How to Calculate Cubic Feet for Shipping

Calculate cubic feet of packages

Visualize cubic feet as the number of 12-inch, three-dimensional cubes that fit within another three dimensional item. Determining how many cubic feet are within an item can help determine the weight of an item and how much can fit within it. Freight and shipping companies frequently use cubic feet to determine the price that an item will cost to ship. However, knowing how to calculate cubic feet for shipping can often save you time by eliminating the middle man. This is especially true of oddly shaped boxes or items.

Things You'll Need

• Box being shipped
• Ruler or measuring tape
• Calculator

Instructions

1. Use a ruler or measuring tape to measure the length of the box you will be shipping. The length, in this case, is the longest side of the box. Determine your length in inches.

2. Measure the width of the box by determining the length of the shorter side of the box.

3. Fold the box closed and measure how many inches the box stands from ground to top.

4. Use a calculator and multiply the inches you measured for the length by the inches you measured for the width. Now multiply this by the height of the box. This large number represents the cubic inches of the box.

5. Divide this number by 1,728, the number of cubic inches per cubic foot, to calculate cubic feet for shipping.

Tips & Warnings

• Write down each measurement as you go to avoid confusion.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• U.S. Postal Service: Advanced Preparation and Special Postage Payment Systems