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UPS vs FedEx vs USPS shipping cost calculator for business shippers
Compare UPS Ground, FedEx Ground or Home Delivery and USPS Ground Advantage on one package, from two ZIP codes, with transportation, fuel, residential, delivery area and size charges shown separately, at published rates or with your own incentives and minimums applied.
Source: FedEx Standard List Rates, UPS Daily Rates, USPS Notice 123 and the carriers’ published surcharges · FedEx list rates effective January 5, 2026; UPS daily rates for 2026; USPS commercial prices effective July 12, 2026; fuel for the week of September 28, 2026 · Free, no signup
| Service | Zone | Billable | Transportation | Fuel | Residential | Delivery area | Size and handling | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx Home Delivery Standard List Rates, January 5, 2026 | 5 | 7 lb | $19.19 | $7.63 29.75% | $6.45 | checking | 0 | $33.27 |
| UPS Ground Daily Rates 2026, updated May 10, 2026 | 5 | 7 lb | $19.26 | $7.79 30.25% | $6.50 | checking | 0 | $33.55 |
| USPS Ground Advantagecheapest Commercial prices, July 12, 2026 | 6 | 5 lb | $15.89 | none | included | none | 0 | $15.89 |
Transportation is the published rate for the billable weight and zone: FedEx Standard List Rates effective January 5, 2026, UPS Daily Rates for 2026, and USPS Ground Advantage commercial prices effective July 12, 2026. Fuel is this week’s published ground percentage, 29.75% at FedEx and 30.25% at UPS for the week of September 28, 2026, applied to transportation and to the residential, delivery area and handling charges, as both carriers do. USPS has no fuel surcharge, no residential charge and no delivery area surcharge, but a 70 lb limit, a 130 in length-plus-girth limit, and nonstandard fees for long or bulky parcels. Choose "compare using my agreement" to apply incentives and minimum net charges. Peak demand surcharges are not included; the peak surcharge calculator covers those. Zones are estimated from the distance between the two ZIP prefixes and can be set directly.
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Is UPS, FedEx or USPS cheaper for my package?
Whether UPS, FedEx or USPS is cheaper for a package depends on more than the base rate. UPS and FedEx bill the greater of actual and dimensional weight at a 139 divisor on every package, add a residential charge of $6.50 or $6.45, a delivery area surcharge of $4.45 to $17.75 in roughly 25,000 ZIP codes, additional handling or oversize charges on large boxes, and a weekly fuel surcharge near 30% on all of it. USPS Ground Advantage commercial prices include residential delivery and carry no fuel or delivery area surcharge, apply dimensional weight at 166 only over one cubic foot, and are often cheapest on light residential packages, but stop at 70 pounds and 130 inches of length plus girth. For a business with an agreement, the published rate is the starting point: the incentive and the minimum net charge decide where each carrier lands.
Worked example
A 12 by 10 by 8 inch box weighing 5 lb from Wilmington, NC (28401) to Chicago (60607), a residential delivery about 730 miles away, is zone 5 at UPS and FedEx and zone 6 at USPS. The box is 960 cubic inches, so UPS and FedEx bill it at 7 lb dimensional weight: FedEx Home Delivery lists at $19.19 plus $6.45 residential and $7.63 fuel, $33.27 in all; UPS Ground lists at $19.26 plus $6.50 and $7.79 fuel, $33.55. USPS Ground Advantage is under one cubic foot, so it bills the actual 5 lb at the commercial price of $15.89 with nothing added. A 55% incentive at FedEx brings its transportation to $8.64 and the total to $19.57, still above USPS on this package.
Published rates, not your agreement
Ground services only, contiguous US, one package. Zones are estimated from the straight-line distance between the two ZIP prefixes; the carriers assign zones from their own charts, so check a disputed zone with the carrier. Fuel is this week’s published percentage. Peak demand surcharges, signature, declared value and address correction are not included. The agreement view applies one incentive and one minimum per carrier; real agreements vary by weight, zone and service. USPS commercial prices require commercial postage; retail counter prices are higher.
Source: FedEx Standard List Rates, UPS Daily Rates, USPS Notice 123 and the carriers’ published surcharges. FedEx list rates effective January 5, 2026; UPS daily rates for 2026; USPS commercial prices effective July 12, 2026; fuel for the week of September 28, 2026.
Read more
- UPS vs USPS for business shipping
- Effective shipping discount explained
- How fuel surcharges are calculated
When the published answer is not enough: Modal optimization or Carrier contract negotiation.
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