Published amounts
| Carrier and charge | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS Additional Handling — Weight Zone 2 | $43.50 | $46.50 | $50.50 Pending verification |
| UPS Additional Handling — Weight Zones 3–4 | $47.50 | $50.75 | $55.25 Pending verification |
| UPS Additional Handling — Weight Zones 5–6 | $52.75 | $56.25 | $61.25 Pending verification |
| UPS Additional Handling — Weight Zone 7+ | $55.00 | $58.75 | $63.75 Pending verification |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Weight Zone 2 | $43.50 | $46.00 | $49.50 |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Weight Zones 3–4 | $47.50 | $50.25 | $54.00 |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Weight Zones 5–6 | $52.75 | $56.25 | $60.25 |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Weight Zone 7+ | $55.00 | $58.75 | $63.00 |
| UPS Additional Handling — Dimensions (length, width, length + girth, cube) Zone 2 | $28.00 | $30.00 | $32.75 Pending verification |
| UPS Additional Handling — Dimensions (length, width, length + girth, cube) Zones 3–4 | $31.00 | $33.25 | $36.25 Pending verification |
| UPS Additional Handling — Dimensions (length, width, length + girth, cube) Zones 5–6 | $36.00 | $38.50 | $42.00 Pending verification |
| UPS Additional Handling — Dimensions (length, width, length + girth, cube) Zone 7+ | $38.00 | $40.50 | $44.00 Pending verification |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Dimension Zone 2 | $28.00 | $29.50 | $31.75 |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Dimension Zones 3–4 | $31.00 | $32.75 | $35.25 |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Dimension Zones 5–6 | $36.00 | $38.50 | $41.25 |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Dimension Zone 7+ | $38.00 | $40.75 | $43.75 |
| UPS Additional Handling — Packaging Zone 2 | $25.00 | $26.75 | $29.25 Pending verification |
| UPS Additional Handling — Packaging Zones 3–4 | $29.00 | $31.00 | $33.75 Pending verification |
| UPS Additional Handling — Packaging Zones 5–6 | $31.00 | $33.25 | $36.25 Pending verification |
| UPS Additional Handling — Packaging Zone 7+ | $31.50 | $33.75 | $36.75 Pending verification |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Packaging Zone 2 | $25.00 | $26.50 | $28.50 |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Packaging Zones 3–4 | $29.00 | $30.75 | $33.00 |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Packaging Zones 5–6 | $31.00 | $33.00 | $35.25 |
| FedEx Additional Handling Surcharge — Packaging Zone 7+ | $31.50 | $33.75 | $36.25 |
UPS: 2025 (in effect through Dec. 21, 2025) (UPS source); 2026 (Dec. 22, 2025 – Dec. 20, 2026) (UPS source); 2027 (from Dec. 21, 2026) (UPS source)
FedEx: 2025 (in effect through Jan. 4, 2026) (FedEx source); 2026 (Jan. 5, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027) (FedEx source); 2027 (from Jan. 4, 2027) (FedEx source)
Why carriers charge it
These packages are harder to move through automated sortation, so they need manual handling.
Carrier names
- UPS: Additional Handling, billed as Weight, Dimensions (length, width, length + girth, cube) or Packaging.
- FedEx: Additional Handling Surcharge, billed as Weight, Dimension or Packaging.
What triggers it
- Weight: actual weight over 50 lb.
- Dimensions: longest side over 48 in, second-longest side over 30 in, or length + girth over 105 in.
- Cubic volume: over 10,368 in³. FedEx from Jan. 12, 2026; UPS from Jan. 26, 2026.
- Packaging: not fully encased in corrugated cardboard, including cylinders such as drums, pails and tires.
- Minimum billable weight: 40 lb for packages that qualify by dimensions. UPS raises it to 50 lb on Dec. 21, 2026.
- Precedence: one Additional Handling charge per package, the highest; none when Large Package (UPS) or Oversize (FedEx) applies.
Example
A 36 × 24 × 12 in box qualifies through length + girth (36 + 2×24 + 2×12 = 108 in), not through cube: its volume is exactly 10,368 in³, which does not exceed the limit.
Fuel
| UPS | Yes Listed as “Additional Handling (All Types)”. |
| FedEx | Yes |
Demand surcharges
A demand version is added on top of the year-round charge during the published peak periods (Sept. 27, 2026 – Jan. 16, 2027 at UPS; Sept. 28, 2026 – Jan. 17, 2027 at FedEx). See the peak calendar for amounts by week.
How it stacks
Adds to residential, DAS and demand charges. It is replaced, not added to, when Large Package (UPS) or Oversize (FedEx) applies.
On the invoice
Published names you may see: Additional Handling — Dimensions, Additional Handling — Weight, Additional Handling — Packaging, Additional Handling Surcharge — Dimension. Billing formats abbreviate names differently. Decoder →
Contract considerations
- Check that a negotiated discount covers all three reasons and every zone group.
- Ask whether the discount carries over to the demand version during peak.
- Model the 40 lb (UPS 50 lb from Dec. 21, 2026) minimum billable weight; on light, bulky cartons it can cost more than the surcharge itself.
General considerations, not benchmarks or a promise of any discount.
Operational levers
- Test cartons against the 10,368 in³ cube as well as the 48 in and 30 in side limits.
- Use the package optimizer to find the smallest change that clears a threshold.
Change history
- Dec. 22, 2025 · UPS: UPS 2026 surcharge increases take effect
- Jan. 5, 2026 · FedEx: FedEx 2026 surcharge increases take effect
- Jan. 12, 2026 · FedEx: FedEx adds cubic-volume and weight criteria
- Jan. 26, 2026 · UPS: UPS adds cubic-size and weight criteria
- Dec. 21, 2026 · UPS: UPS 2027 rules change
- Dec. 21, 2026 · UPS: UPS 2027 surcharge amounts take effect Pending verification
- Jan. 4, 2027 · FedEx: FedEx 2027 surcharge changes and DAS ZIP list update
- List amounts before discounts; your agreement governs what you pay.
- Pending amounts are labeled and are not presented as verified.