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UPS Girth: Why is it important?

By Last updated on: June 12, 2024

There are shipping terms the carriers use that often cause the most experienced shipper to pause and think. One of these terms that I regularly forget is girth. So today, we are going to explain the girth of a package and why it is crucial. Girth is essentially the circumference of your UPS shipment. Plus, we scoured the UPS service guide to identify all the situations in which girth plays a factor.  

To begin with, UPS has a maximum package size. The maximum size per domestic, export, or import package is 165 inches in length plus girth combined. So what is girth according to UPS? 

How do you measure girth for UPS?

UPS girth

UPS Girth = [(2 x width) + (2 x height)] 

Grith affects which UPS packages? 

The girth of a UPS package will affect the cost and qualifications of your small parcel package.  

– UPS Large Package Surcharge

A large package surcharge applies to domestic and international shipments. For domestic shipments, a package is considered a large package when its length (longest side of the box) plus girth [(2 x width) + (2 x height)] combined exceeds 130 inches or its length exceeds 96 inches. 

For international shipments, a package is considered a large package when its length (longest side of the box) plus girth [(2 x width) + (2 x height)] combined exceeds 130 inches. Therefore, these packages will cost more to ship.  

UPS Access Point location restrictions

UPS Access Points are locations independently owned businesses. These locations, including local businesses, UPS Store locations, and lockers, offer package pickup and drop-off of labeled UPS shipments. There are restrictions for these packages, and UPS girth again comes into action. 

Packages at UPS access points cannot exceed 44 pounds in weight, and the longest side must not exceed 38 inches. Also, the box must not exceed 130 inches in length plus girth combined. 

Over Maximum Limits 

As previously mentioned, UPS has a maximum package size. Therefore, packages with an actual weight greater than 150 lbs, or are over 108 inches in length or a total of 165 inches in length plus girth combined, are considered over the maximum. These packages will cost a shipper tremendously. In 2024, this package will cost an additional $1,250 to send in the small package network. The best option for these is to use freight.  

AIR FREIGHT: Other Charges

UPS girth is also an issue with air freight packages. UPS will assess an oversize fee on shipments that exceed 120 inches in length, 83 inches in width, and 60 inches in height. The fee is the cubic dimensional weight and a percent of the transportation charge. This is 20% if length + girth > 200.   

UPS Girth: Yes, it is crucial!

The next time you ship a package, try to calculate its girth. It is a good idea to be familiar with the UPS service guide rules and be able to measure the girth of all your UPS small packages.

UPS Large Package Surcharge

Brian Gibbs

Author Brian Gibbs

More posts by Brian Gibbs

Brian Gibbs | President of Refund Retriever

Brian Gibbs founded Refund Retriever in 2006 while running his first eBay-based business and seeing the shortcomings of other shipment auditing companies. Refund Retriever's primary focus is FedEx and UPS parcel invoice auditing. After graduating from Texas A&M University in 2001, he graduated from the University of Houston in 2004 with a JD and MBA. Gibbs has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and other publications discussing parcel auditing, shipping, e-commerce, and more. Learn more at www.refundretriever.com or call (800) 441-8085 for more information.

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