Ship large parcels – when the parcel service says no

How big can a parcel be? The limits of the four big parcel services

The parcel services measure in different ways, so it pays to look at each rule separately. As of 7 October 2026, for private customers shipping within Germany, according to the carriers' own pages.

DHL: parcels up to 120 × 60 × 60 cm and 31.5 kg. Anything larger goes as bulky goods for a surcharge, up to 200 cm long and 360 cm girth.

Hermes: size is the longest plus the shortest side. L parcels up to 120 cm, XL up to 150 cm, XXL up to 200 cm with a third side of no more than 50 cm. XL and XXL are pickup-only, up to 31.5 kg; S to L parcels without pickup up to 25 kg.

GLS: up to 200 cm long, 80 cm wide, 60 cm high, 300 cm girth and 40 kg.

DPD: at a parcel shop up to 100 cm long, 250 cm girth and 20 kg; with pickup up to 175 cm long, 300 cm girth and 31.5 kg.

The carriers adjust limits and prices regularly; their current terms are binding. If your parcel is beyond all four limits, the parcel service is no longer an option. It then travels as a direct drive, or you ship it by van as bulky goods.

Calculating girth: an example with a home trainer box

Girth is the longest side plus twice the width plus twice the height. DHL, GLS and DPD use it; Hermes adds the longest and shortest side instead.

Take a box containing a home trainer: 135 × 70 × 35 cm, 38 kg.

Girth: 135 + 2 × 70 + 2 × 35 = 345 cm. That is too much for GLS and DPD, which stop at 300 cm. At DHL the box would still be under 360 cm as bulky goods.

Hermes: 135 + 35 = 170 cm, so class XXL. But the third side measures 70 cm, and 50 cm is the maximum.

Weight: 38 kg is above the 31.5 kg of DHL, Hermes and DPD. Only GLS allows 40 kg, but here the girth rules it out.

Result: none of the big parcel services takes this box. This is exactly where the direct drive comes in: a small van collects it at your door, and with help with carrying booked it goes right into the home.

Always measure the packed item at its outermost points and round up. A few centimetres decide the class – and whether the parcel is accepted or sent back.

Heavy parcels over 31.5 kg: the routes that remain

At 31.5 kg the line is drawn for DHL, Hermes and DPD; GLS accepts up to 40 kg. Beyond that, private customers have no route through the parcel network. Three options remain:

Split it: if the shipment can be spread over two boxes, that is often the cheapest solution – provided both parts stay within the limits and may arrive separately.

Pallet: robust equipment and machine parts with no deadline can be bolted or strapped to a euro pallet and shipped as groupage. That needs a forklift or tail lift at both ends (pallet shipping).

Direct drive: for fragile, awkward or urgent items, a van drives directly. The price depends on distance, vehicle class and extras, not on the weight of the individual box – whether it is 35 or 90 kg, as long as the payload of the class is enough.

When thinking about weight, think about carrying too. A 60 kg box to the third floor is not a one-person job. Add help with carrying or two-person handling and enter the floor and lift details when you book.

Several large parcels for one recipient: one run instead of many labels

Parcel services charge for every parcel separately, each with its own size class and, where applicable, its own bulky-goods surcharge. With five large boxes for the same recipient that adds up, and the boxes may arrive on different days.

On a direct drive you pay for the run, not the item. All boxes are loaded together and arrive together, with one proof of delivery for the whole shipment. That pays off, for example, when an online shop delivers a multi-part furniture set, a retailer restocks a branch or a practice receives new equipment in several boxes.

For choosing the vehicle, total volume and the length of the longest item count. The small van holds around 3 to 4 m³, the van 5 to 8 m³ and the Sprinter L2 around 10 m³. For one or two large, light boxes up to 100 kg, a car is often enough.

Shops with regular demand can book these runs via the business account or by API straight from the order process, with consolidated invoicing.

Preparing the pickup: no label, but the right details

On a direct drive you do not print a label or put anything on a parcel scale. Even so, a few details decide whether the right vehicle turns up:

Dimensions of the largest item and the total number of boxes, so that load length and volume fit.

Approximate weight of the heaviest item and whether one person can carry it alone.

Access at both addresses: floor, lift, back courtyard, somewhere to stop outside the door.

Contact person and phone number for pickup and delivery, in case you are not there yourself.

Pack the item so that it survives a ride in a van: protect edges, cover glass, fix loose parts. The driver secures the rest in the load area with straps.

Photograph the parcel before pickup. On delivery, the digital proof of delivery records photo, signature and timestamp, so the condition on arrival is documented. You see the earliest possible pickup window right when you book; within the region, pickup is often possible the same day.