International express freight is calculated based on both weight and volume. Specifically, the larger of the actual weight and the volumetric weight is used as the chargeable weight.
In this article, Weefreight will explain in detail and hope it will be helpful.
Actual weight: refers to the total weight of the package, including packaging, usually measured in kilograms. Courier companies use a scale to measure this.
Volumetric weight: Due to the carrying capacity and volume restrictions of transport vehicles, the volume of the shipment must be converted to weight to calculate shipping costs. The four major international express delivery companies, DHL, UPS, FedEx, TNT, and EMS, typically use the following formula to calculate volumetric weight: Volumetric weight = length (cm) × width (cm) × height (cm) / 5000 (cm). For irregularly shaped packages, the longest, widest, and highest points of the package are used for calculation.
Billing Unit: For shipments under 21kg, 0.5kg is generally used as the first weight. Each additional 0.5kg is considered an additional weight unit. Shipments less than 0.5kg are charged as 0.5kg, and any additional weight exceeding 0.5kg but not exceeding 1kg is charged as 1kg. Shipments over 21kg are generally charged per kilogram. Even if the additional weight does not exceed 1kg, 1kg is added to the billing weight.
For example: A carton is 60cm long, 52cm wide, and 30cm high, and weighs 15kg. Its volumetric weight is 60×52×30÷5000=18.72kg. Since the volumetric weight is greater than the actual weight, according to international express delivery rates, the final calculated shipping weight for this carton is 19kg.
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