Volumetric weight

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Volumetric weight is a device used by the Post Office and other courier services in the United Kingdom to charge you more than you would otherwise pay if you were charged strictly on a weight basis. For details see the ParcelForce site

The basic procedure is

• find the smallest cuboid box that your consignment will fit in.
• find the volume of this notional box in cubic centimetres.
• divide this by 6000: the answer is your volumetric weight in kilograms.

The result of all this calculation is that if your consignment's density is one-sixth that of water or more, then its volumetric weight is less than the normal weight in kilograms, whereas if its density is less than one-sixth that of water, then its volumetric weight is more than its weight in kilograms (so you will end up paying more, as your charge will be based on the volumetric weight).

Just when you think you have understood that, you will have to note that the formula for pallets is different—for pallets you divide by 3000, not 6000, so the volumetric weight is twice as much!