Most first-time senders expect courier charges to depend on one number: what the parcel weighs. In practice every courier and cargo company in India, including us, bills on chargeable weight, which is the higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight. Once you understand that one rule, most quotes make sense.
Actual weight vs volumetric weight
Actual weight is what the scale says. Volumetric weight is a calculation that converts the space a parcel occupies into kilograms, because a truck or an aircraft runs out of space long before it runs out of weight capacity. The common formula for domestic surface shipments is:
Length × Width × Height (in cm) ÷ 5000 = volumetric weight in kg
A 60 × 40 × 40 cm carton works out to 96,000 ÷ 5000 = 19.2 kg. If the contents weigh 8 kg, you are billed for 19.2 kg. If the same carton is packed with books weighing 25 kg, you are billed for 25 kg. Air shipments often use a divisor of 5000 or 6000, and international carriers have their own; we will tell you which applies before you book.
What else moves the price
- Distance and zone. Lucknow to Kanpur is not priced like Lucknow to Kochi. Most rate cards group destinations into zones.
- Service type. Documents, parcels, part-truck cargo and full-truck loads are priced on different bases. A full truck is priced per vehicle and route, not per kilogram.
- Pickup and delivery location. Door pickup inside Lucknow is usually included; remote or out-of-delivery-area PIN codes may carry a surcharge.
- Handling. Fragile, oversized or high-value consignments may need extra packing or special handling.
- GST. 18% GST applies on the freight amount and is shown on the invoice.
How to keep the cost down
- Use the smallest box that protects the item. Empty space is paid space.
- Consolidate. Three small parcels to the same address usually cost more than one properly packed carton.
- Measure before you ask for a quote. Give us length, width, height and weight and the quote you get is the amount you pay.
- Plan the pickup. Booking a day ahead lets us combine your pickup with others on the same route.
If you are not sure how to measure or pack a consignment, call us. We would rather spend two minutes on the phone than surprise you with a different figure at pickup.
