When you import a shipment through the Pacejet API, each package's weight comes from one of three places: it is provided directly by your integration, calculated by Pacejet from the information you send, or captured during a Pacejet packing workflow, such as a scale reading at scan-pack. Most integrations follow one of two approaches, covered below, followed by the full weight logic and how it behaves in each common scenario.
Whichever approach you choose, always include a Commodity Name on each item. A Commodity Name lets Pacejet enrich the shipment with details such as freight classification for less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments and Harmonized System codes for export shipments. When a Commodity Name is not provided, these shipping workflows require more manual work to complete.
Recommended Integration Approaches
Choose the approach that matches where packing and weighing happen in your process. The two common approaches are described below.
Most integrations use one of the following approaches:
Send item weights and dimensions and let Pacejet build the packages.
Send pre-packed packages that each include a weight.
Both are detailed below.
Send Item Weights and Dimensions, and Let Pacejet Build the Packages
In this approach, your integration sends only the item weights and dimensions and lets Pacejet organize the packages through predictive packing or a packing workflow such as scan-pack or item packing. Package weights are either rolled up from the item weights you provide, as with predictive packing, or captured during the packing workflow, as with a scale reading. Be aware that when Pacejet calculates the package weight and a defined package type is provided or selected by predictive packing, the package type's Standard Weight is added to the package weight.
Send Pre-Packed Packages, Each with a Weight
In this approach, your integration sends packages that are already packed, and each package includes its own weight. Pacejet uses the weight you send for each package and does not roll up the item weights into the package. This gives you full control of the package weight when your system has already weighed each package.
How Package Weight Is Determined
On import, Pacejet first checks whether your integration sent a weight on the package. If a package weight is present, Pacejet uses it exactly as sent. If no package weight is present, Pacejet calculates one by rolling up the line items, summing each item's weight multiplied by its quantity. When those items roll up into a defined package type, Pacejet also adds that package type's Standard Weight.
Standard Weight is the fixed weight of the empty packaging, the box or pallet itself, configured on the package type in Pacejet. Some carriers and systems call this the tare weight. Pacejet adds the Standard Weight to the rolled-up product weight to produce the package's gross weight. For example, two items weighing 6 lb and 5 lb roll up to 11 lb; if they are packed in a box whose Standard Weight is 1 lb, the package weighs 12 lb.
The shipment's total weight is always the sum of the package weights, calculated separately from the item rollup.
Note: A package weight you send always takes precedence. When a package includes its own weight, Pacejet does not roll up the item weights into it and does not add a Standard Weight.
Note: When your items carry commodity assignments, Pacejet builds customs and commercial invoice detail, including a weight for each commodity. When Pacejet rolls up the package weight from the items, each commodity weight equals that item's weight multiplied by its quantity, so it matches the true product weight.
Warning: When you send a package weight and your items also carry commodity assignments, Pacejet scales the commodity weights up proportionally, so they sum to the package's gross weight rather than the true item weights. This keeps the commercial invoice total consistent with the container weight and reduces manual setup, but the individual commodity weights no longer reflect actual product weight. If you use this approach, verify or edit the commodity weights before relying on the commercial invoice, or send a package weight that reflects the actual contents.
Weight Behavior by Scenario
The table below summarizes how Pacejet sets the package weight in each common scenario. Whenever Pacejet calculates the weight, it uses item weight multiplied by quantity for the items in the package.
What Your Integration Sends |
How Pacejet Sets the Package Weight |
|---|---|
A package that includes its own weight |
Uses the sent weight as-is. Item weights are not rolled up, and no Standard Weight is added. |
A package with dimensions only, no package type and no weight |
Sums item weight times quantity for the items in the package. No Standard Weight is added. |
A defined package type (box or pallet) with no weight |
Sums item weight times quantity, then adds the package type's Standard Weight. |
Items only, packing not applied |
Places all items in a single container and rolls up item weight times quantity. No Standard Weight is added. |
Items only, predictive packing selects the packaging |
Builds packages from item dimensions and weights, then adds the Standard Weight of each package type it selects. Creates more than one package when contents exceed a single container. |
A product commodity assignment |
Does not change the package weight. Commodity data drives classification and customs enrichment; its weight follows the rules in the notes above. |
How Predictive Packing Builds Packages
When predictive packing is enabled, Pacejet organizes loose items into packages for you and sets the weight for each one. What it produces depends on whether the items can be combined into a shared container.
If the items are not marked as combinable, Pacejet places each unit in its own package sized to that item, and each package weighs that single unit. If the items are combinable, Pacejet consolidates them into the smallest package type that fits, adds that package type's Standard Weight, and opens additional packages when the contents exceed one container's usable volume. Because a defined package type is involved, the Standard Weight applies the same way it does when you name the package yourself.