Amazon FBA box and pallet requirements for shipments from overseas

FBA carton weight and size limits

Amazon sets maximum dimensions and a maximum weight for each box sent to its U.S. fulfillment centers. In June 2025 it raised the maximum length. Since June 20, 2025, the limits for FBA shipments are (Amazon Seller Forums announcement):

Before the change, the FBA length limit was 25 inches, the same as the other sides. Amazon staff confirmed in the same thread that the longer length applies to FBA shipments only, and that Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) kept the 25 inch limit on every side. If you send inventory to AWD first and replenish FBA from there, pack to the stricter limit. As of October 2026 these are the limits Amazon has announced; check the current limit in Seller Central before you design a new carton.

Factories outside the U.S. usually pack in centimeters and kilograms, so convert before you design the master carton. 36 inches is about 91.4 cm, 25 inches is 63.5 cm, and 50 lb is about 22.7 kg. Measure the outside of the filled, sealed carton: a box that bulges past 25 inches when full is over the limit even if the flat carton was not.

A worked example

Heavy and oversize single items

The 50 lb limit is for boxes of multiple units. In a Seller Forums reply posted about 2023, Amazon staff explained that a box must not exceed 50 lb unless it contains one single item that itself weighs more than 50 lb, such as a piece of furniture or fitness equipment. That box needs a label that clearly says Team Lift on the top and sides (Amazon Seller Forums staff reply). Confirm the current heavy item rules in Seller Central before you ship.

Very heavy items and single items larger than the standard box dimensions can have further handling and labeling rules. Check the current thresholds in Amazon's shipping and routing requirements in Seller Central before you ship, because they are separate from the standard box rules.

What you cannot do is put several units in a box that exceeds the limits because they "fit better" that way. If a box holds more than one unit, it must meet the standard limits.

Box content information

When you create a shipment, Amazon needs to know what is inside each box: which SKUs and how many of each. Amazon's inbound documentation describes three ways to provide it (Amazon Selling Partner API documentation):

• Enter the contents yourself in Send to Amazon or through the API, box by box, with each box's dimensions and weight.
• Apply 2D barcodes to the boxes that encode their contents, which receiving scans on arrival.
• Pay Amazon to enter the contents during receiving. Amazon charges a manual processing fee for this, and missing packing information can also cause defects in the receiving process.

For most sellers the first option is the right one. It costs nothing extra, and it is the reason a clean carton list matters: if your packing list says what is in each carton, the box content information is a copy of it.

Keep cartons simple

• One SKU per carton where you can. Single-SKU cartons with the same quantity in each are easier to enter, check and receive. Box configuration also affects Amazon's placement options and fees, covered in our guide to inbound placement fees and capacity limits.
• Count, then seal. The box content you enter must match what is in the box. A carton packed with 23 units but declared as 24 shows up as a discrepancy at receiving.
• Record the real weight and dimensions. Amazon asks for both per box, and estimates copied from a spec sheet are often wrong once the carton is filled.

FBA box ID labels

Every box in an FBA shipment needs its own FBA box label, printed from Send to Amazon after the box content and carton details are entered. Each label carries a unique barcode and package ID for that box (Amazon Selling Partner API documentation), so labels cannot be photocopied or swapped between boxes.

• One unique label per box. Print the full set for the shipment and match each label to the carton whose contents it describes.
• Flat side, clear of seams. Place the label on a flat face of the box where it will not be cut when the box is opened or folded over an edge.
• Remove or cover old labels. Amazon's guidance says existing barcodes on the outside of shipping boxes must be removed, covered or made unscannable (Amazon FBA prep, packaging and labeling guide). Reused factory cartons often carry several old codes.
• Carrier labels go next to it, not over it. For small parcel shipments, the carrier label and the FBA box label are separate labels and both must stay readable.

Item labels inside the box are a separate topic. Which barcode each unit needs, and how to place it, is in our guide to FNSKU labels vs. manufacturer barcodes.

Pallet requirements for LTL and truckload deliveries

When a shipment goes to Amazon by less-than-truckload (LTL) or full truckload, the boxes travel on pallets. The most detailed public statement of Amazon's requirements for these deliveries is a Seller Forums post by Amazon staff, posted about 2024 (Amazon Seller Forums: requirements for LTL, FTL and FCL deliveries). Amazon's full and current rules are in the shipping and routing requirements in Seller Central, which require sign-in, so confirm the figures there before you build pallets. The post includes:

• Pallet type: 40 x 48 inch wooden pallets with four-way forklift access. Do not use plastic, cardboard or particle board pallets. A single large unit that overhangs a 40 x 48 pallet goes on a pallet sized for it.
• Pallet grade: GMA Standard B or better for general merchandise, GMA 1A for grocery, and GMA 1A or 1B for health, personal care and beauty products.
• Condition: broken or damaged pallets may be rejected at the seller's expense.
• Weight: the total weight of a pallet must not exceed 1,500 lb.
• One shipment per pallet: every box on a pallet must belong to the same shipment ID.
• Labels: shipment ID labels on all four sides of the stretch-wrapped pallet, and FBA box labels facing outward, so they can be scanned without breaking the pallet down.
• Building: standard stacking only, stable and flush on all sides, no bags, elastic or extra straps holding boxes together. Keep different ASINs separated, and on a single-ASIN pallet orient every box the same way.
• Height: the same guidance says pallets should ideally have a pack height of no more than 50 inches (45 inches of boxes plus a 5 inch pallet). In a container, leave 6 inches between the top of the stack and the roof, and at least 3 inches between pallets. Check the current height limit for your delivery in Send to Amazon.
• Shipment size: a single LTL shipment cannot exceed 5,000 boxes.

