🎸 Guitar Shipping Size & Weight Calculator
Estimate packed dimensions, total weight, and box size for shipping any guitar safely
| Guitar Type | Box L (in) | Box W (in) | Box D (in) | Box L (cm) | Girth (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dreadnought Acoustic | 52 | 20 | 10 | 132 | 120 |
| Electric Solid Body | 46 | 18 | 8 | 117 | 104 |
| Classical / Nylon | 50 | 19 | 9 | 127 | 112 |
| Bass Guitar | 54 | 20 | 10 | 137 | 120 |
| 12-String Acoustic | 52 | 21 | 10 | 132 | 122 |
| Travel Guitar | 38 | 14 | 7 | 97 | 84 |
| Archtop / Semi-Hollow | 50 | 20 | 14 | 127 | 136 |
| Ukulele (Tenor) | 30 | 12 | 6 | 76 | 72 |
| Case / Container | Added Weight (lbs) | Added Weight (kg) | Added Depth (in) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Case | 0 | 0 | 0 | Guitar only |
| Gig Bag / Soft Case | 1.5–2.5 | 0.7–1.1 | 0.5 | Adds minimal bulk |
| Hard Shell Case | 7–10 | 3.2–4.5 | 2 | Most common |
| Flight / ATA Case | 15–25 | 6.8–11.3 | 3 | Maximum protection |
| Double Box (outer) | 1–2 | 0.5–0.9 | 3 each side | Add 6 in to each dim |
| Carrier | Max Length (in) | Max L+Girth (in) | Max Weight (lbs) | Oversize Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground | 108 | 165 | 150 | L+G > 130 in |
| FedEx Ground | 108 | 165 | 150 | L+G > 130 in |
| USPS Priority | 108 | 130 | 70 | L+G > 108 in |
| DHL Express | 118 | 300 | 154 | Dim weight applies |
| Guitar Type | Guitar Wt (lbs) | + Hard Case | + Gig Bag | + ATA Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dreadnought Acoustic | 4–5 | 12–15 | 6–8 | 20–30 |
| Electric Solid Body | 6–10 | 14–20 | 8–12 | 22–35 |
| Bass Guitar | 8–12 | 16–22 | 10–14 | 24–37 |
| Classical Guitar | 3–5 | 11–15 | 5–7 | 19–30 |
| Travel Guitar | 2–4 | 9–14 | 4–6 | 17–29 |
| Archtop / Semi-Hollow | 6–9 | 14–19 | 8–11 | 22–34 |
| Ukulele | 1–2 | 5–8 | 2–3 | 16–27 |
Send a guitar can cost relatively little to surprisingly much. For the most common deliveries, the typical cost sits around 75 dollars. Ground transfer through United States usually costs between 32 and 98 dollars, but express shipping without discounts jumps much higher of 158 to 525 dollars.
The extra amount depends on the destination of the instrument, its model, the size of the box, the weight of the package and whether one adds insurance for the shipment.
How Much It Costs to Ship a Guitar
USPS commonly offers the cheapest option. UPS usually is the most expensive of them. FedEx sits somewhere between the two.
Around 50 dollars is enough to cover the most common usual costs of transfer. A lightweight guitar sent by USPS maybe costs only 14 dollars, but a heavier acoustic in a hard case through UPS with insurance can reach 116 dollars or even more. For instance, shipping an acoustic guitar with 500-dollar insurance by UPS resulted in 127 dollars.
guitar shipping cost grew quickly in recent years. The prices almost doubled compared to two or three years ago. Some sellers were surprised to find that what before cost a fair amount, now costs much more.
As big and thick items, guitars commonly sort between oversized packages, what pushes teh costs upward.
UPS stores maybe charge truly high rates if you lack a special business contract on rates. One quote from a UPS store reached 380 dollars for a guitar with a hard case, without any insurance. That sounds truly extreme.
One can expect that ground shipping by FedEx or UPS will cost up to 100 dollars with insurance for value of around 1500 dollars. For instance, from Michigan too Florida, USPS Parcel cost around 20 dollars, Priority Mail 35 dollars, and both UPS and FedEx Ground each 45 dollars.
Using a smaller box can help save money. One package dropped from 280 to 140 dollars, when one put the guitar in a thinner box. One finds guitar boxes at FedEx or U-Haul for about ten dollars each.
Asking at a local music shop for boxes that they plan to toss is another way.
Sites like Reverb arrange yearly better prices with carriers based on volume, and pass the savings to the sellers. Services like Pirate Ship or Stamps.com also can help reach better rates. Online you find calculators for guitar shipping cost at companies like UPS and others, where one enters exact sizes and weight for fast pricing.
Often the dimensional weight decides the amount more than the real mass. Insurance for shipping one buys only for the real value of the instrument, and comparing it with specialist insurance companies sometimes saves money.
Good packing for insurance claims matters too. Some companies refuse claims if the item was not well packed or ifone used a used box.
