Packaging / shipping workflow

Compare inner carton sizes before buying packaging

A local-first carton comparison worksheet for product dimensions, cushioning, rotations, dimensional weight, and small-batch packaging cost.

Your inputs stay in your browser

Your plan

01 / INPUTS

Product nameA short internal label for this illustrative scenario.Product lengthmmMeasure the packed product candidate, without carton clearance.Product widthmmUse the largest repeatable product dimension.Product heightmmUse the product orientation-independent height.Clearance on each sidemmAdded to both ends of every dimension. This is not a drop-test specification.Product weightkgUsed only to compare against entered dimensional weight.Candidate cartonsCSV columns: name,length,width,height in mm,unitCost in USD,quantity,divisor in cm³/kg. Use a header row; divisor is user-supplied and defaults to 5000 when blank.

Illustrative example

Keep a copy of your inputsNo automatic saving. Files and photos are not stored.

Carton Fit Desk

Calculated from user-entered inputs. Review assumptions and limitations.

Plan summary

02 / RESULTS

Live comparison

Product and cushioned volume

Product volume3.7 L

Cushioned volume5.77 L

Shared scale: 0 to 5.77 L. Values may overlap; bars are comparisons, not parts of a total. Review the details below.

Fitting cartons2

Best unit cost$2.15

Best cartonSmall mailer

Product volume3.7

Cushioned volume5.77

Candidate carton comparison
Carton	Fit	Checked rotation	Cushioned use	Unit cost	Dimensional kg	Chargeable kg	Batch quantity
Small mailer	Fits	234 × 184 × 134 mm	90.4%	$2.15	1.28 kg	1.80 kg	120
Tall mailer	Does not fit	Try a larger inner size	n/a	$2.45	1.40 kg	1.80 kg	80
Protective box	Fits	234 × 184 × 134 mm	55.1%	$3.10	2.09 kg	2.09 kg	40

Illustrative fit check for Ceramic mug set: each dimension includes 12.0 mm clearance on both sides.
Rotations are checked one item at a time. This does not optimize multi-item packing, crush strength, or carrier acceptance.
Dimensional weight uses the user-entered divisor in cubic centimetres per kilogram; verify the dated carrier rule before quoting shipping.
Lowest unit-cost fitting option is Small mailer at $2.15 per carton; 120 available in the entered batch.

Know the boundaries

Dimensions are user-entered inner dimensions and do not verify compression, void fill, stacking, breakage, or carrier acceptance.
The worksheet checks one product per carton and does not solve multi-item nesting or packing optimization.
Unit costs and dimensional divisors are manual assumptions, not live prices or carrier quotes.

Examples are illustrative. Results depend on the assumptions and measurements you enter.

Method, not guesswork

Use a measured product, a real inner carton dimension, and an editable carrier divisor to compare packaging choices. The decision rule is explicit: first discard cartons that cannot contain the cushioned product in any rotation, then compare cost and wasted volume.

Read the methodology and worked examples

From inputs to a useful decision

All guides

Practical guide

Check carton fit after adding product clearance

Turn measured product dimensions into a padded fit check across every axis-aligned carton rotation.

Read guide Practical guide

Use dimensional weight as a separate carton comparison

See how the entered carton divisor and actual product weight affect a packaging comparison.

Read guide

Common questions

Which dimensions should I enter?

Enter measured product dimensions in millimetres, clearance on each side, and candidate carton inner dimensions in the CSV. The tool checks one product per carton.

How does the tool choose the best carton?

It keeps cartons that fit in at least one axis-aligned rotation, then sorts those rows by entered unit cost, wasted volume, and carton volume.

Where does dimensional weight come from?

The engine converts each carton volume to cubic centimetres, divides by that row’s entered divisor, and compares the result with the product weight.