How to Reduce Shipping Costs: Focus on Dimensional Weight
Shipping costs are continually on the rise. To keep your expenses under control, you have to ensure you’re paying as little as possible to move your product from point A to point B. In the past, these costs were based on the total packaging weight. However, since 2015, the majority of logistics companies and carriers also take into account a package’s dimensional weight, also called DIM weight.
When thinking about how to reduce shipping costs, you have to take both of these weights into consideration.
What is dimensional weight?
Many shipping companies will calculate both the dimensional and packaging weight, and then charge you based on whichever one is greater. In order to calculate and understand how to reduce shipping costs, you first have to ask yourself, what is dimensional weight?
DIM weight is determined by multiplying the length, width, and height of a parcel and dividing it by a dimensional factor that is determined by the specific carrier. By doing so logistics companies and carriers are calculating the amount of space that your package is taking up in their planes, trucks, and trains, instead of just considering how heavy it is. Dimensional weight is actually a misnomer, because it is based on volume, not weight.
With dimensional weight, a large, light box may end up costing you more than a small, very heavy box. To avoid higher shipping expenses, let’s take a look at ways to lower the amount of space that your products take up.
Use the right packaging
When determining how to reduce shipping costs, the type of packaging materials you use is critical. To lower your dimensional weight, you ultimately have to make the overall size of your package smaller. One way to do so is to replace rigid packaging with flexible packaging.
While rigid containers and boxes are some of the most economical vehicles for packaging goods, they almost always need to be sized to accommodate a variety of items. While practical as a means of managing the inventory of boxes you need on hand, this unfortunately results in extra or empty space. With dimensional weight, you end up paying for that dead space. Using flexible packaging materials, on the other hand, can deliver similar levels of product protection while reducing packaging weight and eliminating wasted space by conforming to the products within it.
Flexible packaging materials
Flexible packaging materials are generally bags and mailers made from various types of poly films or, in the case of EverTec padded mailers, paper. They are ideal for shipping products, because they are durable and resist tears and punctures, allowing them to offer effective protection for your item. Plus, there are padded options to prevent breakage with more fragile products.
When it comes to dimensional weight, flexible packaging materials can significantly reduce your costs compared to corrugated containers and boxes, because the overall size of the parcel will more closely match the size of your product. In other words, you aren’t paying for wasted space.
How to reduce your shipping costs with Pioneer Packaging
At Pioneer, we look at your product and current packaging to determine what type of flexible materials would be suitable for your business. We offer a wide variety of options that will help you reduce your dimensional weight and lower your business’s overall costs. Plus, our team can design custom packaging solutions for your products, so they fit your item with as little wasted space as possible.
Contact Pioneer to lower dimensional weight and shipping costs today!