Shipping Cost Calculator
🇦🇺 Australia version
Couriers in Australia price a parcel by the larger of its dead weight and its volumetric weight. This calculator starts in kilograms and centimetres with divisor 5000, compares services using rates you type in Australian dollars, and adds an estimate of import duty and 10% GST for a parcel coming in from overseas.
Use Shipping Cost Calculator online
Shipping Cost Calculator
Work out the billable weight carriers actually charge on — the greater of scale weight and dimensional weight — then compare services and estimate what customs will add.
Consignment total
Across the whole consignment you are billed for 2.5 kg of empty space. Reducing box size, or packing tighter, saves money directly.
Australia rules and figures
- Under Australian GST, most goods and services carry 10% in the price, while basic food and many health and education supplies are GST-free.
- The customs tab fills its tax box with 10 for Australia, and you can overwrite it if you need another rate.
- Parcels in the Australian settings use kilograms and centimetres, so the calculator begins in metric at divisor 5000.
- The duty rate and threshold in the worked example are typed entries picked for illustration, not rates from the ATO or the Australian Border Force.
Sources: ATO: GST (checked 2026-11-08)
How the shipping cost calculator works
The box volume in cubic centimetres divided by the divisor is the volumetric weight in kilograms. Billable weight is the greater of that and the scale reading, and each service applies its rate per kilogram, a parcel fee and a percentage surcharge to it.
volumetric kg = L × W × H ÷ divisor; billable = max(actual, volumetric); price = (billable × rate + fee × parcels) × (1 + surcharge %) + cover
- Metric is the starting unit system, with divisors of 5000, 6000 and 4000 to choose from. The default is 5000.
- The three rows named Economy, Standard and Express are examples at $2.20, $3.40 and $7.80 a kilogram. They are not Australia Post prices or any other carrier's.
- Weight is not rounded up to a carrier's next step, and no remote-area, zone or residential loadings are applied.
- Each parcel shows length plus girth and a warning above 330 cm. This is information only and does not change a quote.
- The tax box on the customs tab starts at 10 for Australian GST. After your threshold is passed, GST applies to the goods, the cheapest shipping and the duty added together.
How to use the shipping cost calculator
- Check the units and divisor. Metric is already selected with divisor 5000. Pick another divisor if your carrier's conditions of carriage give a different one.
- Describe the parcel. Fill in the length, width, height and scale weight of each box, and how many identical boxes there are.
- Type in the rates you were quoted. Overwrite the example services with the dollar rates, parcel fee and surcharge from your quote.
- Add cover for the goods. Tick the insurance switch and give a percentage and the declared value. It is added on top of each service total.
- Estimate import charges. Turn the border switch on for an import. Type the goods value, a threshold and a duty rate; the GST box already reads 10.
- Copy or export the quote. The copy button places a brief text summary on the clipboard; the export button downloads a CSV with every parcel and service.
Example: Sending 6 kg in a 60 × 40 × 30 cm carton
The sides multiply to 72,000 cm³, which at divisor 5000 is 14.40 kg of volumetric weight. That is well over the 6.00 kg the scale reads, so the carton is billed as 14.40 kg and 8.40 kg of it is air. Example rates give Economy $40.52, Standard $62.65 and Express $146.70. For an import worth $120, with the threshold typed as $100, duty at 5% adds $6.00; GST at 10% on $166.52 adds $16.65, giving a landed cost of $183.17 with Economy.
When to use the shipping cost calculator
- Checking whether a smaller carton is cheaper. A volumetric weight above scale weight shows up as a note on the parcel, with the excess in kilograms.
- Putting courier quotes in order. Each service you enter is sorted by total and shows an all-in price per kilogram.
- Costing an overseas purchase. Enter the goods value, duty and 10% GST to see the total you may pay on arrival.
- A multi-box order. One card per size, with a count, adds up the actual, volumetric and billable kilograms.
What the shipping cost calculator does not do
- The services are typed examples, not live rates, so the totals are only as good as the numbers you enter.
- Zones, fuel levies by distance, and weight tiers are not modelled.
- Cover is a single percentage of the declared value. The surcharge is worked out first and cover is added after it.
- One duty rate is used for the whole parcel. Real duty follows the tariff classification of the goods.
- Broker or clearance fees from the carrier are left out of the landed cost.
- A single currency symbol is shown, and nothing is converted.
When something else is a better fit
- When you need to book a real service, use the carrier's online quote, then type its figures here.
- When you want box sizes or weights in other units, use the Unit Converter.
Questions about the shipping cost calculator
What is volumetric weight?
It is the box volume divided by a divisor, expressed in kilograms. A 72,000 cm³ box at 5000 has 14.40 kg of volumetric weight, which is more than its 6.00 kg on the scale.
How much difference does the divisor make?
Take the 72,000 cm³ carton: it comes to 18.00 kg using 4000, 14.40 kg using 5000, and 12.00 kg using 6000. Choose the one printed in your carrier's conditions.
Are the Economy, Standard and Express prices real?
No. They are examples that you overwrite. The page has no connection to any carrier and cannot see current prices.
Is 10% GST applied to imports automatically?
The customs tab starts its tax box at 10. GST is then charged on goods, plus the cheapest shipping, plus duty.
Why is no duty shown for a cheap parcel?
Charges apply only when the goods value is above the threshold you typed. At or below it, the tool shows no duty and no GST.