UPS Ground Shipping Cost Calculator

Introduction

The UPS Ground Shipping Cost Calculator helps you find out what it may cost to send a package with UPS Ground. Type in where the package starts, where it goes, how much it weighs, and how big it is. The tool then shows UPS's published price right away.

UPS does not always bill you for the weight you put on the scale. It bills the greater of the actual weight or the dimensional (DIM) weight, which is based on the box size. This calculator works out both numbers for you and uses the bigger one, the same way our Volumetric Weight Calculator does. It adds the charges UPS publishes for your shipment — residential delivery, signature, Saturday delivery, declared value, and additional handling or large package fees where they apply — and shows the ones that come to $0.00 rather than leaving them out.

You can enter up to five packages at once, use your own box or UPS Simple Rate, and switch between pounds and kilograms or inches and centimeters. The results show a full cost breakdown, a per-package table, the zone, UPS's delivery commitment, and a step-by-step solution so you can see how the price was built.

Use it to compare shipping costs, set fair shipping prices for customers, or check a quote before you print a label. The prices are UPS's published retail rates, so an account with negotiated rates will pay less.

How to Use Our UPS Ground Shipping Cost Calculator

Enter where your shipment starts and ends, then add your package weight, size, and any extra options. The calculator shows the published UPS Ground price, billable weight, UPS's delivery commitment, the zone, and a full breakdown.

Ship From Country: This calculator prices shipments sent from the United States.

Origin City: Type the city you are shipping from, like Los Angeles.

Origin ZIP Code: Enter the 5-digit ZIP code, or ZIP+4, for the pickup address. UPS publishes a zone chart for each origin ZIP code, and this selects it.

Ship To Country: UPS Ground delivers within the United States, including Puerto Rico, Alaska and Hawaii. Shipments to Canada and Mexico travel on UPS Standard, a separate service this calculator does not price.

Destination City: Type the city where the package will be delivered.

Destination ZIP Code: Enter the 5-digit ZIP code, or ZIP+4, for the delivery address. UPS's chart for your origin turns it into the zone.

Delivery Address Type: Choose Residential for a home or Business for a company. UPS publishes a residential surcharge of $0.00 on UPS Ground shipped from the 48 contiguous states, and $6.50 from Alaska or Hawaii.¹

Number of Packages: Pick how many boxes are in this shipment, from 1 to 5.

Packaging: Use your own box, or choose UPS Simple Rate to see UPS's flat price for the box size your dimensions fall into.

Show Weights In: Pick pounds or kilograms for the results. UPS still bills in whole pounds.

Package Weight: Enter the weight of each box and pick lb, kg, oz, or g. The max is 150 lb per box.

Length, Width, and Height: Enter each box size and pick in, cm, mm, or ft. UPS rounds each side up to the next whole inch before it works out dimensional weight.

Declared Value: Enter what the contents of each package are worth. UPS covers $100.00 per package without a declaration of value. Declarations of value from $100.01 to $300.00 are subject to a charge of $5.10, and above that the charge is $1.70 for each $100.00 of the total value declared.¹

Signature Options: Check the box if someone must sign. UPS publishes Signature Required at $7.70 per package and Adult Signature Required at $9.35 per package.¹

Saturday Delivery: Check this box if you need weekend delivery. Where UPS offers it, delivery to a business costs $4.00 per UPS Ground package, and weekend delivery of UPS Ground to a home carries no additional fee.¹

Click Calculate to see the published shipping cost, or click Reset to start over.

UPS Ground Shipping Costs Explained

UPS Ground is UPS's low-cost service for packages within the United States, including Puerto Rico, Alaska and Hawaii. It is slower than air service and costs much less. Within the 48 contiguous states UPS commits it as day-definite, within 5 days.¹

What UPS Charges You For

Your final price is not just one number. UPS adds up several parts:

