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What does UPS Over Maximum Limits charge mean?
What Does UPS Over Maximum Limits Charge Mean?
Introduction: Shipping Limits Are Operational Boundaries, Not Fine Print
If you’re shipping with UPS, you already know there are firm limits on how big or heavy a package can be. These limits aren’t arbitrary—they reflect real-world constraints baked into UPS’s operations, from how parcels move through sorting equipment to vehicle load capacity. Cross those boundaries, and you’ll trigger the Over Maximum Limits charge—a surcharge that’s more than just a fee; it’s a signal of operational friction and risk.
When you ship with UPS, you operate within a physical system that has hard constraints: conveyors, sorters, cages, trailer doors, and people all have limits. These limits translate into rules for parcel size and weight. Crossing those boundaries doesn’t just cost more. It triggers specific exception handling across the network. The UPS Over Maximum Limits charge is the clearest example of this operational reality.
This isn’t a “gotcha.” It’s a price signal UPS uses to protect throughput and safety. By understanding what triggers the charge, how it differs from other fees, and how to engineer your packing and shipping process to avoid it, you can remove a persistent source of margin erosion and design scalable, efficient shipping processes.
What Are UPS Maximum Limits? The Basics
UPS publishes specific maximum parcel limits for shipments carried within its standard small-package network. When a package exceeds any one of these stated limits, it falls outside the parcel system’s designed handling envelope and may incur the Over Maximum Limits charge.
Key limits are:
- Weight: 150 pounds per package
- Length: 108 inches (measured on the longest side)
- Length + Girth: 165 inches, where girth equals 2 × width + 2 × height
The way UPS calculates length and girth is essential to understand when packing and shipping:
Length + Girth = Length + 2 × Width + 2 × Height
For example, a box measuring 60 inches × 12 inches × 12 inches would have:
- Girth = 2 × 12 + 2 × 12 = 48 inches
- Length + Girth = 60 + 48 = 108 inches, which is well within the 165-inch limit
When measuring, the longest point for each dimension including any bulges or irregular packaging must be used. UPS rounds fractional pounds upward to the next whole pound for billing purposes. Dimensional rounding rules can vary, but it’s prudent to round measurements conservatively to whole inches or as detailed in UPS’s official guidance:
These limits apply to standard UPS parcel services Ground and Air, primarily. If your shipments inherently exceed these limits due to size or weight, they do not fall under the parcel system and must use freight or palletized shipping solutions instead.
What the Over Maximum Limits Charge Actually Means
The Over Maximum Limits charge is a specific, flat surcharge applied when a package exceeds any of the UPS maximum parcel limits described above. It is distinct from other fees, such as dimensional weight charges or additional handling fees.
To clarify:
- Dimensional weight charges increase the billable weight based on size, but only within maximum size and weight limits.
- Additional Handling fees apply to packages that are heavy or awkward yet still stay under the maximum size and weight constraints.
- Large Package Surcharge applies to big parcels within the accepted limits but above a certain size.
The Over Maximum Limits charge is a penalty imposed when the package physically crosses the maximum thresholds weight above 150 lb, length above 108 in, or length + girth greater than 165 in. It signals that the parcel cannot be handled through the automated parcel network efficiently or safely.
UPS publishes the surcharge amounts in their Additional Charges documentation, and these fees can significantly add to your shipping costs often surpassing the base transportation charge for the package. Surcharges typically apply per package and are subject to change annually. Discounts you might have negotiated on base transportation may not fully apply or may be limited when it comes to these charges. You can reference the latest UPS Additional Charges here:
https://www.ups.com/media/en/additional_charges_daily.pdf
Additionally, the official Terms of Carriage outlines how these surcharges integrate into your agreement:
From an operational standpoint, exceeding maximum limits often moves your package from automated conveyance systems into manual handling workflows. This adds variability, increases processing time, introduces risk, and thereby justifies the surcharge.
Why UPS Imposes These Limits and Charges
UPS’s parcel network is an intricate system designed for speed, efficiency, and safety. The maximum limits and related charges reflect hard realities of physical logistics:
- Equipment constraints: Conveyors, diverters, sorting machines, and chutes can only accommodate packages within certain size and weight envelopes. Oversized parcels cause jams or require exceptions.
