Shipping & Packaging

Shipping Cost Calculator

What a shipment costs, itemised: chargeable weight, the rate that applies, fuel and COD charges, and packaging.

15 inputs Free, no sign-up

Your figures

Only couriers that are switched on appear here. Choose "enter a rate myself" to use a figure from your own contract.

Express and surface are priced differently by every courier.

Zones are each courier's own definition. The zone calculator works one out from a city or PIN code.

Where the rate comes from

Your own contract rate is always more accurate than a published tariff.

What your courier actually charges for a parcel like this.

Payment

COD charges apply only where one has been configured.

Used where a COD or insurance charge is a percentage of the order value.

The parcel

What the packed parcel weighs on a scale.

From your courier's rate card. 5000 and 4000 are both common, and the difference is 25% of the billed weight - so check rather than assume.

Try an example

Result

Your result

Enter your figures and the result appears here.

Estimates only. Rates, fees and specifications change. Confirm against the official source before you rely on a figure — see our disclaimer.

About this calculator

A shipping quote is not one number. A base rate is charged on the chargeable weight, a fuel surcharge is charged on top of the base, a COD fee is charged on the order value, and a minimum charge quietly replaces the lot when the parcel is small. Every one of those is a separate line on the invoice.

This calculator shows the same lines before you ship. It uses the rates configured on this site, and where a rate has not been configured it says so rather than guessing one — a plausible wrong number is worse than no number.

How to use this calculator

  1. Choose your courier, or "enter a rate myself" if you have a contract rate.
  2. Pick the service and destination zone if you know them. The zone calculator works the zone out from a city or PIN code.
  3. Enter what the packed parcel weighs, and its dimensions if it is bulky.
  4. Say whether the order is prepaid or cash on delivery, and enter the order value if a COD fee is charged on it.
  5. Read the itemised cost. Every line says what it was charged on.

The formula

Chargeable weight = greater of actual and volumetric, rounded by the courier's rule
Base rate         = the configured rate for that weight, service and zone
Surcharges        = fuel, COD and any others that apply
Total             = base + surcharges + packaging

Rates are held either as slabs, where a weight band has one price, or as an incremental structure, where a first weight is included and further weight is charged per additional unit. The calculator uses whichever form the courier's rate is stored in, and the breakdown says which.

A minimum charge is applied after the surcharges, not before them, and a maximum charge caps the result. Both appear as their own line when they change the answer.

SymbolMeaningUnit
Chargeable weight What the rate band is chosen by kg
Base rate The configured rate for that band Rs
Surcharges Fuel, COD and others that apply Rs
Packaging Your own cost per parcel Rs

Worked example

A contract rate of ₹75 per parcel, shipped in threes:

Shipping = 75 x 3 = 225
Per parcel        =  75

With a configured courier instead of a flat rate, the shipping line splits into the base rate and each surcharge on it.

Notes and limits

  • Your own contract rate is always more accurate than a published tariff. Where you have one, enter it.
  • A fuel surcharge is normally a percentage of the base rate and changes month to month. Check the current figure rather than assuming last quarter's.
  • A COD fee is usually the greater of a flat amount and a percentage of the order value, so entering the declared value matters on larger orders.
  • Where a required charge has no configured rate, the total is withheld. The missing piece is named so an administrator can add it.
  • Remote-area and oversize charges are separate from the zone rate and are often the difference between a quote and an invoice.

What this calculation assumes

  • Rates come from what is configured on this site, matched on the date of the calculation.
  • One shipment per parcel, with no return leg and no reattempt.
  • GST and other taxes are included only where a tax line has been configured.
  • A charge with no configured rate stops the calculation rather than counting as zero.

Frequently asked questions

How is shipping cost calculated in India?

On chargeable weight - the greater of the actual and volumetric weights - against a rate band for the destination zone and service, plus a fuel surcharge and, on cash-on-delivery orders, a collection fee.

Why does the calculator say a rate is not configured?

Because no verified rate has been entered for that courier, service, zone and weight. Courier tariffs change and vary by contract, so a rate is shown only when someone has entered a real one. Enter your own rate instead, or ask an administrator to configure it.

What is a fuel surcharge?

A percentage added to the base rate, revised periodically by the courier to track fuel prices. It is charged on the base rate, not on the total, so it compounds with nothing else.

Does the shipping cost include GST?

Only if a tax line has been configured. Courier invoices normally add GST on the total freight charge, so check whether the rate you entered was inclusive or exclusive.

Related calculators