Shipping Guide: Measuring Packages

[wastingtime101]

Changes are coming! UPS and FedEx, as of next Monday, August 18th, are changing the way they measure. Everything is going to round up and yes, that means you may pay more.

Measuring basics:

• Always measure outer package dimensions.
• Dimensions printed on the bottom of a box are inner dimensions. Outer dims are typically a bit larger and yes, it does/can/will make a difference on shipping rates.
• Packages can get crushed or skewed in transit which can bump out dimensions and result in unexpected cost adjustments; use sturdy packing materials to minimize this possibility.

FedEx is changing their rounding logic as of August 18th (link).

Old: Dimensions of one-half inch or greater are rounded up to the next whole number; dimensions less than one-half inch are rounded down.
New: Effective August 18, 2025, FedEx will round every fraction of an inch/centimeter up to the next-higher inch/centimeter.

UPS is changing their rounding logic as of August 18th (link).

Old: For each dimension, measure at the longest point, rounding each measurement to the nearest whole number (for example, 1.00 to 1.49 will be considered 1, and 1.50 to 1.99 will be considered 2).
New: Effective August 18, 2025, when determining the dimensions of a package, UPS will round all fractional measurements of any package dimension up to the next whole inch, including length, width and height. For example, if the length of a package is 11.1 inches, that package will be deemed to have a length of 12 inches.

UPS is also changing the Large Package Surcharge & the Domestic Additional Handling Surcharge effective August 17, 2025. These surcharges will no longer be based on length + girth, but on cubic volume instead. You can review a summary on eBay's update here and on the UPS website here.

USPS is not making changes at this time. USPS rounding logic is different for standard weighted packages vs packages rated by cubic volume.

USPS DMM 604.7.1.3 Rounding Numerical Values
For these standards:

- Round off requires increasing by 1 the last digit to be kept if the digit to its right, which is not to be kept, is 5 or greater. If that digit is 4 or less, the last digit kept is unchanged (e.g., 3.376 rounded off to two decimal places is 3.38, 3.374 is 3.37).
- Round up requires increasing by 1 the last digit to be kept if there are any digits to its right, regardless of significance (e.g., rounding up either 3.3701 or 3.379 to two decimal places yields 3.38).
- Round down requires eliminating any digits to the right of the last number to be kept (e.g., rounding down either 3.371 or 3.379 to two decimal places yields 3.37).

USPS DMM 223.1.3.3 Determining Cubic Tier Measurements for Rectangular and Nonrectangular Parcels
Follow these steps to determine the cubic tier measurement for rectangular and nonrectangular parcels:

a. Measure the length, width, and height at each dimension’s maximum point, in inches. Round down (see 604.7.0) each measurement to the nearest 1/4 inch. For example, 6-1/8" x 5-7/8" x 6-3/8" is rounded down to 6" x 5-3/4" x 6-1/4".
b. Multiply the length by the width by the height and divide by 1728. For example: 6" x 5-3/4" x 6-1/4" = 215.6 divided by 1728 = 0.125 (This piece exceeds 0.10 - Tier 1 threshold). It is calculated at Tier 2 - 0.101 to 0.20.

Standard Rectangular:

USPS DMM 223.1.4.2 Determining Dimensional Weight for Rectangular Parcels
Follow these steps to determine the dimensional weight for a rectangular parcel:

a. Measure the length, width, and height in inches. Round off each measurement to the nearest whole inch.
b. Multiply the length by the width by the height.
c. If the result exceeds 1,728 cubic inches, divide the result by 166 and round up to the next whole number to determine the dimensional weight in pounds.
d. If the dimensional weight exceeds 70 pounds, the customer pays the 70-pound price.

USPS DMM 223.1.4.3 Determining Dimensional Weight for Nonrectangular Parcels
Follow these steps to determine the dimensional weight for a nonrectangular parcel:

a. Measure the length, width, and height in inches at their extreme dimensions. Round off (see 604.7.0) each measurement to the nearest whole inch.
b. Multiply the length by the width by the height.
c. Multiply the result by an adjustment factor of 0.785.
d. If the final result exceeds 1,728 cubic inches, divide the result by 166 and round up (see 604.7.0) to the next whole number to determine the dimensional weight in pounds.
e. If the dimensional weight exceeds 70 pounds, the customer pays the 70-pound price.

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Note: eBay listing form does not accept decimals; always round up on the listing form. eBay label page does accept decimals and you can use them for more exact USPS rates.

Bottom line: Always enter accurate outer dimensions and eBay's shipping calculator will do the work for you. If your package is 'borderline', round up to avoid unexpected cost adjustments.

[wastingtime101]

This is a pretty interesting article about the change:

https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/ups-dimensional-weight-rounding-change/756929/

Quote from article:

Imtiaz Kermali, VP of sales and marketing at eShipper, said the practice means customers will see higher dimension-based pricing apply even if they’re shipping the exact same-sized package as they were before Aug. 18.

