Measure the outside of each item at its widest points, with wheels, handles, feet and pockets included, and round each figure up to the next whole centimetre. Then weigh it, either on luggage scales or by weighing yourself on bathroom scales with and without the bag and taking one figure from the other.
It takes a few minutes per item. It is also the best way to make sure the price you book is the price you pay, because the price is built from the numbers you enter.
What you need
- A tape measure. A rigid steel one is easiest if you are working on your own.
- A wall, a flat floor and a straight edge, such as a hardback book or a chopping board.
- Scales. Luggage scales if you have them, or ordinary bathroom scales.
- Your phone, to photograph the readings.
- Your items, fully packed. Measure and weigh last, not first. A packed case bulges and gets heavier.
How to measure a suitcase
- Height, usually the longest side. Stand the case on its wheels with its back against a wall. Push the pull handle all the way down. Hold your straight edge flat across the highest point, which is usually the handle housing or the carry handle, and measure from the floor up to it.
- Width. Measure across the case at its widest point, including any side handle or feet that stick out.
- Depth. Keep the case against the wall. Hold the straight edge flat against the front at its fullest point, over any pocket or bulge, and measure from the wall to the straight edge. If wheels or feet stick out at the back, they hold the case off the wall, so they are counted without any extra effort.
- Round each figure up to the next whole centimetre. The price page takes whole centimetres, and rounding up keeps you on the safe side.
- Write it down as length x width x height, longest side first.
Why the maker's size is not enough
Makers usually quote the body of the case, not the full outside size. When Consumer Reports measured 11 carry-on cases, 9 were bigger than claimed, and the makers explained that their figures described packing space and left out parts such as wheels and handles (Consumer Reports, December 2015). Treat the size on the label or the shop's website as a starting point, then measure the case yourself.
What a few centimetres do to the price
Most door-to-door services charge on the higher of the real weight and the size-based weight: length x width x height in centimetres, divided by 5,000, rounded up to the next 0.5 kg per item. Here is a case with a 70 x 46 x 28 cm body, packed to 17 kg. The wheels and handle housing add 3 cm to the height, and a full front pocket adds 2 cm to the depth.
| How it was measured | Size (cm) | Volume (cm³) | Size-based weight | Chargeable weight |
|---|
| Body only | 70 x 46 x 28 | 90,160 | 18.03 kg | 18.5 kg |
| Full outside size | 73 x 46 x 30 | 100,740 | 20.15 kg | 20.5 kg |
Five centimetres add 2 kg to the chargeable weight. Enter the body size and the case is priced at 18.5 kg, then found to be 20.5 kg. Our guide to size-based weight explains the sum, with a worked table for every ready-made item on the price page.
Holdalls, rucksacks and odd shapes
Soft bags change shape, so measure them packed and zipped, lying flat on the floor the way they will sit in a van. Measure the longest, widest and deepest points, including side pockets and the frame or hip belt of a rucksack. Tuck straps in before you measure.
For anything that is not box-shaped, such as a golf bag, a guitar case or a bike, measure the smallest box it would fit into. That is the space it takes up, so that is the size that counts. Our guide to sending bikes, golf clubs and skis covers those items in more detail.
What is length plus girth?
It is a measure of overall size that some services set a limit on, as well as a limit on length. Take the longest side, then add twice the width and twice the height. For a large suitcase of 78 x 52 x 31 cm, that is 78 + (2 x 52) + (2 x 31) = 244 cm.
You do not need to work it out yourself. The price page checks each item against each service's limits, and tells you if something is too long, too heavy or too big overall for a service.
How to weigh luggage at home
With luggage scales
Hook the scales through the carry handle, lift slowly until the bag is clear of the floor, and hold it still until the reading settles. Weigh it twice. If the readings differ, use the higher one.
With bathroom scales: the difference method
- Put the scales on a hard, level floor, not on carpet.
- Check they read zero with nothing on them. Reset them if they do not.
- Weigh yourself and note the figure.
- Pick up the bag, hold it close to your body, and weigh yourself again.
- Take the first figure away from the second. The answer is the weight of the bag.
- Do it all twice and use the higher answer.
Example: you weigh 72.4 kg on your own and 91.1 kg holding the case, so the case weighs 18.7 kg. The price page takes weights to 0.1 kg, so enter 18.7 kg, or round up if your two readings disagreed.
A small box can go straight on the scales, as long as it does not hide the display.
How much can you trust bathroom scales?
A study of 61 home bathroom scales, published in BMC Public Health in 2013, found that digital scales gave accurate and consistent readings. The dial scales were less precise, and with nothing on them they showed an average of 0.95 kg. Only 28% of the owners regularly zeroed their scales before using them (BMC Public Health, December 2013).
So use digital scales if you can, and always check for zero first. The difference method helps as well. A scale that reads a little high reads high both times, so most of that error drops out when you subtract. What it cannot fix is a scale that gives a different answer each time, which is why weighing twice matters.
No scales at all?
Borrow some. It is worth it. The ready-made items on the price page come with typical weights, but they are averages, not your bag. If you really have to estimate, estimate high: a guess that comes in too low is what leads to a price change after collection.
How accurate do you need to be?
Accurate enough that nobody else's tape or scales will find a bigger number. In practice:
- Round every measurement up to the next whole centimetre.
- Round the weight up to the next 0.1 kg. If an item is charged on its real weight, it is rounded up to the next 0.5 kg anyway, so 18.2 kg and 18.5 kg are priced the same.
- Do not count on an allowance for small differences. Enter what you measured, rounded up, and leave some room under any limit the price page shows.
- Measure after the last thing goes in. A case that measures 28 cm deep when half full can bulge to 31 cm once it is packed.
Why items are checked again after collection
Your price is worked out from the sizes and weights you enter. Our transport partners weigh and measure items as they pass through their depots, and they charge on what they find, not on what was booked. So your items can be weighed and measured again at collection or at any point on the way.
If an item turns out bigger or heavier than you entered, the price can change, and we will tell you the new price before we go any further. Careful measuring at home is what stops that from happening.
Keep proof
Take a photo of the tape against each side with the numbers readable, and one of the scale reading. Keep them until your items are delivered. If a size or weight is ever questioned, those photos are your evidence. Our guide to photos, receipts and damage claims lists the other photos worth taking before collection.
A simple record for each item
Copy this onto paper or into your phone and fill in a line for every item. The first line is an example.
| Item | Length (cm) | Width (cm) | Height (cm) | Weight (kg) | Photos taken |
|---|
| 1. Large suitcase (example) | 78 | 52 | 31 | 23.0 | Yes, 4 |
| 2. | | | | | |
| 3. | | | | | |
Questions people ask
Do I measure a suitcase with the handle up or down?
Down, pushed all the way in, because that is how it travels. The handle housing and the carry handle on top stay where they are, so include them.
Do wheels count in the size?
Yes. Anything that sticks out counts: wheels, feet, handles, pockets and bulges. The size-based weight is worked out from the full outside size.
Can I just use the ready-made sizes on the price page?
They are a good starting point, and they are typical of common cases and boxes. If yours is a different size or weight, change the figures to your own. The price can only be as accurate as the numbers behind it.
How do I weigh a box that is too big to stand on the scales?
Use the difference method: weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding the box, and subtract. If it is too heavy for you to lift and hold, think about splitting it into two. The people handling it have to lift it too.
What to do next
With your measurements and weights written down, enter them on the price page. It works out the chargeable weight of each item and compares every service side by side, with an all-in price for our charges. If you have not packed yet, read how to pack a suitcase for shipping first, then measure.
Sources checked on 3 October 2026.
