Does royal mail deliver by size or weight
Royal Mail, the UK's postal service, uses a combination of size and weight to determine the cost of delivery for parcels. Here's a breakdown of how they calculate the cost:
- Size: Royal Mail uses a system called "dimensional weight" to calculate the cost of delivery based on the size of the parcel. They measure the length, width, and height of the parcel in centimeters, and then use a formula to calculate the volume of the parcel in cubic centimeters (cm³).
- Weight: Royal Mail also takes into account the weight of the parcel, measured in grams or kilograms. The weight of the parcel is used to determine the cost of delivery, especially for heavier items.
- Zone: Royal Mail divides the UK into different zones, with each zone having its own delivery cost. The zone is determined by the destination post code.
- Service: The type of service chosen by the sender also affects the cost of delivery. Royal Mail offers various services, such as 1st Class, 2nd Class, and Special Delivery, each with its own pricing structure.
Here's an example of how Royal Mail calculates the cost of delivery:
- A parcel measures 30cm x 20cm x 10cm (volume: 6000 cm³) and weighs 1kg.
- The parcel is sent from Zone A (e.g., London) to Zone B (e.g., Manchester).
- The sender chooses the 1st Class service.
- The cost of delivery would be calculated based on the volume and weight of the parcel, as well as the zone and service chosen.
In this example, the cost of delivery would be higher than a smaller, lighter parcel sent to the same destination, because the larger and heavier parcel requires more resources to deliver.
It's worth noting that Royal Mail has a "weight-based" pricing system for parcels weighing over 2kg, where the cost of delivery is based solely on the weight of the parcel. For parcels under 2kg, the cost of delivery is based on the size and weight of the parcel, as described above.