How to pack and ship a rug. Carrier limits, folding and a parcel calculator.

The three limits

Carriers enforce three ceilings at once, and you have to clear all three.

Clearing two out of three does not help you. If any single one is exceeded, the package is refused, returned, or billed as an oversize shipment.

Limit	UPS and FedEx Ground	How it is measured
Maximum length	108 inches	The longest side of the finished package. For a rolled rug this is the roll length.
Maximum length plus girth	165 inches	Girth is 2 times width plus 2 times height. Add that to the length. This is the limit people forget, and a thick roll fails it before it fails the length limit.
Maximum weight	150 pounds	Actual scale weight of the packed rug, including tube, wrap and carton.
Large Package surcharge threshold	over 130 inches length plus girth	Still accepted, but a surcharge applies and a minimum billable weight is imposed.
Dimensional weight	length by width by height, divided by 139	You are billed on the greater of actual or dimensional weight. A rolled rug is mostly air, so dimensional weight often wins.
If you exceed any limit	refused, returned, or an unauthorised package surcharge that has reached $1,875 per package at FedEx	This is why you measure and weigh before you book, not after.

Limits and surcharge amounts change, and they differ by service level and by contract. Treat this table as a starting point and confirm the current figures with your own carrier before you book.

The trick

Fold on the width, then roll.

A rug rolled at full width has a roll length equal to its short side. A 9 by 12 gives you a 108 inch roll, which is exactly at the ceiling. A 12 by 14 gives you 144 inches, and you are out of parcel.

Fold the rug in half along its width first and the roll length halves. Fold it in thirds and it drops to a third. The trade does this routinely: rugs of 4 by 6 and larger are commonly folded on the width, rolled, then wrapped, because wool and cotton are malleable and fold lines relax within days of laying the rug flat.

Short side	Folds	Roll length
Up to 9 ft (108 in)	None	Up to 108 in
9 to 18 ft (108 to 216 in)	In half	54 to 108 in
18 to 27 ft (216 to 324 in)	In thirds	72 to 108 in
Over 27 ft	Cannot be folded small enough	Freight only

Note what this means in practice. A 27 foot rug in wool weighs somewhere near a thousand pounds, so weight will stop you long before length does. Folding solves the length problem, and then weight becomes the real question.

Work it out

Parcel or freight, for your rug.

Enter the finished size. This estimates folds, roll length, girth and packed weight, then tells you which service it falls into and which limit is the binding one.

Width in feet, the short side

Length in feet, the long side

Pile

Can this rug be folded

Pile height

Folds needed

Roll length

Length plus girth

Estimated packed weight

Estimates only, and deliberately conservative. Weight is derived from typical areal density, roughly 1 pound per square foot for hand knotted wool and about half that for silk, plus 6 pounds for the tube, wrap and carton. Weigh the finished package before you book. If the number lands anywhere near a limit, assume you are over it.

Packing

Eight steps, in this order.

1

Photograph it first

Front, back, all four corners, the fringe, and any existing damage. If a claim happens, these photographs are the only version of events that matters.

2

Vacuum both sides

Grit trapped in the foundation grinds against the knots under transit pressure. Two minutes here prevents wear you cannot undo.

3

Make sure it is bone dry

A rug packed even slightly damp will mildew and can bleed dye in a sealed wrap. If it was cleaned recently, wait.

4

Fold on the width, pile facing in

Fold in half or thirds so the pile is on the inside of the fold. That puts compression on the foundation rather than crushing the pile against itself.

5

Roll around a tube

A cardboard tube keeps the core from collapsing and stops a hard crease forming at the centre. Roll firmly, not tight enough to distort the weave.

6

Wrap in plastic, then paper or fabric

Plastic against moisture, an outer layer against abrasion. Tape the ends closed so nothing can slide out. Do not tape directly onto the pile.

7

Measure and weigh the finished package

Length, width, height and actual weight. Compute girth as 2 times width plus 2 times height, add the length, and check it against 165 inches.

8

Declare the real value and insure it

Carrier default liability is trivial compared to a hand knotted rug. Declare the value, pay for the coverage, and keep the receipt with your photographs.

Exceptions

Some rugs must never be folded.

Folding is safe for a sound wool or cotton foundation because the fibers are malleable and the fold lines relax. It is not safe for everything, and a cracked foundation is permanent.

If your rug is in any of the categories on the right, roll it at full width and accept freight, or ship it flat crated. The freight cost is far less than the repair.

And a separate point worth keeping straight: folding for a few days in transit is not the same as storing a rug folded for months. Long term folded storage sets permanent creases and invites moths. See The Rug Cellar for how rugs should actually be stored.

Silk. Fine silk creases sharply and the fold lines can be permanent.
Antiques. Dry, aged foundations crack rather than flex.
Brittle or dry rot. If the back sounds crisp or crackles when flexed, do not fold it.
Stiff cotton foundations. Some tightly woven pieces will not take a fold without breaking warp threads.
Existing damage. Folding across a hole, a tear or an old repair makes all three worse.
Unstable dyes. Compression plus any moisture equals dye migration along the fold.
Anything you are unsure about. Ask first. It costs nothing.

Selling through Rug Vault

Shipping is arranged and paid by the seller.

We do not quote your freight and we do not book it for you, because rates depend on your carrier account, your zone and your packed dimensions on the day. What we do is tell you how to pack it, what the limits are, and whether your rug should be travelling at all.

You calculate and book

You measure the finished package, weigh it, and choose the service. You know your own carrier rates better than any estimate we could publish.

We publish the guidance

This page, the limits, the calculator and the packing sequence. If you want a second opinion on a specific piece before you book, ask us.

Or we come to you

For oversize and high value pieces, a Certify in Place visit means the rug is verified on your floor and ships once, straight to the buyer. No inbound leg to work out at all.

Sell on Rug Vault Ask about Certify in Place