Published rate: read from UPS's Ground table for the billable weight of your package and its zone.
Fuel surcharge: a percentage UPS publishes weekly. No Ground fuel surcharge applies to retail rates on packages shipped from the 48 contiguous states.
Residential surcharge: charged on deliveries to a home. On UPS Ground it is $0.00 from the 48 contiguous states and $6.50 from Alaska or Hawaii.¹
Declared value: UPS covers $100.00 per package at no charge. Declarations from $100.01 to $300.00 cost $5.10, and above that $1.70 for each $100.00 of the total value declared.
Signature and Saturday fees: $7.70 per package for Signature Required, $9.35 for Adult Signature Required, and $4.00 per UPS Ground package for Saturday delivery to a business.¹
Additional handling and large package fees: set by zone for heavy or oversized boxes. UPS assesses only one additional handling charge per package, and none when a large package surcharge applies.¹

Billable Weight and Dimensional Weight

UPS does not always bill the weight on the scale. It compares two numbers and charges for the bigger one:

Actual weight: what the package weighs, with any fraction increased to the next whole pound.
Dimensional (DIM) weight: each side rounded up to the next whole inch, multiplied together, and divided by 166 for a domestic package, with any fraction increased to the next whole pound.¹

The larger number is your billable weight. This is why a big box of pillows can cost as much as a small box of books. Using a smaller box, or packing tighter, can lower your price fast.

Rate Zones

UPS publishes a zone chart for every origin ZIP code, and your destination is looked up in it.¹ Within the 48 contiguous states UPS Ground runs from Zone 2, close by, to Zone 8, coast to coast. Zone 44 is metro Alaska and Hawaii, Zone 45 is Puerto Rico, and Zone 46 is remote Alaska and Hawaii.¹ The farther the box goes, the higher the published rate.

UPS Ground Size and Weight Limits

Up to 150 lb (68 kg) per package.
Longest side up to 108 inches (274 cm).
Length plus girth up to 165 inches (419 cm).
Over 130 inches of length plus girth adds a Large Package fee.

Girth is measured as 2 × (width + height). Packages over these limits are not accepted on Ground service. When a shipment outgrows parcel rules, move to our Freight Calculator.

Ways to Pay Less

Pick the smallest box that still protects your item.
Measure carefully: UPS rounds every side up to the next whole inch, so a box that is 12.1 inches long is billed as 13.
Combine small items into one box instead of many.
Keep each box under 50 lb and under 48 inches long to skip handling fees.
Only add signature, Saturday, or extra insurance if you truly need them.

Prices here are UPS's published retail rates. An account with negotiated rates will pay less, and the delivery area, remote area and peak-season charges UPS applies to particular addresses and dates are not included.

Formulas used

Dimensional Weight (domestic) ¹

W_{\text{dim}} = \left\lceil \frac{\lceil L \rceil \times \lceil W \rceil \times \lceil H \rceil}{166} \right\rceil

Billable Weight per Package ¹

W_{\text{bill}} = \max\left(1,\ \lceil W_{\text{actual}} \rceil,\ \lceil W_{\text{dim}} \rceil\right)

Published UPS Ground Rate per Package

R = P_{\text{Ground}}\!\left(\text{zone},\ W_{\text{bill}}\right)

Declared Value Charge (per package) ¹

C_{\text{dv}} = \begin{cases} 0 & V \le 100.00 \\ 5.10 & 100.00 < V \le 300.00 \\ 1.70 \left\lceil \frac{V}{100.00} \right\rceil & V > 300.00 \end{cases}

Signature and Saturday Charges ¹

C_{\text{sig}} = N \times \begin{cases} 7.70 & \text{Signature Required} \\ 9.35 & \text{Adult Signature Required} \end{cases}, \quad C_{\text{sat}} = N \times \begin{cases} 4.00 & \text{business} \\ 0.00 & \text{home} \end{cases}

Total Published Cost

C = \sum R + C_{\text{res}} + C_{\text{handling}} + C_{\text{sig}} + C_{\text{sat}} + N \times C_{\text{dv}}

Frequently asked questions

Why is my quote higher than the weight on my scale?

Because UPS bills the bigger of actual weight or dimensional weight. A light but bulky box gets charged for its size. Check the yellow warning under your package inputs. If it says dimensional weight is higher, use a smaller box to cut the cost.

Is a fuel surcharge added to UPS Ground?

