How to calculate shipping weight

[kineticnrg]

How to calculate shipping weight for a printed product?

For example;

500 copies of
5.5x8.5"
80lb gloss text
4/4
printed from a digital press. (Not sure if this makes a difference.)


Is there a calculation that I can use to figure this out? I've found some websites that do this (to a degree). But, I would like to calculate this in-house while I'm creating a quote.

Any help's appreciated!


Thanks,


JP

 

[OffsetStorefront]

I take a sheet (or whatever scrap you can find that you can accurately measure) of each substrate we print on and weigh it as accurately as I can. I convert that weight into a "weight-per-square-inch" number, example:

0.38 oz / (8.5" * 14") = 0.0032 oz/in^2

I got the 0.38 oz by weighing a blank 8.5" x 14" sheet of 80# dull text. Do that for everything you use and get a big list of these values in an Excel spreadsheet. You can also separately weigh the boxes they'd go in, etc, if you want. Now, whenever I need to calculate the weight of a job using 80# dull text for any size, I just go:

finished width * finished length * 0.0032 * quantity = shipping weight

If you're concerned that different levels of ink or finishing options, etc, will affect the weight enough to matter, just go weigh a sample of that scenario as well and add it to your list. Eventually, you'll just have a big ol' addition equation in Excel for a given job that adds in the weight of each component that will make up the final product.

 

[Magnus59]

That seems way too complicated, it's so much easier here where paper weight is specified in GSM (grams per square metre) all we need to do is calculate (hxw in mm/10,000) x total sheets x GSM)/1000 = total KG + allowance for packaging.

 

[Stephen Marsh]

This is all factored in and taken for granted in a good print MIS (disclaimer – a somewhat biased link).


Stephen Marsh

 

[OffsetStorefront]

That seems way too complicated, it's so much easier here where paper weight is specified in GSM (grams per square metre) all we need to do is calculate (hxw in mm/10,000) x total sheets x GSM)/1000 = total KG + allowance for packaging.

Yeah, that's the same method I just described, except they've already come up with the "weight-per-square-whatever" measurement for you. Yes, that is the easiest to use and best-case scenario but if you don't have that supplied, sometimes you've just gotta figure it out yourself.

 

[kansasquaker]

I built a spreadsheet to estimate mailing weight and thickness, but it works just as well for any quantity. I make no representations or warranties, but post it here for anybody who would like to use, modify or otherwise manipulate . I think it's fairly self explanatory. Basically you enter the total square inches in the yellow box to find weight. (e.g. an 8.5x11 would be '=8.5*11', and 1000 8.5x11 would be '=8.5*11*1000').

Mailing Weight and Thickness Estimator.xlsx.zip

 

[dying breed]

I am not affiliated with them in any way, but Case paper has an online calculator that I use all the time- http://www.casepaper.com/resources/paper-price-calculators/calculators/

 

[kineticnrg]

Thanks a lot everyone. kansasquaker, I'll have a look at your excel file and see ig I can integrate into my pricing schedule.