How to Automatically Calculate Package Weight from Shipment Items

If your store sends item weights with each order, Swotzy can add them up and apply the total to the shipment instead of you weighing and entering it manually.

For how rules are structured and how rule priority works, see What Are Store Automation Rules?

Result

Once you've completed these steps:

• Imported orders receive a package weight calculated from their item weights
• The rule appears in your store's Rules list, where you can reorder, duplicate, deactivate, or delete it

Before You Start

Make sure that:

• Your store is connected in Integrations > Stores
• You have read What Are Store Automation Rules?

There are two ways to calculate weight from items. Both create the same type of rule.

• Option A — tick the checkbox in Defaults. Use this when you want the calculation to apply to every imported order.
• Option B — create the rule manually. Use this when the calculation should apply only under certain conditions, such as the shipping method.

Option A — Tick the checkbox in Defaults

1. Go to Integrations > Stores
2. Click Manage on the store you want to configure
3. In the Defaults section, tick Calculate package weight from shipment items
4. Under Default package, enter Length (cm), Width (cm), and Height (cm)
5. Leave Weight (kg) blank

Swotzy creates a Calculate weight from items rule from the checkbox. The dimensions you entered create a separate package size rule. Both appear under Order Import in the Rules list on the right, where you can manage them like any other rule.

Weight (kg) and the checkbox cannot be used together. If you fill in Weight (kg) and tick the checkbox, no rules are created at all — neither the package size rule nor the weight calculation rule appears in your Rules list.

The rule applies only when every item in the order has a weight above zero. If any item arrives without a weight, no weight is set and the shipment stays empty. To avoid this, set up an item weight automation so that every item has a weight before this rule runs. You can do this from Defaults or with a rule of your own — see How to Automatically Set an Item Weight.

Option B — Create the rule manually

Use this option when the calculation should apply only to some orders.

1. Go to Integrations > Stores
2. Click Manage on the store you want to configure
3. In the Rules section, click Add order import rule under Order Import
4. Select Calculate weight from items from the action list — use the search field to find it
5. Click Add Condition
6. Select the field to check in the first dropdown — for example, Is international, Shipping method, or Recipient country
7. Select the operator in the second dropdown — for example, is, is not, or contains
8. Enter the value to match in the third field
9. Enter a name in Rule name (optional) to identify the rule in your list
10. Leave Status set to Active
11. Click Create Rule

This action has no fields of its own. The weight comes from the items in each order.

Available operators depend on the field you select.

To match on more than one condition, click Add Condition again. All conditions must be true for the rule to apply.

Without conditions, the rule applies to every order imported from the store.

Created manually, this rule can sit alongside a package size rule — the restriction in Defaults does not apply here. Rules run in order and the first matching rule wins per group, so whichever rule sits higher applies.

Need Assistance?

If you experience any issues while setting up your rule, our support team is here to help.

Contact us at support@swotzy.com