Speed Post Weight Limit and Size Restrictions: Maximum Weight, Dimensions and Volumetric Rules
How heavy and how big can your Speed Post be? The document limit, the 35 kg parcel limit, the 1.5 metre and 3 metre size rules, how volumetric weight can push up your bill, and what to do if your parcel is too big.
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The short answer: a Speed Post parcel can weigh up to 35 kg. Its longest side can't be more than 1.5 metres, and its length plus girth together can't be more than 3 metres. A Speed Post document is much smaller. It can weigh up to 500 grams and can be no bigger than 420 × 297 × 24 mm, which is about an A3 sheet that's 2.4 cm thick.
There's one catch that surprises people at the counter. India Post defines "weight" as the gross weight or the volumetric weight, whichever is higher. A big, light box can be charged as if it were heavier than it really is. And gross weight means everything: the box, the tape, the bubble wrap and the contents.
These limits come from the Post Office Regulations, 2024 (Regulations 2, 96, 99 and 100), and they match what India Post's own Speed Post Parcel page shows today. Below we go through each rule, show you how to measure your box at home, and explain your options when something is too heavy or too long.
Speed Post Limits at a Glance
| Rule | Speed Post Document | Speed Post Parcel |
|---|---|---|
| What can go inside | Letters and written, drawn or printed papers. No merchandise. | Goods. Anything that isn't a document must be declared "merchandise" |
| Maximum weight | 500 g, including volumetric weight | 35 kg (gross or volumetric weight) |
| Maximum size | 420 mm long, 297 mm wide, 24 mm thick | Length up to 1.5 m, and length + girth up to 3 m |
| Minimum size | Not specified separately | 140 × 90 mm (rolls: 100 mm, with length + twice the diameter at least 170 mm), ±2 mm |
| Charged on | Gross or volumetric weight, whichever is higher | Gross or volumetric weight, whichever is higher |
| Marking | None | "Speed Post Parcel" written on it |
Is there a minimum weight? Not for documents. A single sheet in an envelope is fine. For parcels, the rule works the other way round. An item becomes a Speed Post Parcel if it weighs more than 500 g or meets the parcel minimum size. So anything over 500 g, or anything that's goods rather than papers, goes as a parcel, not a document.
Document or Parcel? Why It Matters for the Limit
Some websites still say there's "no maximum" for Speed Post documents. That isn't what the rules say. Regulation 99 limits a Speed Post document to 500 grams, including volumetric weight, and to a size of 420 × 297 × 24 mm. If your envelope of papers is heavier or thicker than that, it's booked as a Speed Post Parcel.
That's normally not a problem. A thick file of court papers or a stack of certificates just moves to the parcel tariff. Think of the 500 g line as the point where the post office changes the booking type, not as a rejection.
Goes as a document
An application form, a cheque book, a few certificates or a legal notice in a normal envelope. As long as it stays under 500 g and fits within A3 size and 2.4 cm thickness.
Goes as a parcel
Clothes, a phone, sweets for family, books in a box, or a fat bundle of papers over 500 g. Goods have to be declared as "merchandise".
The Size Rule: 1.5 m Length and 3 m Length + Girth
A Speed Post parcel has to pass two size checks. Its longest side can't be more than 1.5 metres (150 cm). And its length plus girth can't be more than 3 metres (300 cm).
"Girth" is the distance all the way round the box at its thickest point, measured across the length. For an ordinary box, girth = 2 × (width + height). Here's how to check yours with a measuring tape:
Measure the longest side
This is your "length". If it's over 150 cm, the parcel can't go by Speed Post, whatever it weighs.
Work out the girth
Add the other two sides together and double the total. Or just wrap the tape round the middle of the box.
