Updated October 2026
A case of canned beverage takes up little room and weighs a lot, so carriers usually charge it by the pound. Carrier choice, packing that stands up to the weight and a shorter trip to the customer are where that cost can potentially come down.
Heavy and dense beverage freight optimization means keeping shipping cost and breakage under control on food and drink that is heavy for its size. Carriers usually bill these cases on their actual weight. We pick a carrier for each case from rates we've negotiated and pack it in a carton built for the weight. You can also store inventory in several of our warehouses so each case has a shorter trip.
By The Fulfillment.com team
Put a case of bottled water and a carton of pillows on the same dock and the carrier prices them in different ways. The pillows pay for the room they take up. The water pays for what it weighs. Cases of bottles and cans, jarred sauces and canned goods all pack a lot of weight into a small carton. Every pound adds to the rate, and freight usually becomes the biggest cost on your bill.
So the fixes differ too. With a light, bulky parcel, the size of the box is what you work on. With a heavy case, you look at which carrier and service it ships on and how far it has to go.
Which weight the carrier bills on decides where savings can come from.
Real weight, also called scale weight, is what the parcel weighs when you set it on a scale. Dimensional weight (DIM) is a weight the carrier works out from the box's length, width and height, so a large, light parcel pays for the space it fills. The carrier compares the two and bills whichever is higher.
Light, bulky goods usually come out higher on DIM, and a smaller box lowers what you pay. Dense food and drink go the other way. A case of bottled water or canned beverage is so heavy for its size that its real weight is higher almost every time. The pounds in the box set the price, and a smaller carton does little on its own. What changes the price is the carrier and service the case ships on, and how far it travels.
Find out which weight applies to each of your SKUs before you decide where to put your effort. Our guide to canned and bottled beverage fulfillment covers how cans and bottles are handled in the warehouse.