- Vehicle and cage capacity: Larger and heavier parcels occupy disproportionate space, reducing effective route density and increasing fuel and labor costs.
- Safety: Handling protocols are built assuming maximum weight and manageable size. Exceeding limits raises risk of damage to packages, equipment, or injury to workers.
- System throughput and predictability: The network works best with standardized parcels, enabling smooth, predictable flow. Oversize packages interrupt this flow and increase cost.
From UPS’s perspective, these limits and charges serve as economic signals to shippers. They incentivize proper packaging, mode selection, and operational alignment so that oversized or overweight shipments either fit within the parcel system or move to freight, where different handling and cost structures exist.
How to Avoid or Manage Over Maximum Limits Charges
Tactical Prevention
- Measure and weigh packages precisely: Use calibrated scales; always round fractional weights upward, since UPS bills this way. Measure each side at its longest point, accounting for bulges caused by packaging or product shape.
- Calculate length + girth correctly: Apply the formula Length + 2 × Width + 2 × Height exactly. Until automated dimensioners are implemented, train packers on this formula to avoid miscalculations.
- Design packaging to fit within limits: Select cartons and packaging materials that can contain products without excessively increasing size or weight. Avoid overstuffing cartons that result in bulging.
- Repackage or split shipments: If one box exceeds limits, redistribute your shipment into multiple smaller parcels. This adds pack time and labels but may avoid a costly surcharge.
- Choose appropriate shipping modes: For regularly large or heavy shipments, move to UPS Freight, less-than-truckload (LTL), or palletized shipping. This prevents paying parcel network surcharges and fits the logistical profile better.
System Design for Scale
- Deploy software checks: Integrate dimension and weight validations in Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) or Transportation Management Systems (TMS) to flag packages approaching limits and prevent label creation until compliant.
- Invest in technology: Inline dimensioning and checkweighing stations significantly reduce dimensional errors and prevent over-limit shipments. These tools pay off quickly at scale.
- Adopt cartonization software: Use solutions that intelligently select the smallest possible carton or suggest shipment splits.
- Train and enforce SOPs: Regular training for packers on measurement techniques and cost implications reduces surprises. Visual guides at packing stations reinforce compliance.
- Implement analytics: Track Over Maximum Limits fees by SKU, packer, and time period to target continuous improvement opportunities.
Tradeoffs and When to Change Modes
Every approach carries operational tradeoffs:
- Splitting shipments can eliminate surcharges but increases handling steps, packing time, and may split customer deliveries. For some businesses, it’s more cost-effective overall.
- Staying in parcel mode offers simplicity and often speed but risks frequent surcharges when packages exceed limits.
- Switching to freight introduces complexity around appointment scheduling, pallet handling, and often longer lead times, but stabilizes shipping costs for heavy or large goods.
You should evaluate your product volumes, packaging, and customer expectations to choose the optimal strategy.
How This Differs from Other UPS Surcharges
To fully grasp the Over Maximum Limits fee’s significance, it helps to contrast it with similar UPS surcharges:
- Additional Handling Fee: Applies to heavy or awkward parcels still within maximum limits, often triggered by weight thresholds (e.g., 70 pounds) or special packaging.
- Large Package Surcharge: Charged on large parcels that meet UPS’s large package criteria but remain under max limits (e.g., a parcel with a length + girth between 130 and 165 inches).
- Over Maximum Limits Charge: Applies strictly when any max limit is crossed—weight above 150 lb, length above 108 in, or length + girth over 165 in.
Surcharge amounts, discountability, and operational impacts vary between these. Systems should distinguish among them to ensure accurate cost forecasting and compliance.
UPS’s official references for these fees are:
Real-World Implications for Scaling Operations
When shipping volumes grow, what feels like a rare exception at low volume turns into a steady erosion of profits at scale.
Consider:
- Data hygiene: Stale or approximate item dimensions in systems produce inaccurate cartonization and push packages over limits unknowingly.
- Investment in technology: Inline dimensioners and checkweighers reduce human error and prevent costly surcharges.
- Packaging standardization: Standard carton sizes prevent last-minute dimension overruns and ease automation.
- Mode selection policies: Establishing clear rules and workflows for shipments exceeding limits ensures smooth transitions to freight or split shipments.
