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How Much Does It Cost to Ship the Smallest Package?

Written by Joe Jordan | Jun 30, 2023 6:20:13 PM

Shipping can be an expensive affair - you may find yourself paying more for shipping than the price of the item. In this blog, we will explore the shipping services and rates of the three major small parcel shipping carriers to determine how much each carrier charges to ship the smallest possible package. 

How Much Does It Cost to Ship the Smallest Package?

For most carriers, the minimum billable weight of a package is 1 pound. Remember that package weight is always rounded up to the nearest whole number. For example, if you want to ship a package that weighs 0.7 pounds, it will be billed as a 1-pound package.

Due to differences in company policies, structures, and rules of operation, package shipping rates vary from carrier to carrier. Below we have the UPS, USPS, and FedEx rates for shipping the smallest package, a 1-pound package.

 

FedEx Service
 

FedEx First Overnight

FedEx Priority Overnight

FedEx Standard Overnight

FedEx 2Day A.M.

FedEx 2Day

FedEx Express Saver

FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery

Cost to Ship a 1-Pound Package

$68.04–$128.32

$37.04–$ 97.32

$33.87–$ 85.43

$25.37–$ 45.22

$22.59–$37.55

$21.03–$34.37

$10.10–$12.74

 

 

USPS Service
 

Priority Mail Express 

Priority Mail

USPS Retail Ground

Cost to Ship a 1-Pound Package

$29.20–$66.30

$9.35–$104.50

$8.95–$11.05

Cost to Ship a 0.5-Pound Package

(Priority Mail Express minimum package weight is 0.5 lbs)

$28.75–$56.00

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How Much Does It Cost to Ship 1LB UPS?

 

UPS Service
 

UPS Next Day Air Early

UPS Next Day Air

UPS Next Day Air Saver

UPS 2nd Day Air A.M.

UPS 2nd Day Air

UPS 3-Day Select

UPS Ground

Cost to Ship a 1-Pound Package

$65.00–$136.72

$35.00–$106.79

$31.71–$86.29

$23.64–$45.11

$21.64–$66.79

$13.66–$33.33

$10.10–$61.37

 

The cost of shipping a 1-pound package via UPS depends on the service you choose. For example, if you’re shipping time-sensitive goods like emergency medication, go for UPS Next Day Air Early, which provides next-morning delivery for a price of between $65 and $132.72. If, on the other hand, low costs are the priority, go for UPS Ground which will charge you only $10.10–$61.37.

UPS also has a same-day delivery service known as UPS Express Critical. There are no standard rates for this service, you need to contact UPS to get a custom pricing quote for your 1-pound package.

Is UPS or FedEx Cheaper for Small Packages?

 

UPS Small Parcel Service

Weight

UPS Next Day Air Early

UPS Next Day Air

UPS Next Day Air Saver

UPS 2nd Day Air A.M.

UPS 2nd Day Air

UPS 3-Day Select

UPS Ground

1–10 pounds

$65.00–$241.38

$35.00–$220.81

$31.71–$166.88

$23.64–$125.26

$21.64–$122.21

$13.66–$81.74

$10.10–$112.33

11–20 pounds

$87.74–$336.20

$57.74–$334.89

$51.04–$244.25

$34.07–$204.68

$30.87–$185.36 

$24.10–$131.10 

$14.10–$166.06

21–30 pounds

$104.81–$407.52

$74.81–$401.18

$68.28–$323.01

$52.04–$280.59

$46.53–$259.15

$33.51–$180.11 

$16.69–$219.32

31–40 pounds

$122.69–$489.82

$92.69–$473.74

$85.35–$391.28

$68.58–$368.28 

$58.69–$335.80

$44.84–$226.57

$20.19–$265.35

41–50 pounds

$145.49–$572.75

$115.49–$553.61

$104.26–$468.37

$85.90–$435.70

$76.65–$370.88

$54.94–$269.82

$23.03–$316.11

51–60 pounds

$173.79–$698.48

$143.79–$681.86

$123.26–$571.10

$104.82–$511.04

$86.54–$440.32

$65.10–$315.87

$24.79–$366.36

61–70 pounds

$200.53–$782.36

$170.53–$768.24

$144.21–$656.79

$116.75–$597.70

$101.07–$495.98

$73.06–$374.64

$26.03–$422.73

 

 

FedEx Service

Weight

FedEx First Overnight

FedEx Priority Overnight

FedEx Standard Overnight

FedEx 2Day A.M.

