Does your company ship with FedEx? You know FedEx fuel surcharges and understand these additional costs of transportation impact profitability.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The FedEx Fuel Surcharge is an additional charge applied by FedEx to its shipping rates to adjust for the varying costs of fuel. Both ground and air shipping services can have fuel surcharges.

Fuel prices can be quite volatile, frequently changing due to various global factors. By applying a fuel surcharge that varies depending on current fuel prices, FedEx (and other carriers that use similar mechanisms) can stabilize its pricing model without having to change its base rates constantly.

FedEx typically determines the surcharge percentages based on the U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) spot price for a gallon of kerosene-type jet fuel (for air shipments) and on the U.S. On-Highway Diesel Fuel price (for ground shipments). The company often publishes a table that relates the spot prices to specific surcharge percentages, so customers can see in advance what the surcharge will be based on current fuel prices.

FedEx Express Fuel Surcharge Prices – Historical

This surcharge is an additional fee applied to FedEx Express shipments to offset the fluctuating cost of fuel. It’s not a fixed amount—it varies based on the weekly average of the U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) spot price for kerosene-type jet fuel, reported by the U.S. Department of Energy. The surcharge adjusts every Monday, typically with a two-week lag to reflect recent fuel prices.

FedEx Ground Fuel Surcharge Prices – Historical

The FedEx Ground domestic fuel surcharge is an additional fee applied to shipments to offset the fluctuating cost of diesel fuel. This surcharge is based on the weekly U.S. on-highway average price per gallon of diesel, as published by the U.S. Department of Energy. The surcharge percentage is updated weekly and applied to the net transportation charges and many applicable surcharges. As fuel prices rise or fall, the surcharge adjusts according to a tiered rate table published by FedEx.

The exact percentage and structure of the surcharge can change over time, and it might be different for domestic vs. international shipments or for other specific services.

Changes to FedEx Express and ground charges will take effect every Monday. The FedEx fuel surcharge percentage will be reflected on the FedEx invoice. As a rule, the FedEx fuel surcharge for each week is available on Friday before the fee is applicable. You can find these updates if you follow our Instagram or Facebook feeds!  

Historical FedEx Fuel Surcharge Prices

Effective Date	Domestic (Express)	Export (Express)	Import (Express)	Ground Surcharge	Weekly Diesel Price
June 9, 2025 – June 15, 2025	18.75%	23.25%	27%	19.75%	$3.46
Feb. 17 – Feb. 23, 2025	18.00%	23.75%	27.50%	18.25%	$3.66
May 6 – May 12, 2024	17.25%	19.25%	23.00%	16.50%	$3.89
Mar. 28 – Apr. 3, 2022	16.50%	17.50%	20.25%	16.00%	$5.57
Jan. 17 – Jan. 24, 2022	12.50%	12.50%	12.50%	12.00%	$3.65
Oct. 4 – Oct. 10, 2021	9.50%	10.75%	13.50%	9.50%	$3.47
Feb. 25 – Mar. 3, 2019	6.50%	8.50%	10.25%	6.50%	$3.04

Additionally, this applies to the following transportation-related surcharges:

Broker Select Option Fee	Extended Service Area Delivery	International Out-of-pickup-area	Oversize
Delivery Area Surcharge	Extended Service Area Pickup	International Premium Pickup	Peak — Oversize
Courier Pickup	Metro Service Area Pickup	Residential Delivery	Residential Pickup
Saturday Delivery	Metro Service Area Delivery	Return On-call Pickup	ExpressTag
Delivery reattempt	Saturday Pickup	International Out-of-delivery-area	Additional Handling
Additional Handling – Non-Stackable	Delivery Reattempt	Collect on Delivery	Delivery Signature Options

FedEx Ground Fuel Surcharge Calculations

Similarly, the fuel surcharge percentage is subject to weekly adjustment, and it’s based on the weekly national U.S. on-highway average price for a gallon of diesel fuel. The related fuel surcharge is assessed on the net package rate plus applicable transportation-related surcharges. Additionally, the index extends if the U.S. on-highway (diesel) index value falls below $2.83 or increases above $4.00.

Additionally, this applies to the following transportation-related surcharges:

On-call Pickup	Oversize	Delivery Area Surcharge	Residential Delivery
Peak — Oversize	Unauthorized	Northern Canada Surcharge	Return On-call Pickup
Additional Handling	Electronic C.O.D.	Convenient Delivery Options	Peak – Additional Handling

How do I lower shipping costs?

Every single package is subject to FedEx fuel surcharge, all shippers see these charges.

Subsequently, the FedEx fuel surcharge is the most common additional fee for all Refund Retriever clients. In conclusion, here are a few tips to lower your U.P.S. fuel surcharges:

• Negotiate better service agreement terms on discounts and surcharges.
• Negotiate FedEx fuel surcharge incentives on the agreement (10 – 50% discount on FedEx Fuel Surcharges)·
• Reduce the frequency of surcharges on which fuel surcharge applies.