Courier rate calculator
See how a South African courier price is actually built — weight brackets, volumetric weight, fuel surcharge, fees and VAT — on a sample rate card you can adjust.
Dimensions — optional, for volumetric weight
Surcharges — edit to match your courier
Estimate
Sample rates for illustration only — every courier’s rate card, zones and surcharges differ. Distance/zone pricing is not included in this estimate.
Anatomy of a courier rate
Courier pricing looks opaque from the outside, but nearly every South African rate card follows the same structure. First, the chargeable weight is determined — the greater of the scale weight and the volumetric weight. That weight lands in a tariff bracket: a minimum charge covers the first few kilograms, and each bracket above it adds weight at a progressively cheaper per-kg rate. On top of the base charge come the surcharges — fuel as a percentage, plus fixed fees like documentation — and finally 15% VAT on the lot.
The sample rate cards used above
Illustrative figures only — real tariffs vary by carrier, lane and volume. Note how each bracket’s base equals the previous bracket priced out at its ceiling: a sliding scale has no cliffs, so 15.1 kg never costs less than 14.9 kg.
| 0–5 kg | R95 min |
| 5–15 kg | + R8.5/kg |
| 15–30 kg | + R7/kg |
| 30–70 kg | + R5.5/kg |
| 70 kg + | + R4.5/kg |
| 0–5 kg | R140 min |
| 5–15 kg | + R11/kg |
| 15–30 kg | + R9/kg |
| 30–70 kg | + R7.5/kg |
| 70 kg + | + R6/kg |
| 0–5 kg | R220 min |
| 5–15 kg | + R16/kg |
| 15–30 kg | + R13/kg |
| 30–70 kg | + R10/kg |
| 70 kg + | + R8.5/kg |
This calculator is a simplified version of the ParcelOps rating engine. The full engine adds zone and lane pricing, per-customer tariffs and divisors, outlying-area and ad-hoc surcharges, insurance, and per-customer document-fee rules — and applies them identically on quotes, waybills and invoices.
Courier pricing FAQs
How do South African couriers calculate delivery rates?
A typical courier rate is built in layers: a base charge from a weight-bracketed tariff (using the greater of actual or volumetric weight), a fuel surcharge percentage on that base, fixed fees such as a documentation fee, any zone or outlying-area surcharges, and finally 15% VAT on the total.
What is a sliding-scale courier tariff?
A tariff where the per-kilogram rate decreases as weight increases. A minimum charge covers the first few kilograms, then each successive weight bracket adds weight at a progressively cheaper rate — reflecting that the fixed costs of a delivery (collection, admin, proof of delivery) are spread over more kilograms.
What is a minimum charge on a courier rate card?
The lowest amount a shipment can cost regardless of weight, typically covering the first 1–5 kg. It exists because even the smallest parcel incurs the full fixed cost of a collection, a delivery, and the paperwork in between. On sample tariffs it is the base of the first weight bracket.
What surcharges apply besides the fuel surcharge?
Common ones in South Africa include documentation or admin fees, outlying-area or regional surcharges for addresses off main routes, after-hours or weekend delivery fees, waiting-time charges, and insurance on declared value. Each should appear as its own line on the invoice so the total can be verified.
How do I get an exact courier quote rather than an estimate?
From the courier's own rate card, since every carrier prices zones, brackets and surcharges differently. Couriers running ParcelOps can publish live, accurate quotes through their own branded customer portal — the same rating engine that prices the invoice prices the quote, so the two always match.
Your rate card, priced automatically
Load your own tariffs into ParcelOps and every quote, waybill and invoice is rated the same way — brackets, surcharges, VAT and all.