Amazon's FBA carton limit is 36 by 25 by 25 inches at 50 lb, and for luggage the binding constraint is dimensions rather than weight. A 28-inch polycarbonate case weighs roughly 10 lb, so a 2-pack lands near 22 lb and never approaches the weight ceiling. The same 2-pack stacked measures about 30 by 20 by 24 inches, which fits; a 3-pack stacked does not.
The requirements below are Amazon's US carton rules: 36 by 25 by 25 inches at 50 lb. The rule does not apply to LTL appointment scheduling, FTL seals, or non-US marketplaces, which set their own limits.
The Four Limits That Decide Your Carton
Amazon publishes 4 numbers in one place, and each one maps to a specific failure in a luggage carton. Read the third column before the second.
| Limit | Amazon's figure | What it means for a luggage carton |
|---|---|---|
| Box dimensions | 36.0 in length, 25.0 in width, 25.0 in height | Width and height are the real ceiling: a stacked 3-pack breaks 25 in before it breaks 36 |
| Box weight | 50.00 lb standard | Rarely binding: 2 nested 28-inch cases land near 22 lb |
| Oversize exception | Single item above 50 lb, not above 65 lb, with Team Lift labels | Applies to 1 unit, never to a multi-unit carton |
| Cushioning | 2 inches on every side and between items | Costs cube: 4 inches added to each dimension before the case goes in |
A multi-unit carton must stay inside all 4 limits at once, and the oversize exception does not rescue it. Amazon applies the exception to a single oversize unit, so a 3-pack of cases cannot borrow the 65 lb allowance.
Why Nesting Is the Only Real Lever
Luggage is bulky and light, so cube, not weight, sets your freight cost and your carton count. Nesting smaller cases inside larger ones removes the air between them, and it is the only packing change that cuts volume without cutting units.
A nested 3-pack of 20, 24 and 28-inch cases measures close to the 28-inch case itself, around 31 by 21 by 13 inches. Stacking the same 3 cases side by side produces a carton near 30 by 20 by 36 inches, which fails the height limit by 11 inches.
| Packing strategy | Units | Carton, approximate | Inside 36 by 25 by 25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single 28-inch case | 1 | 30 by 20 by 13 in | Yes |
| 2 stacked 28-inch cases | 2 | 30 by 20 by 24 in | Yes, with 1 inch to spare |
| 3 stacked 28-inch cases | 3 | 30 by 20 by 36 in | No: height is 11 in over |
| 3 nested, 20/24/28-inch | 3 | 31 by 21 by 13 in | Yes |
Check the arithmetic against your own drawings rather than this table, because shell curvature moves the numbers by 1 to 2 inches. The principle holds: nested volume follows the largest case, not the sum of 3.
The Materials Amazon Will Refuse
Amazon publishes an explicit list of 4 accepted materials and 6 refused ones. Bubble wrap, kraft paper of at least 60 lb basis weight, inflatable air pillows and polyethylene foam sheeting are accepted.
Packing peanuts are refused in every form, with 0 exceptions for biodegradable or corn-starch versions. Foam strips, crinkle wrap, shredded paper, thermocol chips and styrofoam are refused too, which is 5 more materials.
A typical luggage carton ships with foam corner blocks and shredded paper, so moving a line to FBA is a specification change rather than a cost change. The replacement stack is PE foam sheeting at the corners plus air pillows at the void.
The carton itself carries a grade. Amazon accepts a regular slotted carton in B flute, ECT-32 or 200 lb burst strength. Amazon also refuses point-of-sale containers, open display boxes, pallet-sized gaylords, string or over-wrap, and boxes bundled together.
The Shake Test and the Three Weak Points
Pack the carton, then shake it gently: the contents must not move, and that single test catches most failures. The 2-inch cushioning rule is what fixes it, and the rule applies between items as well as at the walls.
Luggage fails at 3 predictable points. Wheels puncture the carton wall, hard shells scuff against each other, and a telescopic handle creates a pressure point at one end.
Wheel-side foam and a separator sheet between cases solve the first 2. The handle end needs orientation: run the handle along the 36-inch length rather than across the 25-inch width.
How We Pack a Luggage Carton
Every carton we build for an FBA address runs through the same 4 steps on our packaging line. We measure the case at 3 points with a caliper, because shell curvature moves the outer dimension by 1 to 2 inches depending on where you measure.
We cut PE foam to that measurement rather than to the nominal size. We set the case handle-end along the 36-inch length, and we shake each sealed carton before it leaves the line; a carton that shifts gets opened and re-packed.
Labels, Pallets and Box Counts
Every carton needs 1 FBA Box ID label printed from the shipping queue, in addition to the carrier label. Each pallet takes 4 FBA pallet labels, one at the top centre of each side, placed outside the stretch wrap.
Pallets are 40 by 48 inches with 4-way entry, GMA Standard B grade or better, and no more than 1,500 lb. A single pallet stays at or under 72 inches including the pallet height.
An LTL shipment cannot exceed 5,000 boxes, so a large luggage programme splits across shipments. Splitting is cheaper than discovering the limit at the dock with a loaded trailer.
What Non-Compliance Actually Costs
Amazon lists 4 outcomes: refusal at the fulfilment centre, disposal or return of inventory, blocking of future shipments, and inbound defect fees.
The fee is not the expensive part. A container of cases sitting at a dock while the listing runs out of stock is a ranking event rather than a packaging event.
When the Retail Box Is the Shipping Box
A case that ships in its own retail packaging is not protected by a carton, and Amazon treats it under a separate programme. SIOC certification runs to the ISTA 6-Amazon.com test protocol, and Amazon has required certification for participating ASINs since 2019.
For most luggage programmes the simpler route is a plain overbox, because the carton protects the retail box and the retail box protects the case. Removing the carton removes 1 of 3 protective layers.
What to Send Us
Send us 3 things if you are moving a luggage line to FBA: the case dimensions in centimetres, the units per carton, and the marketplace.
We will return a carton drawing, a cushioning specification, and the unit count per carton that stays inside 36 by 25 by 25 inches. Where nesting is possible on your sizes, the drawing will show it.
Where This Connects
Carton design is the first lever in the freight cost chain, and the full stack is covered in container loading, packaging and freight. The wider cost of packaging decisions sits in how packaging design cut a retailer's shipping cost.
For European markets the packaging rules change, and the EU Packaging Regulation covers the compliance side. If you are still choosing a route to market, the Amazon and DTC launch roadmap covers the sequence before packaging.