The primary difference between dimensional weight and actual weight is how you calculate the final weight:
Actual Weight: As you might expect, actual weight is simply the physical weight of your package that you get by weighing it on a scale.
Dimensional Weight: As we’ve learned previously, DIM weight is a theoretical weight that is based on how much space a package takes up during shipping.
As we now know, carriers will compare the actual weight of the package to its dimensional weight, and they will charge you based on whichever is greater. This means that if you have a large but lightweight package, you might end up paying for the space it occupies rather than its actual weight, which could be significantly less.