- Software integration: Real-time validations during order fulfillment prevent label creation for noncompliant packages, routing them to appropriate workflows.
- Cost forecasting: Modeling potential surcharges as volumes increase avoids budget surprises and aligns operational priorities.
At scale, the Over Maximum Limits charge is not just a line item: it's a vital system boundary requiring rigorous controls.
A Practical Checklist
Before shipping, verify:
- Weigh packages using calibrated scales, rounding up fractional weights.
- Measure length, width, and height at longest points.
- Calculate length + girth precisely and compare against the 165-inch limit.
- If weight approaches 145 pounds or length + girth nears 160 inches, trigger supervisor review or route to freight shipping.
- Design packaging to avoid any side approaching the 108-inch length limit.
- Store and audit SKU dimensions regularly to maintain accuracy.
In your systems:
- Enable near-limit alerts and hard stops in WMS/TMS.
- Use cartonization or packaging optimization software for automated recommendations.
- Automate mode selection logic to prevent noncompliant parcels from shipping as parcel.
Cost Perspective
The Over Maximum Limits charge often exceeds your base freight charges, turning what might have been a modest shipping cost into a significant expense. The published surcharge amounts vary; as of the latest update, the fee is commonly hundreds of dollars per package when limits are exceeded.
Knowing this, even imperfect precision justifies investment in accuracy and contingency workflows.
Check current surcharge rates here:
https://www.ups.com/media/en/additional_charges_daily.pdf
What Might Change And What Won't
Might Change:
- UPS may revise thresholds and surcharge amounts with evolving operational technologies and network configurations.
- Measurement and rounding methods could become more precise with better dimensioning tech.
- The service mix (parcel versus pallet freight) offerings might evolve, reflecting market demand and logistics trends.
Will Not Change:
- Physical constraints and safety considerations will remain hard limits. Packages too heavy or too large represent genuine challenges in transport and handling.
- The network will continue to price exceptions to protect operational efficiency and worker safety.
- Discipline around measurement accuracy, packaging design, and mode selection remains a foundational lever.
Conclusion: Use Limits as Design Inputs
Viewing UPS’s maximum parcel limits as hard inputs to your packaging, software, and operational design is essential. The Over Maximum Limits charge is not a surprise penalty but the result of crossing known system boundaries that the parcel network cannot absorb at scale.
By measuring precisely, packaging intelligently, and embedding guardrails in your fulfillment systems, you avoid this surcharge and the hidden costs behind it including manual handling, delivery delays, and risk exposure.
As your shipping volume grows, this discipline sets apart stable, repeatable unit economics from a constant drumbeat of exceptions and unpredictable fees.
Applying these insights supports resilient logistics strategies that balance operational efficiency, customer expectations, and cost control.
Appendix and Resources
- UPS: Avoid Additional Shipping Fees (official measurement tips)
https://www.ups.com/us/en/support/shipping-support/shipping-dimensions-weight/avoid-additional-shipping-fees - UPS: Additional Charges Document (current surcharge rates)
https://www.ups.com/media/en/additional_charges_daily.pdf - UPS: Terms of Carriage (legal contract details)
https://assets.ups.com/adobe/assets/urn:aaid:aem:c6bf8a2f-018f-4aa0-838b-ffc1a75eb1d9/original/as/terms-carriage-us-en.pdf - Third-party summary of Over Maximum Limits fees (confirm details with UPS)
https://redstagfulfillment.com/ups-over-maximum-limits-fee/
Quick Reference Formula:
Length + Girth = Length + 2 × Width + 2 × HeightMaximums to respect:- Length ≤ 108 inches- Length + Girth ≤ 165 inches- Weight ≤ 150 poundsRound fractional pounds up; measure at longest points including bulges.
Operator’s Note
At scale, the best “tool” is a system rule that prevents a bad label from printing in the first place. Put the math into your WMS/TMS not in your packer’s head and you protect your costs, your customers, and your operations.
Disclaimer: The content here is provided for informational purposes and reflects publicly available UPS policies as of the date of this article. Always consult UPS’s official documentation and your carrier agreements for the most current and binding terms.
Learn what triggers UPS’s Over Maximum Limits charge, its impact on shipping costs, and how to avoid costly surcharges by staying within parcel size and weight limits.
