What is dim weight?

Dim weight is the amount of space a package occupies in relation to its actual weight. For each shipment, you are charged based on the dimensional weight or actual weight of the package—whichever is greater.

Why is dim weight important?

Three main reasons:

• Major shipping companies, including NEOS, use dim weight to calculate shipping prices; this is called dim weight pricing.
• Dim weight pricing may reduce shipping costs for customers who pack more efficiently. 
• Reducing packaging can make shipments more environmentally friendly by helping lower fuel emissions, and can help you avoid overpacking, which wastes material. 

Imagine how often people ship using packaging that’s too big. To stabilize the contents, these oversized boxes must be packed with extra cushioning. These over-packed boxes fill shipping trucks with cubic feet of unneeded corrugated fiberboard, air pillows, and air cushioning. In some cases, people are literally paying to ship air.

Dim weight pricing can reward customers who eliminate extra, oversized packaging. By increasing the shipment density, we can often pack more products on our trucks and planes.

Since 18 January 2010, shipments where dimensional weight exceeds actual weight are charged according to the following volumetric calculation:
Dimensional weight in kg per package = Length x Height x Width in cm / 5,000.