No Freight Scale? No Problem. 4 Tips for a More Accurate Quote When You Can't Weigh Your Freight

Knowing how much your freight shipment weighs is one of the most important considerations for an accurate quote, along with pickup and delivery locations. But what should you do if you don’t have a dedicated freight scale or if your shipment includes oversized, heavy, or oddly shaped items that won’t fit on a scale? We share four tips to help in the video below.

1. Go old school with arithmetic

If you’re shipping several of the same item and can figure out what one of them weighs—either using some of the methods below or if one of the items will fit on a non-freight scale – your elementary school math classes will come in handy. Just multiply the weight of one item by the number of items you’re shipping and – voila! – you know how much your shipment weighs.

2. Put manufacturer specifications to work for you

Manufacturers can be a wealth of useful information. Visit their websites or page through their user manuals to look for product weights. You can often find what you need!

3. Go back to the basics

If you can’t put the items you’re shipping on a smaller scale to get a weight and the manufacturer doesn’t include specs to help you determine how hefty your shipment is, you have another option: Weigh the raw materials the products are made from. While this method is more time intensive, it's a great option to avoid estimating too high or too low - both of which could cost you in the long run.

4. Make sure to account for packaging materials

The weight of all packaging should be included in your final shipment weight. Don’t miss this important step! While plastic wrap may not weigh much, a standard 48x48 inch pallet can weigh up to 50 pounds. Adding 50 pounds for each 48x48 inch pallet is a good rule of thumb. Forgetting to include a few pallets in your total weight could give you an unwelcome surprise when you receive your freight bill and could significantly affect your shipping method, too.

Summing it up

With these four tips, you'll be able to get an accurate quote for your shipment, even without a freight scale. Read our other freight shipping tips to help ensure you have the best possible freight shipping experience. Start your online quote today, and see how simple shipping can be.