3D Print Shipping and Packaging Costs: Dimensional Weight
3D prints are often light but bulky. That is why shipping, especially on small and cheap items, can cost more than the item itself. A seller who does not calculate shipping properly either loses money or loses customers on price.
Three parts of shipping
- Carrier fee: what the carrier charges per package (by dimensional weight or weight).
- Packaging: box, filler, tape, label and bags.
- Packing labor and damage allowance: time spent packing, and the share of packages that break, get lost or come back.
What is dimensional weight?
Carriers bill bulky, light packages by dimensional weight rather than actual weight. A common formula (the divisor varies by carrier):
Dimensional weight (kg) = length (cm) × width (cm) × height (cm) ÷ 5000
Example: a 30 × 20 × 15 cm box is 9,000 ÷ 5,000 = 1.8 kg dimensional weight. The carrier compares it with the actual weight and bills the larger one. Because 3D prints are light, dimensional weight almost always decides the price, so choose the smallest box that protects the part.
Write packaging as a per-item cost
Box, filler and tape each look small, but together they matter. Find a single per-item amount:
| Item (example) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Box | $0.30 |
| Filler (paper/foam) | $0.08 |
| Tape + label | $0.05 |
| Packaging total | $0.43 |
Enter this in Filanomy's "Labor / packing (per piece)" field. Enter the carrier fee separately in the "Shipping" section: no margin is added on shipping, while margin is added on packaging and labor.
Fitting several items in one package
If several items go to the same buyer or the same order, shipping them in one package lowers the shipping per item.
Packages = round up (quantity ÷ items per package)
Shipping per item = packages × package fee ÷ quantity
Example: package fee $4, two items fit in a package.
- 1 item: 1 package → $4 per item.
- 2 items: 1 package → $2 per item.
- 5 items: 3 packages (2 + 2 + 1) → 3 × $4 ÷ 5 = $2.40 per item.
Quantity and how full each package is decide shipping, so calculate by order quantity rather than one fixed number. The price-by-quantity table in Filanomy shows this for each quantity.
Free shipping or separate shipping?
- Free shipping (included in price): more attractive, but you must build shipping into the price. In the pricing guide example, free shipping raises the same item from $2.05 to $4.41.
- Separate shipping: the item looks cheaper and the customer pays shipping. On small items this can be more honest and safer.
- Threshold: "free shipping over $X" grows the basket and spreads shipping across items.
Damage and return allowance
Fragile or thin parts risk damage in transit. Track your damage and return rate roughly (for example 2 out of 100 orders) and add it to your failure margin or to the item price. Solid packaging is the cheapest way to lower it.
Frequently asked questions
How is dimensional weight calculated?
Many carriers divide the package volume (length × width × height in cm) by a divisor such as 5000 to get dimensional weight and bill the larger of that and actual weight. The divisor varies by carrier and service, so check your own carrier's terms.
Should I build shipping into the price or charge it separately?
Both work. Free shipping can lift conversion but you bury the cost in the price. On small, cheap items shipping can cost more than the item itself; then combining orders or setting a free-shipping threshold makes sense.
How do I account for several items in one package?
Packages = quantity ÷ items per package (rounded up). Total shipping is that many package fees, split across the items. The "Items per package" field in Filanomy does this automatically.
Calculate for your own part: upload your file and weight and time fill in automatically.
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