Shipping cost calculator for parcel, LTL, truckload, air and ocean
Enter your boxes or pallets once. The calculator works out what each mode would bill on, which mode fits, and for domestic pallet freight, the price range real shippers paid. Every number shows where it comes from.
Short answer: Shipping cost depends on what the carrier bills on: dimensional weight for parcel, weight, class and distance for LTL, the whole trailer for truckload, chargeable weight for air and cubic meters for ocean. This calculator computes each one from your dimensions and weight, picks the mode that fits, and for LTL-sized domestic freight shows the middle-50% price from 97,360 real shipments (September 2025 – August 2026). Truckload, parcel, air and ocean prices come from a live quote.
Updated November 2, 2026 · By the GetShippingRates team at Armstrong Transport Group
LTL
Within standard LTL limits: 6 or fewer pallet positions, under 10,000 lb and 12 linear feet.
Next step: get a live rate or read how this mode is priced.
How the estimate is worked out
- Parcel
- Billable weight per box is the greater of its actual weight and L × W × H ÷ 139 (inches), the common dimensional divisor for daily-rate accounts. Boxes over 150 lb or 165″ in length plus girth are past common parcel limits.
- LTL
- Up to 6 pallet positions, under 10,000 lb and 12 linear feet of a 53′ trailer. The price range is the middle 50% of real shipments in the same distance band and weight bracket. How the benchmarks are built.
- Volume LTL and truckload
- Up to 14 positions and under 20,000 lb is volume LTL or partial truckload territory; beyond that, a dedicated 53′ van (about 636″ of floor, two standard pallets across, about 44,000 lb payload).
- Air
- Chargeable weight is the greater of actual weight and L × W × H ÷ 166 in pounds, the IATA standard of 6,000 cm³ per kg.
- Ocean LCL
- Revenue tons (W/M): the greater of cubic meters and metric tons.
Each piece of the math has its own calculator: dimensional weight, air chargeable weight and LCL W/M and pallet and trailer space. For the real prices behind the LTL range, see pallet shipping cost.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this shipping cost calculator?
The billable weights and trailer space are exact math on the numbers you enter. The LTL price is a historical range: half of comparable real shipments cost between the two figures. Your own rate depends on your exact ZIPs, freight class, accessorials and the day you ship, which is what a live quote prices.
Why doesn't it show a truckload, air or ocean price?
Those markets reprice weekly, and GetShippingRates only publishes historical prices where Armstrong's own shipment history is deep enough to be fair, which is LTL. Rather than invent a number, the calculator shows what those modes will bill on and sends you to a live quote.
What counts as 'regional' and 'long haul'?
The calculator uses the nine US Census regions. Regional means the same or a neighboring region, such as North Carolina to Georgia or Illinois to Ohio. Long haul is anything farther, such as California to Texas.
Does the LTL price include fuel and accessorials?
Yes. The ranges are the all-in amount billed on real shipments: linehaul, fuel surcharge and whatever accessorials those shipments had. If you need liftgate or residential delivery, expect the upper half of the range.
More shipping cost guides
Turn the estimate into a real rate
Send the same details with your ZIP codes and ready date. An Armstrong specialist replies with live rates for the mode that fits, usually the same business day.
Prefer to talk? Call 877-240-1181 or email info@getshippingrates.com. Shipping several modes? Request a free multimodal shipping review.