Parcel Rate
Charge per parcel based on its size and weight — define tier thresholds (small, medium, large, x-large), and Fleet-Ops sums the right fee for every parcel in the order.
Parcel Rate
Parcel Rate scales the service fee with the number and physical characteristics of the parcels in the order. You define a tier table by size category — each tier has length, width, height, and weight thresholds, plus a fee — and every parcel on the order is matched against the table and charged the matching tier's fee. (In the API this method is identified as parcel.)
Use this for parcel and e-commerce delivery where pricing depends on physical attributes, not route distance. If you want to combine parcel pricing with distance, use Algorithm with {parcels}, or place a parcel rate alongside a distance rate on different services.
How it works
A parcel rate is a table of size tiers. Each tier defines a maximum length, width, height, and weight that a parcel must fit within, plus the fee charged when it does.
At quote time, for each parcel in the order:
- The parcel's dimensions and weight are read.
- The tiers are checked in order. The first tier the parcel fits within wins.
- If the parcel exceeds every tier's thresholds, it's matched to the largest tier (highest fee) as a fallback.
- The matched tier's fee is added to the running parcel total.
After every parcel has been priced, the parcel total is added to the Base Fee:
Service fee = Base Fee + sum of every parcel's matched tier fee
The quote's line items include one entry per parcel, labeled with the matched tier's size (e.g. "Medium parcel fee"), so you can see exactly how the total was built.
API reference
When you switch to Parcel Rate, Fleet-Ops seeds the table with four default tiers — Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large — that you can edit. Each tier supports the following fields:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
size | yes | Size category label — small, medium, large, x-large. Used on quote line items. |
length / width / height | yes | The maximum dimensions for this tier, in dimensions_unit. A parcel must fit within all three to match. |
dimensions_unit | yes | Unit for the dimensions. One of: cm, in, ft, mm, m, yd. |
weight | yes | Maximum weight for this tier, in weight_unit. |
weight_unit | yes | Unit for the weight. One of: g, oz, lb, kg. |
fee | yes | The fee charged for each parcel that matches this tier, in the rate's currency. |
currency | yes | Currency for the fee. |
The defaults Fleet-Ops seeds:
| Size | Length × Width × Height | Weight | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 34 × 18 × 10 cm | 2 kg | $0.00 |
| Medium | 34 × 32 × 10 cm | 4 kg | $0.00 |
| Large | 34 × 32 × 18 cm | 8 kg | $0.00 |
| X-Large | 34 × 32 × 34 cm | 13 kg | $0.00 |
Set the fees to match your pricing and adjust the dimensions or weight thresholds as needed.
Worked example
"Small: $3. Medium: $5. Large: $8. X-Large: $14."
With the default size thresholds, an order containing:
- 2 small parcels (each within 34 × 18 × 10 cm and under 2 kg)
- 1 medium parcel (within 34 × 32 × 10 cm and under 4 kg)
- 1 large parcel (within 34 × 32 × 18 cm and under 8 kg)
Would be priced as:
| Parcel | Matched tier | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel 1 | Small | $3.00 |
| Parcel 2 | Small | $3.00 |
| Parcel 3 | Medium | $5.00 |
| Parcel 4 | Large | $8.00 |
| Subtotal | $19.00 |
Plus the Base Fee, so a $2 base would make the total $21.00.
A parcel measuring 50 × 40 × 40 cm and weighing 20 kg — beyond every tier's thresholds — would fall back to the largest tier (X-Large) and be charged $14.00.
Configuration workflow
Create or open a service rate in Fleet-Ops → Operations → Service Rates.
Set Rate Calculation Method to Parcel Rate. The form will seed the table with four default size tiers.
For each tier (Small, Medium, Large, X-Large) set the Length, Width, Height, and Weight thresholds, the Dimensions Unit and Weight Unit, and the Additional Fee.
Optional: Set a Base Fee that applies once per order (independent of the per-parcel fees).
Optional: Configure COD Fees and Peak Hours — these surcharges apply on top of the parcel total.
Save and test by generating a quote for an order whose payload includes a mix of parcel sizes. Confirm each parcel gets the right line item.
Limitations
- Parcels only. Only payload items marked as parcels are priced. Other payload items contribute $0 to the parcel fee — they may still be priced via the Base Fee or via separate rate methods.
- All three dimensions must fit. A parcel matches a tier only if its length, width, and height are all within the tier's thresholds. If any one dimension exceeds the tier, the parcel falls through to the next tier.
- Tier order matters. Tiers should be defined from smallest to largest. Out-of-order tiers will produce unexpected matches.
- No distance component. Parcel rates ignore route distance entirely. Combine with Algorithm if you want both.
- No volumetric weight. The lookup uses literal dimensions and weight independently — there's no dimensional-weight calculation. If you need that, use Algorithm.
Related Pages
- Service Rates Overview — all calculation methods and rate scoping
- Algorithm Rates — combine parcel count with distance, time, or stop surcharges
- Service Quotes — how the calculated rate becomes a quote on an order