Courier charges per kg in India, by zone
Couriers bill in 500 g slabs and by zone, on the higher of real and volumetric weight. Here is what 0.5 kg to 5 kg costs on each kind of lane, and which courier is cheapest at each weight.
Indicative surface rates, 0.5 kg to 5 kg
Lowest total across eight couriers for each zone and weight, prepaid, including GST. The courier shown is the cheapest at that cell; it changes across the grid.
| Zone | 0.5 kg | 1 kg | 2 kg | 3 kg | 5 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Local (same city) Within city | ₹32  Shadowfax | ₹48 Shadowfax | ₹84 Shadowfax | ₹118 Shadowfax | ₹188 Shadowfax |
Zonal (same region) Same region | ₹40  XpressBees | ₹61 XpressBees | ₹105 XpressBees | ₹150 XpressBees | ₹237 XpressBees |
Metro to metro Metro to metro | ₹46 Ecom Express | ₹72 Ecom Express | ₹123 Ecom Express | ₹175 Ecom Express | ₹276 Ecom Express |
National Rest of India | ₹54 XpressBees | ₹85 XpressBees | ₹144 XpressBees | ₹204 XpressBees | ₹325 XpressBees |
Remote / ODA North-East, J&K, islands | ₹67  Delhivery | ₹105 Delhivery | ₹179 Delhivery | ₹254 Delhivery | ₹404 Delhivery |
Indicative estimates from representative rate cards, for comparison only. COD adds a handling fee per order. Lanes used: Mumbai local, Mumbai–Pune, Mumbai–Delhi, Mumbai–Patna, Mumbai–Guwahati.
Why per-kg rates fall as parcels get heavier
The first 500 g carries the base rate, which covers pickup, sorting and the delivery attempt. Every additional 500 g is billed at a lower increment, so a 2 kg parcel costs far less than four 500 g parcels. That is why consolidating multi-item orders into one box, and shipping B2B replenishment as cargo rather than parcels, lowers the effective rate per kg.
Zone multiplies everything. The same parcel costs least within a city, more within a region, more again metro to metro, most on rest-of-India lanes, and carries surcharges to the North-East, Kashmir valley and islands. Shipping zones in India explained →
The charge that surprises most sellers
Couriers bill on the higher of actual weight and volumetric weight, calculated as length × width × height in centimetres divided by 5,000. A 30 × 25 × 20 cm box is 3 kg volumetric even if it holds a 600 g t-shirt, and it is billed as 3 kg. Right-sizing packaging is the biggest per-kg saving available to most stores, and capturing dimensions at dispatch is how you win the dispute when a courier re-weighs.
Courier charges by weight: common questions
Couriers price in 500 g slabs, not per kg. A 1 kg surface parcel on a zonal lane runs roughly ₹55–70 on value couriers before GST, and a national lane more. Each additional 500 g adds a smaller increment than the first, so the effective per-kg rate falls as weight rises.
Surface mode on a value courier for the lane, in a box no bigger than it needs to be so volumetric weight does not exceed 1 kg. Comparing all couriers for the specific destination pincode usually saves 10–20% over a single contract.
Volumetric weight. Couriers bill the higher of actual weight and length × width × height ÷ 5000 (in cm, giving kg). A light item in a large box is billed on its volume. Check it with the volumetric weight calculator before packing.
Quoted rates are usually before GST; 18% GST applies on freight and courier fees. The tables on this page show totals including GST so the numbers are comparable.
Volume earns slabs. A custom rate card on RouteOneX is built on your monthly orders, average weight and zone mix, and every order is routed to the cheapest courier for that lane. There is no platform fee.
Looking for the cheapest courier overall? See cheapest courier service in India, or cargo rates for heavy and B2B shipments.
Guides on shipping costs
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