Three numbers decide your price and whether the parcel is even accepted — and none of them is which side you call the length.
A quote is only as accurate as the numbers behind it. Measure before the parcel is fully packed and sealed, and the real figure — tape, extra padding, an awkward strap — comes as a surprise at drop-off. Measure after, and the number you enter is the number the carrier will actually see.
It also doesn't matter which of the three measurements you privately think of as the length, the width or the height. Cargosender's own booking form checks the three numbers sorted from largest to smallest against its current minimum, not by which box on the form each one goes into — see the exact figures below, which are Cargosender's current form requirement, not a universal courier-industry standard.
Tape, extra padding and any external strapping all add real size. Measure the parcel in the state it will actually travel in.
Place the parcel on a flat surface and measure its longest dimension end to end.
Then the shortest. You now have three numbers — it doesn't matter which you call length, width or height, only that all three are accurate.
Rounding down under-declares the size; carriers measure and re-bill for the difference, which costs more than rounding up would have.
A bulging box, a cylinder or an oddly shaped item should be measured at its widest and longest points, not an average across the shape.
This is Cargosender's current booking form requirement, verified directly from its validation logic — not a claim about what every carrier or route will separately accept. A parcel that clears this minimum can still be refused at collection for reasons specific to the route or service.
| Sorted side (largest to smallest) | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Longest side | 15 cm |
| Middle side | 11 cm |
| Shortest side | 1 cm |
Include all packaging, padding and void fill — not just the contents on their own.
A bathroom scale is imprecise for anything under a few kilograms; a small kitchen or luggage scale is far more reliable for typical parcels.
As with dimensions, rounding down under-declares the shipment.
Large, light parcels are often charged on volumetric (dimensional) weight rather than actual weight — see the volumetric weight guide for the calculation.
Measuring before the parcel is packed and sealed, then finding the real box is bigger.
Guessing dimensions instead of measuring them — carriers re-measure and re-bill for the difference.
Weighing on a scale that isn't accurate at the parcel's actual weight range.
Assuming actual weight is what you're charged for — large, light parcels are frequently billed on volumetric weight instead.
No — what's checked is the three measurements sorted from largest to smallest against the minimum size rule, not which label you put on which number.
Measure at its widest and longest points, not an average. Carriers price and accept based on the space the parcel actually occupies, including any bulge.
Usually rounding, or the parcel being charged on volumetric weight rather than actual weight — see the volumetric weight guide for how that's calculated.
Yes — Cargosender's current booking form requires the three sides, sorted from largest to smallest, to reach at least 15 cm, 11 cm and 1 cm respectively. This is Cargosender's own current requirement, not a universal courier standard, and a route or service could still have its own separate limits beyond this floor.
Enter your real, sealed-parcel measurements for a quote that won't change at drop-off.
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