Dimensional weight applies. You will likely be billed for 7 lb, not your actual 5 lb, because the box takes up more space than it weighs.
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Carriers do not just charge by how heavy a box is. A large, light box like a lampshade or a stack of pool floats takes up truck and plane space that a dense, heavy box of the same weight would not, so most carriers bill by whichever number is bigger: the actual weight or a calculated dimensional weight based on the box's volume. That second number is what this calculator works out. Get it wrong when you are quoting shipping to a customer and you eat the difference out of your margin on every order.
Dimensional weight equals length times width times height, divided by a divisor set by the carrier and the service level. In inches and pounds, 139 is the common domestic divisor used by UPS, FedEx and USPS for most ground and air services, while 166 shows up on some international air services. In centimeters and kilograms, 5000 is the standard international divisor, with 6000 used by some carriers on certain lanes. Whichever number you get, it is standard practice to round it up to the next whole unit, and the billable weight is the larger of that rounded dimensional weight and your rounded actual weight.
Divisors are not universal. They vary by carrier, by service tier within the same carrier, and sometimes by shipping lane, and carriers update them from time to time. This tool defaults to the common 139 and 5000 figures, but treat those as a starting estimate and confirm the exact divisor on your own carrier account or rate agreement before you rely on the number for pricing decisions or a shipping calculator on your own site.
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