Add length + girth
If the total is 300 cm or less, you pass the size check.
| Item (L × W × H) | Girth | Length + girth | Speed Post? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoe box, 35 × 25 × 15 cm | 80 cm | 115 cm | Yes |
| Carton, 60 × 40 × 40 cm | 160 cm | 220 cm | Yes |
| Long box, 140 × 30 × 30 cm | 120 cm | 260 cm | Yes |
| Big carton, 100 × 60 × 50 cm | 220 cm | 320 cm | No, over 3 m |
| Curtain rod tube, 160 × 8 × 8 cm | 32 cm | 192 cm | No, longer than 1.5 m |
Measure the packed box, not the item. A 145 cm rod goes over the limit once you add 3 cm of padding at each end. Always measure after packing.
Gross Weight Means the Box, Tape and Padding Too
The 35 kg limit is on gross weight, which is everything the counter clerk puts on the scale. That includes the carton, the tape, the bubble wrap, the thermocol, any cloth wrapping and the address label.
This is where people get caught out. Say you pack exactly 34.5 kg of books into a heavy double-wall carton. The carton and tape can easily add another kilo, and now the parcel is over 35 kg. It's the same with slabs. 980 g of sweets in a tin plus a box can come to 1.1 kg, and that moves you into the next price slab.
Weigh it at home after it's fully packed and sealed. A luggage scale or a bathroom scale works. Stand on it with the box, then subtract your own weight. If you're close to 35 kg or to a slab boundary, leave yourself some margin, because the post office scale is the one that counts.
Volumetric Weight: When a Light Box Costs More
The Post Office Regulations, 2024 define weight as "gross weight or volumetric weight, whichever is higher". The Speed Post document rule says outright that postage is charged on the higher of the two, and the same definition of weight covers parcels. Space in a van or an aircraft costs money too, so a pillow-sized box of cotton clothes isn't charged as if it weighed 800 g.
Volumetric weight is worked out from the box's dimensions in centimetres: length × width × height ÷ a divisor. Here's the honest part. India Post's current Speed Post Parcel page mentions volumetric weight but doesn't print the divisor.
India Post's own older instruction: ÷ 6000
Department of Posts instructions from 2009 set the volumetric weight in kg as volume in cm³ ÷ 6000, rounded up to the next kilo. They also exempted smaller items: boxes where length + width + height is no more than 90 cm and no side is more than 60 cm, and rolls where the length and diameter are each under 90 cm.
The figure most calculators use: ÷ 5000
Most big private courier companies and some online Speed Post calculators use ÷ 5000. We couldn't find a current India Post notice that confirms 5000 for Speed Post, so treat it as the worst case when you estimate.
In practice the counter software works it out for you. You don't need the exact divisor. You just need to know whether your box is likely to be billed on its size rather than its weight. Here's the same box under both divisors:
| Packed box | Actual weight | Volume ÷ 6000 | Volume ÷ 5000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 × 25 × 20 cm (sides add up to 75 cm) | 2 kg | 2.5 kg (exempt under the 2009 rule) | 3 kg |
| 50 × 40 × 30 cm, clothes | 4 kg | 10 kg | 12 kg |
| 40 × 30 × 20 cm, books | 9 kg | 4 kg | 4.8 kg |
The lesson is in the middle row. Bulky, soft items like clothes, quilts, soft toys and pillows are the ones that get billed on volume. Dense items like books, sweets in tins and tools are almost always billed on their real weight.
What that does to the price: India Post's Speed Post Parcel retail tariff (excluding GST) for "Other States" is ₹560 for 3,001 to 4,000 g and ₹686 for 4,001 to 5,000 g, then ₹120 for each extra kilo. So a 4 kg box of clothes billed at 10 to 12 kg costs far more than its real weight suggests. See our Speed Post charges guide for how slabs and zones work.
Parcel Over 35 kg or Too Long? Your Options
The counter won't book a Speed Post parcel that's over 35 kg, longer than 1.5 m, or more than 3 m in length plus girth. Here's what you can do instead.
Split it into two or more Speed Post parcels
This is the simplest fix and usually the one we'd recommend. Two 20 kg boxes go through without any trouble, while one 40 kg box won't be accepted at all. Each box gets its own consignment number, so track each one separately. They may arrive on different days.
