A Brief Guide to the USPS Domestic Shipping Zones
Unless you choose flat rate shipping that has a fixed cost, the cost of shipping a package within the United States will depend on several factors, including the distance that your package has to travel. To make it easier to measure the distance between the point of origin and point of destination, the United States Postal Service has introduced shipping zones. Let’s take a closer look at the USPS domestic shipping zones and how they work.
Carriers such as the USPS and FedEx use shipping zones to calculate shipping rates; instead of measuring the exact distance between two localities or ZIP Codes, they base their calculations on geographical areas to simplify the process.
The USPS uses shipping zones for three of its services: Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage. This means that when you use one of these services to ship a package, the exact shipping cost will depend on the package weight and shipping zone. The shipping cost can vary significantly depending on the combination of all three factors: the service, the shipping zone, and the package weight.
The USPS has nine postal zones determined by the distance from the ZIP Code of origin to the ZIP Code of destination. Zone 1 covers the area closest to the point of origin, while Zone 8 covers the shipping region farthest away from the point of origin (Zone 9 is reserved for US territories and Freely Associated States – Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands). The greater the zone, the higher the shipping cost in most cases.
Of course, the shipping zone also affects shipping time: if a package is sent to a nearby zone, it will almost always arrive faster than a package sent to a zone farther away. It should be noted, however, that the USPS does its best to deliver all packages within estimated delivery times.
Since the shipping zone number depends on the distance between the points of origin and destination, USPS zones are not fixed; they are dynamically calculated depending on the point of origin. This means that one destination can be “located” in two completely different zones depending on where you ship from. For example, if you ship from Los Angeles, California to Raleigh, North Carolina, you are shipping to Zone 8. However, if you ship to Raleigh from Jersey City, New Jersey, you are shipping to Zone 4.
Here are the distances from the point of origin used by the USPS to determine shipping zones and calculate shipping rates:
- Zone 1 (local): 50 miles
- Zone 2: 51–150 miles
- Zone 3: 151–300 miles
- Zone 4: 301–600 miles
- Zone 5: 601–1000 miles
- Zone 6: 1001–1400 miles
- Zone 7: 1401–1800 miles
- Zone 8: 1081+ miles
- Zone 9: US territories and Freely Associated States
But how to determine the distance between the points of origin and destination? Should you search on Google or use a map? Well, you can, but there is a more convenient and reliable way to determine the shipping zone. The USPS has a Domestic Zone Chart that you can use to find the shipping zone for a pair of ZIP Codes or get a full zone chart for a destination ZIP Code.
But what if you don’t want to navigate the USPS delivery zones? There are a few options that will make the shipping process a little easier for you. For example, you can use our shipping calculator to calculate the cost of delivery. All you need to do is submit the ZIP Codes of origin and destination, as well as the weight of your package. The calculator will do the rest and provide the shipping cost and estimated delivery time for three USPS domestic delivery options: USPS Priority Mail, USPS Express Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage.
Another option is to use flat rate shipping. With flat rate shipping, the shipping cost does not depend on the shipping distance or the exact size and weight of the items you are shipping. It has a fixed rate based on the service (Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express) and the size of the flat rate box or envelope you choose.