Does your company ship with FedEx? You know FedEx fuel surcharges and understand that these additional costs of transportation impact profitability.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The FedEx Fuel Surcharge is an additional charge applied to shipping rates to account for fluctuating fuel costs. 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 with current fuel prices, FedEx (and other carriers that employ similar mechanisms) can stabilize its pricing model without frequently adjusting its base rates.
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 spot prices to specific surcharge percentages, allowing customers to see in advance what the surcharge will be based on current fuel prices.
Key Takeaways
- Fuel surcharges are fees that shipping carriers assess to neutralize fluctuating fuel prices.
- A fuel surcharge will be assessed on the net package rate plus applicable fees.
- FedEx and UPS adjust their fuel surcharges weekly to determine the applicable percentage.
- These fees are often negotiable.
FedEx Express Fuel Surcharge Prices – Historical
This surcharge is an additional fee applied to FedEx Express shipments to offset fluctuating fuel costs. 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 is adjusted 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 fluctuations in diesel fuel costs. 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 applies 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 may change over time, and they may differ for domestic versus 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. Generally, the FedEx fuel surcharge for each week is available on Friday, before the fee becomes applicable. You can find these updates if you follow our Instagram or Facebook feeds!
Fuel Surcharge Calculation Example
Let’s work through a typical calculation:
- Base shipping rate: $30.00
- Current fuel surcharge rate: 25.5%
- Fuel surcharge fee: $30.00 × 0.255 = $7.65
- Total shipping cost: $30.00 + $7.65 = $37.65
Historical FedEx Fuel Surcharge Prices
| Effective Date | Domestic (Express) | Export (Express) | Import (Express) | Ground Surcharge | Weekly Diesel Price |
| Mar. 30 –Apr. 5, 2026 | 30.25% | 36.75% | 40.50% | 26.50% | $5.37 |
| June 9 – June 15, 2025 | 18.75% | 23.25% | 27.00% | 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 |
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 fuel surcharges:
- Negotiate more favorable terms in the service agreement, including discounts and surcharges.
- Negotiate FedEx fuel surcharge incentives on the agreement (10 – 50% discount)·
- Reduce the frequency of surcharges for which the fuel surcharge applies.
