Evri parcel size and weight limits for online shops

A product described as “small” in your catalogue can become a much larger shipping parcel once you protect it. Equally, a long lightweight item can exceed a carrier limit before its weight is a problem. For a small UK shop, the useful measurement is the finished customer basket. This guide works through Evri’s published rules without assuming that a carrier maximum is the same as the format available through your chosen booking platform.

Which measurements should you take first? #

Pack one representative order properly, close the carton and measure its outside dimensions. Identify the longest side as length, then record the other two sides. Weigh the whole parcel on suitable scales. Include packing slips, tape and protective materials. If the carton bows out after sealing, measure the widest points rather than copy the flat box specification. Record the measurements beside the product or basket recipe so you can repeat the check.

For a repeat product, keep a photograph of the packing arrangement and the box reference. That makes a useful dispatch instruction for a helper or home sender. Review it whenever the packaging changes. A supplier switching to a taller retail carton, or your shop adding a promotional item, can change eligibility even when the main product stays identical. Shipping measurements belong to a packing recipe, not permanently to the product name.

How do you calculate Evri’s combined measurement? #

Use the formula length + 2 × width + 2 × height, taking length as the longest side. It measures the longest dimension plus the distance around the other two dimensions. This is not the same as adding the three sides once, and it is not a cubic-volume calculation. Evri’s guide checked for this article says the combined result should be less than 245 cm. The examples below avoid the boundary so their result does not depend on rounding.

Notice the third row. A combined result below the ceiling does not cancel a separate longest-side restriction. Conversely, the second row has a longest side below the maximum but is too bulky around its other dimensions. You need both checks. An order can also pass both and still be too heavy. Keep the results as separate fields in your spreadsheet rather than reduce them to an unexamined “fits Evri” note.

Does a 2 kg parcel qualify as an Evri small parcel? #

Not on weight alone. Evri’s dedicated small-parcel page describes a finished parcel measuring up to 45 × 35 × 16 cm and weighing up to 2 kg. Compare each dimension of your box, allowing for its orientation. A lightweight carton that is too deep does not meet that product description. It may fit another service, but you should choose the one actually offered for its measurements instead of selecting a cheaper-looking small category.

For example, a hypothetical 40 × 30 × 18 cm box weighing 1.4 kg exceeds the published small product’s depth. A 40 × 30 × 14 cm box containing the same safely protected goods may fit those small dimensions. The change is only useful if protection remains adequate. Do not squash a fragile product or remove required padding merely to enter a narrower category. Measure the actual packed result rather than treating the proposed box as proof.

Product labels such as “Small”, “Standard” and “Postable” are carrier categories with specific conditions. They are not interchangeable with the everyday descriptions on your shop. Read the category offered in the live booking, including any weight band. This article deliberately does not quote the small-product promotion or its savings claim: eligibility is the question here, and the final tariff belongs to the booking you make.

What happens when packaging crosses a weight band? #

Work with packed weight. Consider a hypothetical basket containing 1.85 kg of goods. If the carton and protection weigh 0.25 kg, the outgoing parcel is 2.10 kg. That is not a parcel at or below 2 kg merely because the products themselves are lighter. The same principle applies near the overall network maximum: a 14.80 kg product plus 0.40 kg of packaging becomes 15.20 kg, exceeding the published maximum.

Use scales that can reliably handle the load and leave room for normal packing variation. If your displayed measurement is very close to a boundary, check the scale and weigh again. Do not round down to force eligibility. Evri’s terms require declared size and weight to match the parcel and provide for additional charges when they do not. A finished parcel above the accepted maximum needs a different suitable service, not a lower declared weight.

Can a ParcelShop-sized box go in an Evri locker? #

Only if it meets the locker requirements as well. Evri’s size guide lists a locker maximum of 62 × 39 × 57 cm. Treat those as a separate fit check, rather than assuming a parcel accepted through a counter fits a compartment. Think about all sides and the opening through which you must put the box. A theoretical fit with no clearance may be awkward to deposit or remove; do not force a parcel into a tight space.

Use the appropriate Evri location and label instructions. A locker carrying another operator’s branding is not automatically an Evri drop-off point. Check the location finder for the service you purchased and keep an accepted alternative in mind. The customer’s destination is another independent choice: depositing a parcel in a sender-side locker does not, by itself, mean it will be delivered to a recipient-side locker.

Should you split a multi-item customer order? #

First test whether the complete basket fits one suitable service with safe packing. If it does not, compare a different carrier option with two separately packed parcels. Splitting creates another label and another handover record, and the customer may receive the items at different times. Combining them may require a larger carton and more preparation. Neither choice is automatically cheaper or better without the actual quotes and packing requirements.

A hypothetical set of three items weighing 4.6 kg each contains 13.8 kg of products. If the shared carton and protection add 1.4 kg, the result is 15.2 kg. It exceeds Evri’s published overall weight limit even before you check dimensions. Two parcels might solve the weight problem, but weigh and measure both. Do not tie two boxes together and count them as one ordinary carton without specific approval for that method.

Are these limits the same on AirPost? #

A carrier’s retail maximum does not define every service offered by a platform. AirPost uses specific parcel formats and sender capacity, which you should check for the actual order. The local fulfilment page explains how a sender stores a small batch at home and packs your customer orders. The box must fit the selected label and the sender’s accepted format; meeting one of those checks does not replace the other.

Give the sender a tested packing recipe, including the carton, quantities, protection and expected finished measurements. If the final result differs, ask them to check before purchasing postage or handing it over. The broader volumetric weight guide covers a different calculation used by some services. The UK fulfilment guide covers placing stock near UK customers.

What should you record before buying postage? #

1. The finished outside length, width and height, plus the combined calculation.
2. The complete weight, with packaging and every item in the basket.
3. The exact service category and the chosen counter, locker or collection method.
4. The permitted contents and compensation conditions for the goods.
5. The packing recipe and order reference, so the next dispatch repeats the same checks.