Volumetric Weight Calculator for Parcels from India

The formula

Volumetric weight (kg) = length × width × height (cm) ÷ 5,000. International couriers charge on the chargeable weight, which is whichever is higher: the actual weight on the scale, or the volumetric weight worked out from the size of the box. India Rabbit uses a divisor of 5,000, and the minimum charge for any box is 1 kg.

Worked examples

• A shoe box, 33 × 22 × 12 cm: 8,712 ÷ 5,000 = 1.74 kg, even though the shoes weigh 0.8 kg. Take the shoes out of the box and they ship on their real weight.
• Five kurtas in five retail boxes, each 30 × 25 × 10 cm: 1.5 kg each, 7.5 kg if sent one by one. Folded into one 40 × 30 × 20 cm carton they count as 4.8 kg, charged once.
• Books, 30 × 25 × 15 cm, weighing 6 kg: volumetric weight is 2.25 kg, so the actual 6 kg is what counts. Dense things like books are charged on the scale, not the size.
• A pillow or a quilt, 50 × 40 × 30 cm, weighing 2 kg: volumetric weight is 12 kg. Soft, bulky items are where volumetric weight bites hardest, so compress them or send them with heavier things in the same box.

How to pay for less

1. Combine your orders. One box pays one base charge instead of several. See parcel consolidation.
2. Remove retail packaging. We repack every shipment, free. Tell us to remove shoe boxes, or to keep product boxes if you want them.
3. Mix bulky and dense items. Books or kitchen things fill the gaps around clothes, so the box is full of goods rather than air.
4. Check before you buy. Use the volumetric weight calculator above for the box size, then the shipping calculator for the Premium and Economy prices.

How we weigh and measure

Every box is weighed and measured after it has been repacked, and the reading is in the photo we send you. You pay on that finished box, not on an estimate.

Related

Economy or Premium: which is better value · the complete guide to package forwarding from India.