Small parcels are the lifeblood of both domestic and international logistics. People use small parcel shipping to send all kinds of items — from clothing and toiletries to electronics and magazines.
To the naked eye, it is clear what a 'small' parcel is. However, shipping carriers don't look at size alone when determining if a package is small. In this post, we will look at how FedEx defines small parcels, ships them, and determines rates.
FedEx defines a small parcel as a package that weighs 75 lbs or less. Packages over 75 pounds are considered heavy packages, and FedEx requires that the shipper place yellow and black safety heavyweight labels over the diagonal corners of the package.
Other than small parcel size limits, below are FedEx's overall package size and weight limits, not just for small packages.
Check out FedEx General Packaging Guidelines for more info on measuring, weighing, and labeling your small package.
FedEx, like other small parcel carriers, has different package classifications depending on the size and weight of a package.
Starting with flat packages; a flat package is any package that satisfies the following criteria:
Next, we have elongated packages, which are any parcels that:
Any package that is not considered a Flat or Elongated package is classified as a Standard package.
The dimensions of a package determine whether it is oversized or not. FedEx Domestic Ground and Express services apply an oversized charge when your package has a girth of over 130 inches.
For freight, FedEx classifies packages that meet or exceed at least one of the following criteria as freight:
How long does small parcel shipping take?
Small parcel shipping can take anywhere from a few hours to days and even weeks, depending on the destination and shipping service. For example, a small parcel shipped via FedEx SameDay would arrive the same day, one shipped using FedEx Priority Overnight would arrive the next day, and one shipped using FedEx Express Saver would arrive within 3 days.
Yes, FedEx uses size and weight, among other factors like package type and distance, to determine shipping rates. Let’s look at how exactly FedEx uses size and weight to calculate shipping rates.
The weight of a package is the primary factor that FedEx uses to come up with shipping rates. This is because an increase in the weight of a shipment causes an increase in the amount of energy (fuel) needed to transport it. Therefore the heavier your package is, the more FedEx will charge you.
The weight of a package, when measured on a scale, is called 'actual weight.' For most packages, you use actual weight to check rates on FedEx rate tables. However, sometimes the shape of a parcel may cause a carrier to use a different pricing-by-weight method known as dimensional weight.
Dimensional weight is a measure of how much space a package occupies in relation to its actual weight. DIM weight pricing is mostly used for large lightweight parcels. If a carrier charges such packages based on weight alone, they may make losses since they won't have accounted for the empty space in the boxes.
Benefits of Dimensional Weight
Follow the following steps to calculate your FedEx dimensional weight:
If you cannot calculate manually, use the FedEx dimensional weight calculator.
Why was I paying that much? You'll be asking yourself that question once you experience ShipSigma's guaranteed savings on shipping costs. Talk to us today, and let's save you some money.