Between $10.75 for a 1 lb box and $76.04 for a 50 lb box coast to coast, but the number that matters is yours. Both tables were pulled on 2026-07-24, and the quotes are end prices, label and SMKlog's charge folded together.
Each row came out of the 2026-07-24 run on those exact cartons and ZIP pairs. Your lane will price differently.
| Box and weight | USPS | UPS | FedEx | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 × 6 × 4 in, 1 lb | $11.05 Ground Advantage | $10.75 Ground Saver | not offered | $10.75 UPS Ground Saver |
| 12 × 9 × 6 in, 5 lb | $8.94 Ground Advantage | $13.35 Ground Saver | $16.97 Smart Post | $8.94 USPS Ground Advantage |
| 16 × 12 × 10 in, 10 lb | $20.86 Ground Advantage | $17.56 Ground Saver | $21.87 Smart Post | $17.56 UPS Ground Saver |
| 18 × 14 × 12 in, 20 lb | $33.44 Ground Advantage | $23.00 Ground Saver | $26.52 Smart Post | $23.00 UPS Ground Saver |
| 24 × 18 × 18 in, 50 lb | not offered | $45.01 Ground | $58.93 Smart Post | $45.01 UPS Ground |
Five ordinary cartons, one lane, every carrier that returned a rate. Read down the weight column, not across price lists on other sites: the same pound of goods prices differently depending on the box it sits in.
| Box and weight | USPS | UPS | FedEx | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 × 6 × 4 in, 1 lb | $13.00 Ground Advantage | $11.75 Ground Saver | not offered | $11.75 UPS Ground Saver |
| 12 × 9 × 6 in, 5 lb | $14.16 Ground Advantage | $16.88 Ground Saver | $19.29 Smart Post | $14.16 USPS Ground Advantage |
| 16 × 12 × 10 in, 10 lb | $30.09 Ground Advantage | $25.51 Ground Saver | $24.69 Smart Post | $24.69 FedEx Smart Post |
| 18 × 14 × 12 in, 20 lb | $55.71 Ground Advantage | $35.06 Ground Saver | $35.03 Smart Post | $35.03 FedEx Smart Post |
| 24 × 18 × 18 in, 50 lb | not offered | $76.04 Ground | $88.09 Smart Post | $76.04 UPS Ground |
Distance is the second lever. The 50 lb box costs $45.01 to Chicago and $76.04 to Los Angeles — $31.03 more for the same carton, same day, same carriers.
Two weights compete for every parcel and the bigger one wins: what the scale reads, and the box itself worked out as length × width × height in inches ÷ 139. A 20 × 14 × 12 in carton carries about 24 lb of dimensional weight no matter what is inside it.
In the run above the 5 lb carton quoted below the 1 lb one on USPS — $8.94 against $11.05. Carrier price tables are not linear in weight, which is exactly why a printed price chart is worse than quoting the box you actually have.
Every carrier prices by zone. Two states over is a different product from coast to coast, and no table on the internet can answer for your ZIP pair.
On 2026-07-24, a 9 × 6 × 4 in 1 lb box from New Jersey to Chicago quoted $10.75, a 16 × 12 × 10 in 10 lb box quoted $17.56, and a 24 × 18 × 18 in 50 lb box quoted $45.01. Coast to coast the same boxes cost more; see the second table. Those are real quotes for those exact boxes, not averages.
For small and medium boxes USPS Ground Advantage usually wins; above roughly 20 lb UPS Ground took the lead in our run. The honest answer is that it flips by weight, box size, and lane, so compare all three for your own box.
No. Describe the item and SMKlog estimates the packed box and weight, or enter the dimensions yourself if you already have them. You can correct the numbers before paying, and a confirmed box is what prevents a carrier adjustment after delivery.
Labels bought online use commercial rates, which run below the retail counter price for most services. What you are quoted here is what you pay: the label and SMKlog's charge, with no separate add-on at checkout.
Past roughly 108 inches in length or 130 inches in length plus girth, or past 150 lb, carriers stop treating it as a parcel. Those go to a freight review with a person on the other end, instead of a parcel label that gets repriced or bounced.