How to measure a box for shipping with a smartphone?4 min read
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When you want to send a parcel, the first thing you are eager to know is the price of shipping. To calculate the price in a few seconds you have to know the package dimensions. This current situation can become a real problem if you do not have a tape measure! And if your package is too large to be measured quickly, especially if you have only a ruler, this can also be considered a big deal, is not it? Fortunately, technological progress does not stand still, and digital tape measure apps come to help.

Most popular apps to measure a box for shipping

In case you have got other operating system or Android, this is not a problem. We have collected the best apps to measure package dimensions with your phone’s camera!

  1. Moasure App is a digital tape measure app that lets you measure package dimensions up to 100 m by moving your smartphone from one point of the box to another. It can be downloaded both on iOS and Android.
  2. Easy Measure App will show you dimensions on the smartphone’s screen in real-time or after taking a photo of the box.
  3. AR Measure (or Air Measure) App – if you do not know how to measure a box for shipping in the fastest way, here is the solution. Choose a tool 3D Cube to get the length, width, and height of the box with one click.
  4. ARCore Ruler App is a powerful digital tape measure app which is very similar to the Easy Measure App but requires ARCore by Google.

How to measure box dimensions with a smartphone?

All you need to take package dimensions is your smartphone and a digital tape measure app installed. The work of these apps is based on augmented reality (it allows your smartphone to generate an image of the real world), so they can only run on the devices that support this technology.

All the digital tape measure apps are very easy to use. Such an app will measure the distance between two points of the box side in a few clicks. Another kind of digital tape measure app gives the opportunity to make the same but with a photo of the box. You just take a picture and get your shipping box dimensions by picking starting and ending points on the photo.

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Moreover, it is not obligatory to have the iPhone to take advantage of the virtual tape measure, as there are a lot of apps available for Android! However, if you have got a smartphone with iOS 12, it will be incredibly simple for you to measure your box dimensions. Apple provided its devices running iOS 12 with a built-in Measure App. So, no need to waste time downloading a digital tape measure app. You can measure a box for shipping with a smartphone right now.

Guide on measuring box dimensions

Whatever app is chosen by you, it is better to follow our simple instructions to get the correct package dimensions. Once you have the parcel ready, measure a box for shipping following the next steps:

  1. First, check whether your smartphone is ARCore-compatible (you can skip this step if you have got a device running iOS 12).
  2. Download and install the chosen app.
  3. Make use of the tutorial provided by the app, if it has one.
  4. Set the measuring unit (meters/centimetres or feet/inches).
  5. Aim the camera towards a box you want to use for shipping.
  6. Take a photo of the box or go to the next step if the chosen digital tape measure app displays dimensions on the screen.
  7. Measure box dimensions by selecting two points of the box’s size.
  8. Insert the package dimensions into the shipment-size checker on our website to know which service to choose and calculate the price.

How to take accurate measurements of a box?

It should be said that digital tape measure apps are limited in accuracy and would better not be used for professional aims. Nevertheless, they are quite good for measuring your package dimensions. To improve the accuracy of measurements we advise reading the short smart guide elaborated by Moasure.

No matter what app you use to measure box dimensions, we highly recommend adding a few centimetres more when inserting them into the calculator to avoid the risk of additional charges.

Now that you know all the secrets of how to measure a box for shipping with a smartphone, you can save time while booking service in Eurosender! Still have any questions? Contact us to get more information about measuring a box size.

To learn more, check our page about the different types of packaging materials you can use.