Not when it ships from the 48 contiguous states. UPS publishes a weekly fuel surcharge and its rate tables do not include it, but no Ground fuel surcharge applies to retail rates on packages originating in the 48 contiguous states. The breakdown shows that row as $0.00 so you can see it was considered.

Why can't I price a shipment to Canada or Mexico?

Because UPS Ground delivers within the United States, including Puerto Rico, Alaska and Hawaii. Shipments to Canada and Mexico travel on UPS Standard, a separate service with its own rates, which this calculator does not price.

What does Zone 2 or Zone 8 mean on my result?

The zone is how UPS groups destinations for your origin, and it comes from the zone chart UPS publishes for your origin ZIP code. Within the 48 contiguous states UPS Ground runs from Zone 2, a short trip, to Zone 8, the longest. Zone 44 is metro Alaska and Hawaii, Zone 45 is Puerto Rico, and Zone 46 is remote Alaska and Hawaii. A higher zone means a higher published rate.

Why did an Additional Handling fee show up?

UPS assesses additional handling for a package over 50 pounds, over 105 inches in length plus girth, with a longest side over 48 inches, a second-longest side over 30 inches, or a cubic size greater than 10,368 cubic inches.¹ The amount depends on the zone and on which of those applies, and only one additional handling charge is assessed per package. A package that qualifies on size rather than weight is billed at a minimum of 40 pounds.¹

What is the Large Package Surcharge?

UPS applies it to a package whose length plus girth exceeds 130 inches, whose length exceeds 96 inches, whose weight is over 110 lbs, or whose cubic size is greater than 17,280 cubic inches.¹ Length is the longest side, and girth is twice the width plus twice the height. The amount depends on the zone and on whether the address is commercial or residential, a large package is billed at a minimum of 90 pounds, and no additional handling charge is added on top.¹

How does UPS Simple Rate work here?

UPS Simple Rate is one published price per box size. The calculator works out the size from the cubic inches of the dimensions you enter, each side rounded up, and shows UPS's Simple Rate price for UPS Ground on your lane. The residential, delivery area and fuel surcharges do not apply to UPS Simple Rate shipments; signature, Saturday and declared value fees still do.¹

How is the extra insurance charge worked out?

UPS covers $100.00 per package without a declaration of value. Declarations of value from $100.01 to $300.00 are subject to a charge of $5.10.¹ Above $300.00 the charge is $1.70 for each $100.00, or portion of $100.00, of the total value declared, including the first $100.00. So a package declared at $950.00 costs $17.00, which is 10 times $1.70.¹

Why does my weight round up to the next whole pound?

UPS bills in whole pounds, so a 5.2 lb box is billed as 6 lb. The same rule applies to dimensional weight, and UPS also rounds each side of the box up to the next whole inch before it multiplies them: 1.1 inches counts as 2.¹ The calculator follows both rules.

Why does Saturday delivery show $0.00?

Because UPS charges no additional fee for weekend delivery of UPS Ground to a home. Saturday delivery to a business costs $4.00 per UPS Ground package.¹ Either way, Saturday delivery is offered where UPS provides it, which depends on the address.

What if my package is over 150 lb or too long?

UPS does not accept it. Packages over 150 pounds, more than 108 inches long, or more than 165 inches in length plus girth are not accepted for transportation, and one that enters the UPS system anyway is charged $1,875.00.¹ The calculator says which limit was exceeded instead of showing a price. Larger loads move as freight.

Does the estimate include peak season or holiday surcharges?

No. UPS adds demand surcharges during busy times like late November and December. Those are not built into this tool, so your holiday cost may run higher than the estimate here.

Why do two boxes with the same weight cost different amounts?

Size matters as much as weight. A bigger box has a higher dimensional weight, so it gets a higher billable weight. It can also trigger handling or large package fees that a compact box avoids.

Sources

United Parcel Service. 2026 UPS Rate and Service Guide: U.S. 48, Alaska and Hawaii Retail Rates. United Parcel Service. 2026;UPS Ground pp 86-89; Delivery Options pp 133-138; Other Charges pp 145-149. Accessed September 16, 2026.