When it comes to America’s collective weight, there seems to be – pardon the expression – a broad consensus. We are obese. That’s what the experts say, anyway.  Which makes it just a little bit ironic that as individuals we tend to badly underestimate the weight of furniture and other large items that we want to ship.

Stop the suffering!

If you suffer from this skinny estimate syndrome when it comes to furniture shipping and need accurate weights for items you want to ship, view a list of household item weights and dimensions here. Weight is important because it dictates shipping cost, and an inaccurate weight means an inaccurate estimate. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize that a king size mattress weighs at least 100 lbs., a three-cushion sofa can surpass 150 lbs., and an entertainment center may top 250 lbs.

Here are a few additional tips you can use:

• Check purchase documents for specifications, including weight. And if you don’t make a habit of saving that stuff, start now.
• Check specs online, either on the manufacturer’s website or by finding the same item on a seller’s site like eBay or Amazon.
• Weigh packed boxes on a bathroom scale.
• For bulky boxes, weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding the box. Subtract to get the difference.
• Measure the size to get the weight. An experienced mover or shipper can estimate an accurate weight over the phone based on size.

The weight of the items you’re shipping will determine the basic price. There may be additional charges related to where and how the shipment nees to be picked up and delivered. We’ll cover some of those items in a future post.