Imagine the situation: the weight of your item ready for shipping is 1 pound. But in your personal account Amazon has defined the shipping amount as for 3.5 pounds. It's not a mistake, it's all about the dimensional weight algorithm that Amazon uses to optimize shipping and storage costs.
In this article, we'll uncover the concept of dimensional weight and look at how it affects the bottom line. We'll look at the formula Amazon uses to calculate this weight and break down examples for large and small volume items.
What is Amazon dimensional weight?In this article, we'll uncover the concept of dimensional weight and look at how it affects the bottom line. We'll look at the formula Amazon uses to calculate this weight and break down examples for large and small volume items.
Amazon Dimensional Weight (DIM weight) - it’s a calculation method used by Amazon to determine the cost of shipping items based on their size and weight. Both the actual weight and overall dimensions of the goods are taken into account. This is necessary to determine the amount of space it takes up during transportation.
Why is this important to Amazon?
Determining dimensional weight is very important because in some cases, larger but lighter items may take up more space. And hence require higher shipping costs compared to smaller and heavier items.
In what cases is Amazon dimensional weight used?
Amazon's dimensional weight is used by Amazon when determining shipping costs for Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) orders. It applies to parcels that are oversized or take up more space than their actual weight. Amazon uses dimensional weight calculation differently depending on the category and size of the item.
How do I calculate the dimensional weight on my own?
The dimensional weight is determined by the formula: Length x Width x Height (in inches) divided by the dimensional weight divisor. For Amazon's US shipments, the divisor is 139, which is the industry standard in the US.
Example of calculating a small volume of goods:
Length - 12 inchesWidth - 8 inches
Height - 6 inches
Weight - 2 pounds
DIM = (12 x 8 x 6) / 139 = 4,68 pounds
In this case, even though the actual weight is only 2 pounds, the dimensional weight is greater, and shipping charges will be calculated based on dimensional weight, not actual weight.
Example of calculation of large and light goods:
Length - 20 inchesWidth - 20 inches
Height - 4 inches
Weight - 0.5 pounds
DIM = (20 x 20 x 4) / 139 = 5,76 pounds
An dimensional weight of 5.76 pounds will be taken into account when calculating shipping charges.