A 60 by 40 by 40 centimeter carton has an unrounded dimensional weight of 19.2 kilograms under the divisor FedEx publishes, whatever the scale reads. In international shipping for students, the carton size is fixed at the packing table, before a carrier is chosen.
A box can be billed above its scale weight
FedEx’s dimensional weight FAQ (the Japan edition) multiplies length, width and height, each rounded up to the next centimeter, and divides the product by 5,000. The 60 by 40 by 40 carton is 96,000 cubic centimeters, which gives 19.2 kilograms. In inches the divisors are 305 for kilograms and 139 for pounds. The U.S. Service Guide then bills the greater of this figure and the actual weight, and FedEx’s Macau international rate sheet adds that any fraction of a kilogram is rounded up to the next weight break.
Take the same carton down to 55 by 35 by 35 and the volume is 67,375 cubic centimeters, which is an unrounded 13.5 kilograms. Five centimeters off each of the three sides lowers the figure by 5.7 kilograms.
The rule works against light, bulky goods. Light, bulky goods such as bedding and winter coats tend to be billed on volume, and dense ones such as books on the scale. Other carriers publish their own divisors, so international shipping for students is easiest to compare when every quote states the divisor and the rounding rule.
A room’s worth of furniture can go by sea instead, and ocean spot rates from Asia list what each carrier is charging that week.
Paperless invoices need both countries to accept them
A paperless invoice only works when both ends accept it, and FedEx’s Electronic Trade Documents page says not every country does. When the origin or the destination is one of them, the shipment is labeled EWO, “Electronics with Originals”: the documents still go ahead electronically and printed copies still travel with the box. Where it is accepted, the shipper does not print, fold and attach copies, and is notified earlier of errors or missing paperwork.
Royal Mail said it would stop taking US parcels on 26 August 2025
Until 29 August 2025, an individual package worth $800 or less entered the US duty-free under the de minimis rule for most countries (China and Hong Kong had already lost it). An executive order suspended it for the rest, and NPR reported that many European postal operators and parcel companies were pausing some US shipments as a result. Gifts worth less than $100 sent between individuals were not affected.
Royal Mail and Austria’s Österreichische Post said they would stop accepting packages on Tuesday 26 August 2025, so that earlier parcels could arrive before the duties applied, The Guardian reported, adding that Royal Mail hoped the interruption would last only a few days. DHL Group suspended business shipments through Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany but kept DHL Express, the more expensive service, open. DHL said key questions were unresolved: how and by whom duties would be collected, what additional data would be required, and how it would reach US Customs and Border Protection. NPR reported that DHL had no estimate of how long the pause would last.
CBP then wrote the suspension into regulation. Its rule of 24 June 2026, effective 24 July 2026, ends the exemption indefinitely for goods of $800 or less arriving by international mail and creates a postal informal entry process for merchandise of $2,500 or less. Two exemptions stay: bona fide gifts of $100 or less ($200 for gifts from certain island possessions), and personal or household articles of $200 or less accompanying a person arriving in the US. The rule text covers articles “accompanying persons arriving in the United States”, which on a literal reading leaves out a box mailed on its own. That is a reading of the wording, not CBP guidance, so the sender should ask the carrier who collects the duty before paying for postage. NPR describes the gift exemption as covering gifts sent between individuals.
Declared value is the most FedEx pays
If a carton is lost or damaged, the FedEx Service Guide says the declared value for carriage is FedEx’s maximum liability for a package, and that the shipper has to prove actual damages. FedEx’s declared value page adds that declaring a value does not guarantee the exact amount back: liability will not exceed the repair cost, the depreciated value or the replacement cost, whichever is less, and reimbursement is made only if the shipment was properly packed and the loss resulted from FedEx’s negligence. FedEx also states that it provides no insurance coverage of any kind, so the risk can be moved to an insurer through a separate policy. FedEx’s page says a policy bought from an insurance agent or broker can cover losses outside FedEx’s control and reimburse shipping costs. Where the Montreal Convention applies, liability is limited to 26 SDRs per kilo unless a higher value is declared and the fee paid.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a ceiling on declared value for FedEx International Priority parcels?
In the U.S. edition of FedEx's 2026 Service Guide the maximum is US$50,000 per shipment for International Priority Express, International Priority and International Economy. The guide adds that the maximum for a shipment to a given country is listed at fedex.com under that country.
Is there a lower declared-value cap for some contents?
Yes. For international shipments, the U.S. edition of FedEx's 2026 Service Guide limits packages that contain artwork, among other listed items, to a declared value for carriage of US$1,000 per shipment or US$9.07 per pound, whichever is greater. A lower limit set by the destination country controls.
Did the end of the US de minimis rule affect letters?
NPR reported in August 2025 that letters were not affected by the new rules, while packages from businesses would be significantly affected. Gifts worth less than $100 sent between individuals stayed exempt.