1. 1 Origin Pack compliant cartons Within size and weight limits, one SKU per carton where possible
2. 2 Send to Amazon Enter box contents SKUs, quantities, weight and dimensions for every box
3. 3 Origin or U.S. Label every box Unique FBA box label, old codes covered
4. 4 U.S. Build the pallet 40 x 48 wood pallet, one shipment ID, labels facing out
5. 5 U.S. Wrap and label Stretch wrap, pallet labels on four sides

Pallets built abroad rarely arrive in a state Amazon accepts. They are often on a different footprint, shift in transit, or mix several shipment IDs. Most overseas sellers have the cartons palletized in the U.S. for the final leg. Abanro's palletizing, from $28 per pallet including stretch wrap and pallet labels, rebuilds loads on standard pallets before forwarding by LTL or pallet to the fulfillment centers in your plan (see all starting prices).

Packing at origin for ocean and air transit

A carton that meets Amazon's limits still has to survive the trip. Freight from abroad is handled many more times than a domestic delivery: at the factory, the origin warehouse, the port or airport, a container freight station, the U.S. warehouse and the carrier to Amazon.

Cartons

• Strong enough to stack. Use double-wall cartons for heavy or fragile goods. Ocean freight is stacked high in containers, and a crushed bottom layer often means damaged units.
• Filled, not loose. Units should not move inside the box. Empty space lets cartons collapse under load.
• Moisture. Containers crossing climate zones can build condensation. For paper-based packaging, textiles and anything that rusts or swells, consider liners and desiccants, and do not pack goods that are still damp from production.
• Marked for the trip. Outer markings such as carton number ("1 of 40"), SKU, quantity and country of origin help at customs and at receiving. If the carton will carry an FBA label later, leave a clean flat area for it.

Wood pallets and crates

Wood packaging entering the U.S. must meet the international ISPM 15 standard: heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide, and marked with the approved IPPC mark showing the country code, producer number and treatment (CBP wood packaging materials). Ask your supplier for marked pallets before loading. Manufactured wood such as plywood or particle board is outside the ISPM 15 rule, but Amazon does not accept particle board pallets, so check both sets of rules before choosing a pallet.

Ocean or air

Air freight is charged on the greater of actual and volumetric weight, so oversized cartons with air in them cost more to fly. Ocean shipments can be palletized or floor loaded. Floor loading fits more cartons in a container but means unloading by hand in the U.S. Whether full container or shared, our guide to FCL vs. LCL shipping to the U.S. covers the choice.

FBA labels at origin or in the U.S.

You can apply FBA box labels at the factory once the shipment exists in Send to Amazon. The risk is time: an ocean shipment spends weeks in transit, and Amazon's inbound system asks you to choose a delivery window of 14 days for international shipments with a non-partnered carrier (Amazon Selling Partner API documentation). If the vessel is late, a customs exam holds the cargo, or the plan changes, labels printed at origin no longer match. Many sellers ship cartons with clear origin markings to a U.S. partner, then create the Amazon shipment and apply box labels once the goods have cleared and been counted. Our guide to sending inventory to Amazon FBA from overseas describes that route.

What gets refused or charged

These consequences come from Amazon's prep and packaging guidance, its inbound documentation and the pallet requirements Amazon staff posted in the Seller Forums. Amazon also applies fees for some inbound defects; as of October 2026, check the current fee schedule in Seller Central rather than relying on older figures.

For an overseas seller, a refused delivery is a costly problem because the goods are already in the U.S. and need somewhere to go. Abanro's receiving and inspection, with pallet receiving from $15 per pallet, lets you catch carton problems before Amazon does, and carton forwarding from $5 per carton includes the FBA carton label.

A carton and pallet checklist

1. Each multi-unit box is within Amazon's current limits, measured when full. The limits Amazon announced for June 20, 2025 are 36 x 25 x 25 inches and 50 lb for FBA (25 x 25 x 25 inches for AWD).
2. Boxes over 50 lb hold one single item only and carry a Team Lift label on the top and sides.
3. Box contents (SKU and quantity), weight and dimensions are entered for every box.
4. Every box has its own printed FBA box label on a flat side, and old barcodes are removed or covered.
5. Units inside are labeled correctly and prepped, as described in our FBA prep requirements guide.
6. Pallets meet Amazon's current pallet rules in Seller Central. In Amazon's Seller Forums post, that means 40 x 48 inch four-way wood of the right GMA grade, under 1,500 lb, one shipment ID each.
7. Pallets are stretch wrapped, labeled on four sides, with box labels facing out.
8. Wood packaging from abroad carries the ISPM 15 mark.

Abanro's facility near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handles this final step as part of Amazon FBA prep: we check every carton against your packing list, repack cartons that are over the limits, apply box and pallet labels, and send the shipment on.

This guide is general information based on Amazon's published requirements as of October 2026. Amazon updates its limits and fees regularly, so confirm the current requirements in Seller Central before each shipment.

Sources and further reading

1. Maximum box length for FBA orders to increase (Seller Forums announcement, effective June 20, 2025), Amazon
2. Can you ship in items over 50 pounds? (Seller Forums, Amazon staff reply, posted about 2023), Amazon
3. Seller requirements for LTL, FTL, and FCL deliveries (Seller Forums, Amazon staff post, posted about 2024), Amazon
4. Fulfillment Inbound API v2024-03-20: create an inbound shipment (page updated September 9, 2026), Amazon Selling Partner API documentation
5. FBA prep, packaging, and labeling: a beginner's guide (July 7, 2026), Amazon (sell.amazon.com)
6. Wood Packaging Materials (WPM), U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Sources checked on October 20, 2026