Chargeable Weight vs Actual Weight vs Dead Weight: The Terms, Settled

Three words, used loosely, that decide your invoice. Worth ninety seconds to settle.

Dead weight (also: actual weight, gross weight)

What the sealed parcel weighs on a scale. Product, packaging and all. Measured in kilograms, and it is a physical fact.

Volumetric weight (also: dimensional weight, DIM weight)

A weight derived from size: (L × W × H in cm) ÷ 5000. It is not a measurement of anything real — it is the carrier expressing “this parcel occupies the space of an X kilogram parcel”.

Chargeable weight

chargeable weight = max(dead weight, volumetric weight)

The higher of the two. This is the number your rate card is applied to and the only one that appears in the price.

On one parcel

A 40×30×20 cm box containing 2.4 kg of goods:

Dead weight	2.40 kg
Volumetric weight	40×30×20 ÷ 5000 = 4.80 kg
Chargeable weight	4.80 kg

You pay for 4.8 kg. The parcel weighs 2.4 kg. Both statements are true.

Why the distinction matters beyond the invoice

In a weight dispute. The comparison that matters is the carrier’s reading against your chargeable weight, not your dead weight. A carrier reading 4.6 kg on the parcel above is lower than the 4.8 kg you were billed — there is nothing owed, even though 4.6 kg looks much heavier than the 2.4 kg you declared. Systems that compare against dead weight raise disputes that should never exist.

In what you declare to the carrier. Fields named “actual weight” want the dead weight. Declaring the volumetric figure there misstates the parcel’s mass, and since you also send dimensions, the carrier computes volumetric itself anyway. Give each field the number it asks for.

Frequently asked questions

Is chargeable weight always the higher of the two?

Yes, for standard parcel services. That is its definition.

Is dead weight the same as actual weight?

Yes — different words for the physical weight of the sealed parcel.

Which weight should I enter when booking?

The actual weight in the weight field and the real dimensions in the dimension fields. The system computes chargeable weight from those two.