“We ran a model for a customer shipping 2,500 packages a month, and they will pay an extra $32,678 annually,” Kermali said on LinkedIn. “Not from shipping more. Not from inflation. From rounding.”

The math comes out to an average increase of approx $1.09 per package based on the example quoted from that article.

[lakefor94]

UPS = For example, if the length of a package is 11.1 inches, that package will be deemed to have a length of 12 inches.

That will take some getting used to.

I did not understand much about the USPS measuring update and how it will relate to entering dimensions when purchasing labels on eBay and PirateShip. 

[wastingtime101]

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@lakefor94 wrote:

I did not understand much about the USPS measuring update and how it will relate to entering dimensions when purchasing labels on eBay and PirateShip. 

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USPS isn't changing anything, only UPS/FedEx are changing. When buying labels on eBay you can enter exact dims and eBay will round for you based on carrier/service/etc.

For example if you enter 11.25 and you are shipping UPS, eBay will round up to 12 for you starting next Monday. If you are shipping USPS eBay will continue to round down/off/up (depending) for you.

When you create a listing, if using calc shipping, round up to whole numbers as listing form doesn't accept decimals. You can always adjust to exact dims when buying the label since the label form does accept decimals. Since UPS/FedEx will be rounding up, exact dims won't matter as long as you're not underestimating, but if buying a USPS label you may want to enter exact dims at label purchase and potentially save a little.

[lakefor94]

Thanks for the clarification.  

I have to laugh at myself as I never realized you could use decimals in the label purchase form as I always have entered whole numbers.

[gator08041971]

*shrug

This may not really affect me, I already round all packages up to the next largest inch anyway, mostly to cover my butt.  I wasn't even aware they were using fractional amounts..

I will have to watch it on packages that are exactly at a dimension.

[wastingtime101]

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@gator08041971 wrote:

I already round all packages up to the next largest inch anyway, mostly to cover my butt.  I wasn't even aware they were using fractional amounts..

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That's pretty common! eBay also recommends rounding up as the safest bet.

I always tell new sellers to round up (even though they may pay a bit more) because shipping can be complicated enough without getting into the various rounding rules, especially with USPS.

[natoman777]

GREAT!  I LOVE LOSING MONEY!!!  😀  AND BUYERS LOVE TO PAY HIGHER SHIPPING PRICES! 

[richard1rst]

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@natoman777 wrote:

GREAT!  I LOVE LOSING MONEY!!!  😀 ( I NEVER lose money on shipping - if you do you are doing it wrong).  AND BUYERS LOVE TO PAY HIGHER SHIPPING PRICES!  ( and there in lies the advantage of "Free Shipping" - 'cause then they never know.)

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[ryry-jj]

Thanks for the info...it is pretty significant for all of us sellers here using FedEx and UPS.  However, that articles example of a company shipping out 2500 packages/month is pretty extreme, lol....I guarantee you, if you are shipping out 2,500 packages/month, FedEx or UPS is not applying any "rounding up" on your account...it wont even factor in

[wastingtime101]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

UPS is also changing the Large Package Surcharge & the Domestic Additional Handling Surcharge effective August 17, 2025. These surcharges will no longer be based on length + girth, but on cubic volume instead. You can review a summary on eBay's update here and on the UPS website here.

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UPDATE: UPS is no longer changing the LPS and AHC (as quoted above) tomorrow, August 17th. The changes are still happening, but they have been pushed out to "on or after December 22nd." eBay updated their announcement here which indicates changes will happen in 2026 and you can also see info posted on the UPS website here.

Both FedEx and UPS changes to how items are measured are still going into effect on Monday, August 18th.

[lisa5768]

@wastingtime101 

Thank you for this info. I have always and advised others to round up to the nearest inch. I will also add an extra inch maybe two when I ship in soft packaging like poly bags since their dimensions can change when moving through machinery. I don't ship large items so there is lots of room before hitting dimensional pricing. While cubic pricing is nice I don't worry about trying to fit my package to it. If I do get the lower cost that is just extra money in to my self insurance and supplies fund.

[wastingtime101]

Reminder: UPS / FedEx changes to how packages are measured went into effect yesterday!

eBay posted a helpful alert at the top of the shipping label page.

[lakefor94]

Saw the warning/agreement on Pirate Ship today. Still going to take some getting used to that. 

[powell-collectibles]

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@lisa5768 wrote:

@wastingtime101 

Thank you for this info. I have always and advised others to round up to the nearest inch. I will also add an extra inch maybe two when I ship in soft packaging like poly bags since their dimensions can change when moving through machinery. I don't ship large items so there is lots of room before hitting dimensional pricing. While cubic pricing is nice I don't worry about trying to fit my package to it. If I do get the lower cost that is just extra money in to my self insurance and supplies fund.

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Understood that some might do this - but it is puzzling to me.  Paying more to avoid the  small chance that you’ll pay more seems like a money-losing strategy.