ShippingCowHow to ship a 70 to 110 lb package in the US
For a single 70–110 lb carton, ground parcel (UPS Ground or FedEx Ground/Home Delivery) is usually cheaper than LTL freight, as long as the box stays within parcel size limits. The real savings come from avoiding the surcharges that stack on heavy parcels and from shipping from a warehouse closer to your customers, which lowers the zone.
Why 70–110 lb packages are expensive
Parcel price rises with billable weight and zone. At 70–110 lb you pay a high base rate plus surcharges that lighter boxes never see.
Additional Handling applies to any package over 50 lb actual weight. Large Package charges apply when a box is too long or too big around (length plus girth), whatever it weighs. Residential and delivery-area surcharges add on top.
Ways to lower the cost
Ship closer: zone drives a large part of a heavy parcel's price. Inventory in a warehouse near most of your customers lowers the average zone.
Right-size the carton: a few inches off the longest side can keep a box out of Large Package pricing.
Check the whole bill: compare carriers and 3PLs on total cost per shipment, including surcharges, not on base rate.
Use a heavy-parcel specialist: a 3PL that ships this band every day handles it faster and with less damage than a small-parcel 3PL.
Parcel or LTL freight?
Single cartons under 150 lb usually ship cheaper as parcel. LTL starts to win for multi-piece orders, palletized goods, or pieces over parcel size and weight limits.
See your own numbers
ShippingCow is a heavy-parcel specialist for 50–149 lb ecommerce products. Send 30 recent shipments for a Cost Audit and see your current cost next to ours, by weight band.
Questions
Is UPS or FedEx cheaper for a 100 lb package? +
It depends on your contract, zone and surcharges. Compare total cost per shipment from your own invoices rather than list base rates.
What surcharge applies to packages over 50 lb? +
UPS and FedEx both apply an Additional Handling surcharge to packages over 50 lb actual weight.
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