Enter your box size and actual weight to see the dimensional weight and billable weight each carrier would charge. Includes the USPS divisor change effective 12 July 2026.
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| 18×14×12 in box, 6 lb | UPS bills 22.0 lb, USPS bills 22.0 lb |
| 12×10×8 in box, 3 lb | UPS bills 7.0 lb, USPS bills 3.0 lb |
| 40×30×30 cm box, 8 kg | UPS bills 8.0 kg, USPS bills 8.0 kg |
| Carrier | Divisor (cu in / lb) | Divisor (cm³ / kg) | Applies to | Source grade | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPS (daily / commercial rates) | 139 | 5000 | all packages | A | Applies to every package, no size threshold. |
| FedEx (all services) | 139 | 5000 | all packages | A | Applies to every package, no size threshold. |
| USPS (since 12 Jul 2026) | 139 | 5000 | 1 cu ft (1,728 cu in) | A | Only above 1 cubic foot (1,728 cu in). Divisor changed from 166 to 139 on 12 Jul 2026. |
| DHL Express | 139 | 5000 | all packages | B | |
| UPS (retail rates) | 166 | 6000 | all packages | B | |
| Air freight (IATA standard) | 166 | 6000 | all packages | B |
Grade A = government filing or five agreeing sources. Grade B = two agreeing sources, shown for comparison, confirm against your own tariff.
The UPS, FedEx and USPS divisors are taken from carrier tariff summaries and cross-checked across five independent references. For USPS we relied on the highest-grade source available: USPS Governors’ Decision No. 26-2, published in the Federal Register (document 2026-09584), which states that dimensional weighting will have “its dim divisor changed from 166 to 139”, effective 12 July 2026. That same filing added the rule that every fractional dimension rounds up to the next whole inch.
This matters because many pages still quote 166 for USPS. That figure was correct until 11 July 2026 and is now out of date, if you built a carrier-choice rule on “USPS dims lighter”, that rule no longer holds. Checked 2026-10-15.
Three rows are marked grade B: UPS retail rates at 166, DHL Express at 139, and the IATA air-freight standard at 166 (≡ 6,000 cm³/kg). Each rests on two agreeing sources rather than a carrier filing, so verify them against your own contract before you rely on them.
What this page does not do: it does not quote shipping rates. Carrier pricing moves with account discounts, zones, fuel surcharges and oversize fees, so a hard-coded rate would be wrong within weeks. What you get here is the billable weight, the number your rate is multiplied by.
139 as of 12 July 2026. USPS moved it down from 166 under Governors’ Decision No. 26-2, published in the Federal Register, which says the dim divisor is “changed from 166 to 139 to better align with industry standard.” The change applies to Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select. The same filing introduced rounding every fractional dimension up to the next whole inch, which can add weight on its own.
Yes, below one cubic foot. USPS applies dimensional pricing only above 1,728 cubic inches; UPS and FedEx apply it at any size. So for a light parcel under a cubic foot USPS is still structurally cheaper, but that is the size threshold doing the work now, not a friendlier divisor.
Two things changed for USPS on 12 July 2026: the divisor dropped from 166 to 139, and every fractional inch now rounds up. On an 18×14×12 in carton the divisor change alone takes billable weight from 19 lb to 22 lb, and if your sides measure 18.2, 14.3 and 12.1 in the round-up pushes the volume higher still.
Cut the largest dimension first, since volume multiplies all three. Right-sizing a box by two inches per side can remove a third of the volume. For soft goods a poly mailer removes the problem entirely, and USPS Flat Rate packaging ignores dimensional weight altogether.
On a UPS or FedEx contract, yes, published rates use 139 but volume shippers have negotiated higher divisors, which lower billable weight. USPS published prices are not negotiated the same way. Treat 139 as the default and your contract as the override.
No. This is an independent calculator and is not affiliated with UPS, FedEx, USPS or DHL. Those names are used only to identify which carrier’s divisor is being applied. Your carrier invoice is the authoritative record.