Shipping & Packaging

Shipping Rate Calculator

Which rate band a shipment falls into, what that band charges, and every surcharge applied on top of it.

14 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 rate card is a lookup table, and most of the arguments about a courier invoice are arguments about which row was used. The weight band, the zone and the service each move you to a different row, and a rounding rule you did not know about can move you up a band on its own.

This calculator shows the row: the band your parcel lands in, the rate that band charges, and each surcharge applied to it. It is the same engine as the shipping cost calculator, asked to show its working rather than its total.

How to use this calculator

  1. Choose the courier and, if you know it, the service and destination zone.
  2. Enter the parcel weight, and its dimensions if the parcel is bulky.
  3. Read the breakdown from the top: actual weight, volumetric weight, chargeable weight, then the rate and each surcharge.
  4. Compare the result against an invoice you have already received to find where they part company.

The formula

A rate is selected by matching the shipment against the configured rules, most specific first:

service      a rate for this exact service beats a rate for any service
destination  a rate for this zone beats a rate for any zone
origin       a rate for this origin beats a rate for any origin
payment      a COD-specific rate beats a general one
weight       the band the chargeable weight falls into

Weight bands are half-open: a band running 1 kg to 2 kg covers everything from 1 kg up to but not including 2 kg, so a 2 kg parcel falls into the next band and no parcel is claimed by two bands at once.

Where two rules are equally specific, the one with the higher priority wins, and where those tie, the more recently effective one does.

SymbolMeaningUnit
Band Weight range a rate applies to kg
Base rate What that band charges Rs
Increment Charge per further unit of weight Rs

Worked example

A 1.4 kg parcel against a slab card:

Band 0.5 - 1.0 kg :  Rs 55
Band 1.0 - 1.5 kg :  Rs 72   <- 1.4 kg lands here
Band 1.5 - 2.0 kg :  Rs 89

On an incremental card the same parcel is priced differently: a first 500 g at ₹45 plus ₹38 for each further 500 g, which is two further increments, so ₹121.

Notes and limits

  • Rounding happens before the band is chosen. A courier rounding to 500 g slabs turns a 1.02 kg parcel into 1.5 kg, which is often a band higher.
  • Bands are half-open, so a parcel exactly on a boundary falls into the upper band.
  • A rate dated in the future does not apply yet, and a rate that has expired does not apply any more. The matching is done against today's date.
  • Where no rule matches, nothing is charged and nothing is guessed. The combination is named so it can be configured.

What this calculation assumes

  • Rules are matched on today's date; a rate not yet effective or already expired is ignored.
  • Weight bands are half-open, so a weight on a boundary belongs to the upper band.
  • Where several rules could apply, the most specific wins, then the highest priority.

Frequently asked questions

How do courier rate slabs work?

A slab card gives one price for a whole weight band, so a 1.1 kg and a 1.4 kg parcel in the same band cost the same. An incremental card gives a price for a first weight and a smaller price for each further increment.

Which rate applies when several could?

The most specific one. A rule naming your exact service and zone beats one that applies to any service or any zone. Where two rules are equally specific, the higher priority wins.

Why did my parcel fall into a higher band than I expected?

Usually rounding, or volumetric weight. The band is chosen by the chargeable weight after rounding, not by what the scales read.

Can I check a rate against an old invoice?

The rules are matched against today's date, so an invoice from before a rate change will not reproduce here. Rates carry effective dates, so an administrator can see what applied at the time.

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