What are irregular items?
Irregular items are items that do not conform to standard shapes such as cubes and cuboids.
For certain companies, these items can be any shape that falls outside the usual scope of their daily operations.
Such items stand out because they often add a layer of complexity when it comes to packing, transporting, or measuring the dimensions of the item in question.
Factors to consider when dimensioning irregular items
Irregular items can cause inconvenience during shipment, mainly when taking measurements.
This can drive additional costs. Wrong or inaccurate dimensions result in inaccurate volumetric weight, resulting in inaccurate invoice amounts.
Measuring unordinary shapes presents challenges compared to measuring standard rectangular objects, making it challenging to determine the true length, width, and height of the item.
1. The First and most obvious step: measure length, width, and height
Visualize the smallest cuboid bounding box that can comfortably enclose the irregular item. Measure from one end to the other along the length, using a measuring tape.
Ensure that you measure from the outermost points of the irregular item. Do the same for width and height.
2. Account for irregularities
If the irregular item has bumps or curves that extend beyond the imaginary bounding box, take additional measurements for these irregularities.
3. Double-check your measurements
Ensure that your measurements are consistent and accurate by rechecking them if needed.
4. Document the measurements
Keep a clear record of the item's dimensions and any irregularities observed.
This documentation is essential for shipping, storage, or any other relevant processes.
5. Calculate volumetric weight for shipping.
Volumetric weight (also known as dimensional weight or DIM weight) is typically used in shipping to determine the cost of shipping a package based on its volume rather than its actual weight.
It helps account for the space a package occupies in a transportation vehicle.
Volumetric Weight (kg) = (Length x Width x Height in cm) / Volumetric Factor
The volumetric factor is usually a constant value representing the density accepted by the shipping carrier. It's often expressed as a certain divisor, depending on the carrier.
Shipping carriers will use the higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight to calculate shipping costs, ensuring that bulky but lightweight packages are charged appropriately for the space they occupy.
6. Use automated tools!
Simplify the process of dimensioning regular and irregular items with automated tools. We discuss this below.
Towards A Better, More Scalable Way of Dimensioning
Traditional methods of dimensioning
One of the primary tools used for measuring irregular shapes is the measuring tape.
The measuring tape can conveniently adapt to the contours of any shape, allowing the measurement of the length, width, depth, or circumference of any object.
However, the versatility of the measuring tape doesn’t exempt it from challenges.
It requires manual labor and significantly more time to measure any object compared to automated tools.
Static Dimensioners
Advancements in technology have allowed for better dimensioning equipment in the supply chain workplace.
One such solution is static dimensioners which have significantly enhanced the efficiency of dimensioning processes.
With the aid of this equipment, a lot more parcels can be dimensioned and sent off than ever before.
However, even static dimensioners have limitations.
Price
- Static dimensioners are expensive to obtain.
- When it comes to static pallet or parcel dimensioners, the expenses can escalate quite fast.
- Beyond the initial device cost, there are installation expenses to consider, along with licensing fees, all of which contribute to a hefty price tag.
Fixed location
- Static dimensioners are fixed to only one location.
- This brings up the issue of having to always move parcels or items to a dedicated dimensioning location.
- In the case of pallets, this can be particularly difficult, requiring forklifts & extra workforce.
Single Purpose
- Static dimensioners are designed with specific dimensioning use cases in mind, catering to the dimensioning of small parcels, large parcels, or pallets of particular sizes separately.
- The one and only purpose of static dimensioners is to retrieve the dimensions of items, putting a limitation on other data types, such as constraints, quantity of items, and orientation guidelines.
A Mobile Dimensioning Solution
At Optioryx, we’ve developed a mobile dimensioning app called “Dimmy”.
At its core, Dimmy performs the fundamental task of accurately measuring the length, width, and height of irregular & ordinary objects – boxes, pallets, and SKUs.
These hand-held devices are ideal for on-the-spot measurements, especially in environments where space is limited or for businesses that need to measure items at various locations.
It allows for dimensioning operations to be carried out anywhere and at any time.
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Manual vs. Mobile dimensioning
Dimmy acts as a comprehensive information hub, gathering data that can create other optimization possibilities, for cartonization, shipment cost calculation, truckload building, and more.
Its capabilities extend far beyond these essential functions of retrieving length, width, and height.
Learn more about the use cases of mobile dimensioning.
