UPS accepts one package up to 150 pounds. It also stops at 108 inches of length and 165 inches of length plus girth, so a carton can sit comfortably under the weight cap and still be refused for its shape. Below is the full ceiling set from the UPS site, then a Ground ladder we quoted on one lane to show where the price curve bends and where it ends.
Weight, longest side and combined inches each have to clear on their own before a UPS label can be bought.
| Limit | Value | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum weight | 150 lb | One package on the scale, contents and packaging together |
| Maximum length | 108 in | The longest side of the packed carton |
| Maximum length plus girth | 165 in | Length added to twice the width plus twice the height |
UPS words the consequence carefully on that same page: "Packages above certain size and weight combinations may require freight shipping services." A box that fails any single row stops being something you can buy a parcel label for, no matter how well it does on the other two.
We ran the same origin and destination at six weights through the SMKlog calculator on 2026-07-28, growing the carton the way a real shipper would. Each figure is the whole amount collected at checkout for UPS Ground on that box.
| Packed carton | Weight | UPS Ground price |
|---|---|---|
| 12 x 12 x 12 in | 15 lb | $23.54 |
| 20 x 16 x 12 in | 25 lb | $29.52 |
| 20 x 16 x 12 in | 32 lb | $32.09 |
| 24 x 18 x 14 in | 50 lb | $45.01 |
| 24 x 18 x 18 in | 70 lb | $81.27 |
| 30 x 24 x 24 in | 150 lb | no parcel rate returned |
Notice where the curve steepens. Going from 50 lb to 70 lb added more money than the whole climb from 15 lb to 50 lb, because the carton grew as well as the load. At 150 lb the calculator produced nothing to buy: the request came back tagged for a commercial freight review, with the estimated shipment weight printed at 150 lb and no rates attached.
Price your own carton on this lane Send a heavy load to freight review
Length plus girth means the longest side added to twice the width plus twice the height. A 40 x 22 x 22 in carton is nowhere near 108 inches long, yet its girth of 88 inches puts it at 128 combined, most of the way to the 165 cap. Lay the tape around the packed box, not the flat one, because a stuffed carton bows outward and hubs measure what arrives.
UPS lists a Large Package Surcharge for domestic parcels over 130 combined inches, over 96 inches of length, over 17,280 cubic inches, or heavier than 110 lb, and bills those at a minimum of 90 lb. Additional Handling has its own triggers, among them a longest side over 48 inches, a second-longest side over 30 inches, a cubic size over 10,368 cubic inches, and any package not fully encased in corrugated cardboard. Both lists come from ups.com, checked 2026-07-28, which publishes the triggers without the amounts, so no amount appears here.
In the carrier's own words, an Additional Handling charge will not be assessed when a Large Package Surcharge is applied. That matters when you are deciding whether to shave an inch off a carton: dropping below the large package trigger can land you back in additional handling rather than in the clear, so check both trigger lists before you rebuild the box.
Over the cap the shipment stops being a package and becomes cargo, priced by class and density rather than by a rate card. We do not sell truck freight ourselves, and we do not run warehouses or move freight across borders. What we do is take the details, put a person on them, and come back with a route. That is a slower answer than a checkout button and a more honest one for a load that no parcel hub would accept.
Start an LTL freight review Read the oversize measuring guide
150 pounds, per ups.com, checked 2026-07-28. That is the whole packed parcel on the scale, contents plus packaging. Heavier loads are pointed toward freight services rather than a parcel label.
108 inches on the longest side, and 165 inches once you add length to twice the width plus twice the height. Both figures come from ups.com, checked 2026-07-28, and a box has to clear each of them separately.
UPS lists four domestic triggers: over 130 combined inches, longer than 96 inches, bigger than 17,280 cubic inches, or heavier than 110 lb. Such a package is billed at a minimum of 90 lb, and the carrier states that an Additional Handling charge will not be assessed when a Large Package Surcharge is applied.
Nothing. A 30 x 24 x 24 in carton at 150 lb from Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303 on 2026-07-28 returned zero parcel rates and was tagged for a commercial freight review instead. A 70 lb box on the same lane and day still priced normally, at $81.27 with UPS Ground.