Write "Box 1 of 2" and "Box 2 of 2" on them, so the person receiving them knows to wait for the second one.
India Post Parcel (if it's within the limits but you want it cheaper)
India Post Parcel has the same 35 kg, 1.5 m and 3 m limits as Speed Post Parcel, so it won't help with an oversized box. It's useful when you're not in a hurry, because it normally travels by surface. Speed Post parcels go by air (or by surface on routes where that's faster) and get priority over India Post Parcels.
So don't switch to India Post Parcel to get round the weight limit. It won't work. Pick it when cost matters more than speed.
Logistics Post or a business parcel contract (for heavy or bulk loads)
For really heavy or bulk goods, India Post runs Logistics Post. Under the 2024 regulations, each postal circle's head designates the offices where it can be booked, and its operating conditions are set by administrative instructions rather than in the regulations. That's why you won't find one weight table for it in the rules.
Ask at your nearest Head Post Office, or call the India Post helpline on 1800 266 6868, and ask where Logistics Post is booked in your city. If you ship regularly, ask about a business or contractual parcel account too.
Repack to beat the size rule
Lots of "too big" parcels are just badly boxed. A cot mattress rolled up tight, a dismantled stand, or a carton cut down to fit the contents can often bring length + girth under 3 m. If one side is over 1.5 m and the item can't be taken apart, Speed Post isn't the right service for it.
Packing Tips to Stay Under the Limit (and Pay Less)
The regulations say parcels must be packed to India Post's specifications, and a parcel that isn't properly packed can be refused at the counter. Good packing and a lower bill usually go together.
Weigh and measure at home
Weigh it after sealing and measure all three sides. Then you'll know your slab and whether volumetric weight applies before you queue.
Use the smallest box that fits
Empty space in the box adds volumetric weight. Cut the flaps down or choose a smaller carton so the contents fit snugly.
Choose light padding
Crumpled newspaper and air bubbles weigh much less than layers of cloth or heavy thermocol blocks. Only fragile items need thick padding.
Re-use boxes, but strip old labels
A sturdy used carton is fine. Remove or cover every old barcode and address label so it doesn't get sorted to the wrong place.
Compress soft items
Vacuum bags or tight rolling for clothes and quilts can make the box much smaller. That's the easiest way to cut volumetric weight.
Label it clearly
Write "Speed Post Parcel" on it, plus the full address and PIN code. Our address-writing guide shows the right layout.
Quick Checklist Before You Go to the Counter
- Papers only and under 500 g? Book it as a Speed Post document. Check it fits in 420 × 297 mm and is no more than 24 mm thick.
- Goods, or over 500 g? It's a Speed Post Parcel. Declare the contents as merchandise.
- Packed weight 35 kg or less, with some margin for scale differences.
- Longest side 150 cm or less, and length + 2 × (width + height) 300 cm or less.
- Bulky but light? Expect to be billed on volumetric weight, and repack smaller if you can.
- Valuable? Think about insurance. See our insurance and compensation guide.
New to booking? Our step-by-step guide to sending Speed Post walks you through the counter process. If you need next-day delivery between major cities, the premium 24-hour and 48-hour Speed Post services launched in March 2026 also charge on gross or volumetric weight, whichever is higher.
Booked It? Track Every Box
Once your parcel is booked, keep the receipt with the consignment number. If you split a heavy shipment, you'll have one number per box. Enter each one on SpeedIndiaPost.com to follow it from booking to delivery. It's free and there's no login.
Track Your Consignment NowFrequently Asked Questions
What to Do Now
- Pack the parcel fully, then weigh it and measure all three sides.
- Check three numbers: 35 kg or less, longest side 150 cm or less, and length + girth 300 cm or less.
- If it's bulky but light, repack into a smaller box before you leave home.
- Over a limit? Split it into two parcels, or ask your Head Post Office about Logistics Post.
- Keep the receipt and track each consignment until it's delivered.
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