FedEx 2Day

FedEx Express Saver

FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery

1–10 pounds

$68.04–$199.53

$37.04–$168.53

$33.87–$165.22

$25.37–$127.21

$22.59–$106.40

$21.03–$91.63

$10.10–$22.40

11–20 pounds

$93.53–$280.16

$62.53–$ 249.16

$55.08–$241.82

$36.28–$ 206.09

$33.06–$176.30

$32.41–$149.10

$14.17–$36.17

21–30 pounds

$109.85–$367.87

$78.85–$ 336.87

$73.68–$319.81

$57.43–$276.22

$49.83–$243.54

$45.48–$205.05

$16.80–$51.83

31–40 pounds

$128.73–$435.45

$97.73–$404.45

$92.11–$387.40

$74.31–$ 362.84

$63.05–$312.64

$61.81–$ 259.57

$20.29–$63.95

41–50 pounds

$149.28–$510.78

$118.28–$479.78

$112.52–$462.75

$94.83–$ 438.26

$82.33–$359.69

$79.96–$308.02

$23.15–$74.72

51–60 pounds

$185.48–$613.46

$154.48–$582.46

$133.04–$565.44

$114.67–$522.93

$93.47–$424.98

$91.63–$373.06

$24.85–$81.11

61–70 pounds

$214.21–$698.31

$183.21–$667.31

$151.33–$650.28

$133.01–$602.70

$108.74–$479.00

$104.68–$436.39

$26.09–$85.57

 

FedEx Vs. UPS: Cost Comparison

Let’s compare a UPS service with a FedEx service to find out which carrier offers cheaper rates. For this example, we will compare FedEx Express Saver and UPS 3-Day Select since they have the same delivery time of 3 days.

Weight

FedEx Express Saver

UPS 3-Day Select

1–10 pounds

$21.03–$91.63

$13.66–$81.74

11–20 pounds

$32.41–$149.10

$24.10–$131.10 

21–30 pounds

$45.48–$205.05

$33.51–$180.11 

31–40 pounds

$61.81–$ 259.57

$44.84–$226.57

41–50 pounds

$79.96–$308.02

$54.94–$269.82

51–60 pounds

$91.63–$373.06

$65.10–$315.87

61–70 pounds

$104.68–$436.39

$73.06–$374.64

 

From the table above, we can see that UPS 3-Day Select is consistently cheaper than FedEx Express Saver.

For good measure, let’s also compare FedEx 2Day A.M. with UPS 2nd Day Air A.M. Both these services offer delivery of packages on the morning of the second day after shipping.

Weight

FedEx 2Day A.M.

UPS 2nd Day Air A.M.

1–10 pounds

$25.37–$127.21

$23.64–$125.26

11–20 pounds

$36.28–$ 206.09

$34.07–$204.68

21–30 pounds

$57.43–$276.22

$52.04–$280.59

31–40 pounds

$74.31–$ 362.84

$68.58–$368.28 

41–50 pounds

$94.83–$ 438.26

$85.90–$435.70

51–60 pounds

$114.67–$522.93

$104.82–$511.04

61–70 pounds

$133.01–$602.70

$116.75–$597.70

 

From the above table, we can see that UPS 2nd Day Air A.M. is cheaper than FedEx 2Day A.M.

Therefore based on the two examples above, we can say that UPS is cheaper than FedEx for shipping small packages.

How ShipSigma Can Help

Using AI-led technology and powered by over $1Billion in live market data, ShipSigma helps shippers like you cut shipping costs faster than before. Contact us today and let us help you save money while keeping your preferred carrier and service level.
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