Box Dimensions¶

Menu Location: Products > Boxes > Box Dimensions (also labeled "Volume of Boxes")

Last Updated: 2026-07-27

Overview¶

The Box Dimensions page defines the physical shipping box sizes your account can pack orders into. Each entry records a box's length, width, and height, and the system automatically calculates its volume. This volume list feeds the box-recommendation feature: when an order's total product volume is known, the system compares it against each box's "Max Volume to Use" and recommends the smallest box that will fit.

This page only matters if your account has product weights & sizes / volume tracking turned on. If you don't see order volume or recommended-box information elsewhere in the admin, this feature isn't active for your account.

Primary Functions:

Define box sizes with length, width, and height
Let the system auto-calculate each box's volume
Set the volume threshold ("Max Volume to Use") that drives automatic box recommendation
Print a label code the warehouse uses to grab the right physical box
Turn a box size on or off
Set a default weight and dry-ice weight per box, used when shipping labels are generated

Page Layout¶

Header Section¶

Add New button - creates a new box entry (pre-filled with example values you then edit)

Main Content Area¶

Table displaying all box dimensions with columns matching the fields below:

Name - descriptive name for this box size
Label Code - short code printed on the shipping label
Length, Width, Height - in inches
Volume - auto-calculated cubic inches
Status - on/off (Active)
Max Volume to Use - the volume threshold used for box recommendation
Default Weight and Dry Ice Weight - default package/dry-ice weight (ounces), used for shipping labels
Actions - edit or delete

Understanding Box Measurements¶

Length, Width, Height¶

Entered in inches
Used to calculate Volume (Length x Width x Height)

Volume¶

Auto-calculated by the system every time this page loads (Length x Width x Height, rounded to one decimal)
Per the field's own help text: "Auto-calculated by system, do not worry about this" - don't hand-edit it

Max Volume to Use¶

This is the field that actually drives box selection - not Volume. Per its help text:

"This is the number used to decide if the box is suitable or not for an order. Set this number to the same or less than the 'volume'. For example, if you have a 100 in3 box, packing materials may take up 20, and you may want to save 5 to be safe, so the max volume to use would be 100 - 20 - 5 = 75 in3"

When you create a new box, the system automatically sets Max Volume to Use equal to Volume until you lower it to leave packing-material headroom.

Default Weight / Dry Ice Weight¶

Optional weight fields (in ounces) attached to a box size. Where used, they supply the default package weight and dry-ice weight when a shipping label is generated for an order recommended into that box.

Status (Active)¶

Turns the box size on or off. Per its own help text, it's simply "Turn it on or off" - there's no separate role or permission tied to it.

Label Code¶

Printed on the shipping label so the warehouse team knows which physical box to grab. Max 12 characters.

Creating Box Dimensions¶

Add a New Box Size¶

Steps:

Click the Add New button. The system creates a new entry pre-filled with example values (name "Example box", code "EX1", 12" x 8" x 10").
Edit Name to something descriptive (e.g., "Small Box", "Large Cooler").
Enter Label Code (max 12 characters).
Enter Length, Width, Height in inches.
Volume recalculates automatically the next time the page loads.
Adjust Max Volume to Use down from Volume to reserve room for packing material and a safety margin.
Optionally set Default Weight / Dry Ice Weight.
Confirm Status is on if the box is in use.
Save.

Editing Box Dimensions¶

Modify Existing Box Size¶

Steps:

Find the box in the list.
Click Edit.
Update dimensions, Max Volume to Use, weight fields, or Status.
Save. Volume recalculates from the new Length/Width/Height on the next page load.

Deactivating Box Dimensions¶

Instead of deleting a box you no longer use, edit it and turn Status off. This keeps the entry (and any historical order references to it) intact while removing it from active use for new setups.

Box Selection Logic¶

How the System Recommends a Box¶

This only applies when your account's weights & sizes feature is enabled. When it is:

Each product has its own length/width/height (set on that product's page under Products), from which the system calculates the product's volume.
An order's total volume is the sum of (product volume x quantity) across everything in the order.
The system looks at all box dimensions, ordered from smallest Max Volume to Use to largest, and recommends the first (smallest) one whose Max Volume to Use is greater than or equal to the order's total volume.
The recommended box is stored on the order and shown on the Orders page (as a filter/badge) and on the customer's order detail view.

