing that on every order. It is a legitimate choice, but it should be a decision rather than an oversight.
How do I price shipping into my products?
Either charge it separately and accurately, or build an average into the product price and offer free shipping. Separate and accurate is fairer and simpler to justify, but buyers see it as an extra. Built in and free is more attractive, and the rule of thumb is that the order value should be at least eight times the shipping cost for the absorption to be comfortable. This calculator reports that threshold.
Is insurance worth it on a handmade parcel?
For anything you could not afford to replace out of pocket, yes. A lost parcel without tracking is a refund plus the cost of the goods plus the material and the labour that went into it. Insurance is usually a small percentage of the declared value, so on a 120 dollar parcel it is often around a dollar. The exception is a low value parcel where the insurance approaches the value of the contents.
Why did my carrier charge more than the quoted price?
Usually because the parcel was reweighed or remeasured and the chargeable weight was higher than declared, either because the dimensional weight was greater or because the actual weight had been understated. It also happens when the address turns out to be residential rather than commercial, or when a surcharge applies for a remote area. Keep the packed weight and the outside dimensions of every parcel and check them against what you declared.