Shipping Cost Calculator India

How shipping rates are calculated in India

Indian couriers price shipments on three factors:

1. Chargeable weight — the higher of actual weight and volumetric weight (L × W × H ÷ 5000 for surface, ÷ 4000 for air, in cm).
2. Distance zone — local, regional (intra-state), metro pairs, rest of India, north-east.
3. Service mode — surface is cheapest, air/express is 2-3x for same-day or next-day delivery.

Typical rates per 0.5 kg surface (2026)

Zone	Forward	RTO
Local	₹25 – ₹40	₹20 – ₹30
Regional	₹40 – ₹60	₹30 – ₹45
Metro pairs	₹50 – ₹75	₹40 – ₹55
Rest of India	₹65 – ₹95	₹50 – ₹70
North-East / J&K	₹85 – ₹140	₹65 – ₹100

FAQs

What is RTO and why is it priced separately?

RTO = Return to Origin. When a buyer refuses delivery (most common with COD), the courier brings the package back to you and bills a separate charge — usually 70-80% of the forward rate. Budget for it: ~10-25% of COD orders RTO depending on your category.

Volumetric vs actual weight?

Couriers charge on whichever is higher. A 0.5kg t-shirt in a small box bills as 0.5kg. A 0.5kg pillow in a big box might be billed as 2-3kg because it takes truck space. Pack tight to avoid volumetric upcharge.

Does FlexiCommerce auto-pick the cheapest courier?

Yes — Shiprocket and Shipway integrations are built in. The platform compares available couriers per pincode and picks the cheapest serviceable one automatically, with manual override if you want to lock to a specific carrier. See shipping features.

Which courier is cheapest for ecommerce in India?

Depends on volume and zones. Delhivery has best north-east coverage. Shadowfax/Ekart are cheapest metro-to-metro. DTDC and Bluedart serve tier-3 cities reliably. The right answer is usually multi-courier — let an aggregator pick per pincode. Aggregators like Shiprocket give 30-50% savings over single-courier pricing.