Box selection is volume-only - there's no separate weight-limit check against these box entries, and no per-subscription-type assignment. Any box dimension you define is available to be recommended for any order once volume tracking is on.

Troubleshooting¶

Box Not Appearing as a Recommendation¶

Check:

Confirm the weights & sizes / volume feature is turned on for your account - if it isn't, no recommendations happen at all.
Confirm the box's dimensions are filled in (a box with 0 for length/width/height has 0 volume, so it will always be "recommended" first for tiny/empty orders and never for larger ones).
Confirm Max Volume to Use is set to a realistic number - if it's 0, the system auto-fills it to match Volume the next time this page loads.

Volume or Recommendation Looks Wrong¶

Check:

Volume is auto-calculated from Length x Width x Height - if that's wrong, fix the dimensions, not Volume directly.
Product volumes come from each product's own length/width/height, set on the Products page - if a product's dimensions are missing, it contributes 0 to order volume.
Max Volume to Use (not Volume) is what's compared against order volume - make sure it reflects a realistic usable capacity, not the raw box volume.

Boxes (admin-edit.php?table=boxes) - subscription box products (name, price, sign-up availability)
Products (product_classifications_active.php / the product edit page) - where each product's own length/width/height (and therefore its volume) is set
Orders (cust_order.php) - shows each order's recommended box as a filter/badge when volume tracking is on
Print Labels > Label Sorting Order - can route/sort print jobs by the order's recommended "Box Dimension"

Best Practices¶

Measure the box sizes you actually use - don't estimate.
Leave the Max Volume to Use below the raw Volume to account for packing material and a safety margin.
Keep box names and label codes clear enough for the warehouse team to tell boxes apart at a glance.
Turn off (don't delete) box sizes you no longer use, so historical order references stay intact.
If order volumes or box recommendations look off, check whether the underlying product dimensions (on the Products page) are filled in - box selection is only as accurate as the product volumes feeding it.

Quick Reference Card¶

Task	Action/Location
Add new box size	Click "Add New"
Edit dimensions	Click Edit > update fields > Save
Volume	Auto-calculated: Length x Width x Height (don't hand-edit)
Set the recommendation threshold	Edit box > Max Volume to Use
Turn a box on/off	Edit box > Status
Set label code	Edit box > Label Code (max 12 chars)
Set shipping label weights	Edit box > Default Weight / Dry Ice Weight

FAQs¶

What's the difference between Volume and Max Volume to Use?¶

Volume is auto-calculated from Length x Width x Height and shouldn't be hand-edited. Max Volume to Use is the number the system actually compares an order's total volume against when recommending a box - set it at or below Volume to leave room for packing material and a safety margin.

Do I need to assign box dimensions to specific subscription box types?¶

No. Box dimensions apply account-wide - any box size you define is available to be recommended for any order once the volume feature is on.

Should I delete or turn off a box size I no longer use?¶

Turn it off (Status). Deleting can affect historical order references; turning it off removes it from active recommendation while preserving the record.

Why isn't this page doing anything on my account?¶

Box recommendation only runs if your account's weights & sizes / volume-tracking feature is enabled. If it's off, box dimensions are stored but not used to recommend boxes for orders.

What units are the weight fields in?¶

Default Weight and Dry Ice Weight are stored in ounces.

Change Log¶

2026-07-27¶

Rewrote against the actual box_dimensions table, the admin-edit.php case for this page, and the box-recommendation code path (getRecommendedBox(), order_helper.php)
Removed invented "Max Weight capacity", dimensional-weight/carrier-divisor math, subscription-type assignment, and the role-tier permissions matrix - none of these exist in the code
Corrected field list to the real columns: Name, Label Code, Length, Width, Height, Volume, Status, Max Volume to Use, Default Weight, Dry Ice Weight

2026-03-01¶

Initial documentation created (superseded above; contained multiple unverified/invented claims)

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.