Goal: learn how to avoid unwanted FedEx surcharges when your package does not meet the carrier's shipping conditions.
📐 Dimension & size surcharges
Additional Handling Dimension – £14.15
A surcharge applies to each package or item that exceeds any of the following dimensions:
- More than 121 cm on its longest side
- More than 76 cm on its second-longest side
- A combined length and girth exceeding 266 cm, where:
Length and girth = length + (2 × height) + (2 × width)
Oversize charge – £49.45
An oversize surcharge applies to any package or piece that exceeds 243 cm in length or 330 cm in length and girth combined.
Length and girth = length + (2 × height) + (2 × width)
Please note that package shape and dimensions may change during transit, which can affect surcharge eligibility. If such changes occur, FedEx reserves the right to adjust charges accordingly at any time.
📦 Packaging & weight surcharges
Additional Handling Packaging – £14.15
A surcharge may apply if the package:
- Is not fully enclosed in an outer shipping container or packaging.
- Is packaged in materials other than corrugated fibreboard (cardboard) — including but not limited to metal, wood, canvas, leather, hard or soft plastic, or expanded polystyrene foam (e.g., Styrofoam).
- Is wrapped in shrink wrap or stretch wrap instead of being placed in a rigid outer container.
- Has a round or cylindrical shape, such as mailing tubes, cans, buckets, barrels, tires, drums, or pails.
- Is secured with metal, plastic, or cloth banding, or has wheels, casters, handles, or straps; also includes packages that are loosely wrapped or have contents protruding beyond the surface.
- Has the potential to become entangled in or cause damage to other packages or the FedEx sortation system.
Additional Handling Weight – £14.15
- Applies to any package with an actual weight exceeding 31 kg.
- Package shape and dimensions may change during transit, which can affect the dimensional weight and surcharge eligibility. If changes occur, FedEx reserves the right to adjust charges accordingly at any time.
- The surcharge is applied per piece, even if multiple pieces are bundled together in a single shipment.
- If a non-standard package qualifies for multiple Additional Handling Surcharges (based on dimension, weight, or packaging), only the highest applicable surcharge will be charged.
- FedEx also reserves the right to apply Additional Handling charges to packages that require special handling or additional packaging during transit.
🏔️ Extended area surcharge
Extended area surcharge
Shipments picked up from or delivered to remote and less accessible locations are assessed an Out-of-Pick-up-Area (OPA) or Out-of-Delivery-Area (ODA) surcharge.
Please refer to the list of postal codes or areas where this surcharge applies.
Costs:
Tier A: £2.81/shipment
Tier B: £0.58/kg (min £18.50)
Tier C: £0.70/kg (min £23.50)
📍 Address & delivery option surcharges
Address correction – £7.70
If the recipient's address provided on an Air Bill, Air Waybill, Waybill, or shipping label is incomplete or incorrect, FedEx may attempt to determine the correct address to complete delivery. In such cases, an address correction surcharge will be applied.
If delivery cannot be completed due to an incorrect or incomplete address, FedEx is not liable for failure to meet its delivery commitment.
For FedEx International Broker Select shipments, the address correction surcharge will also apply if the broker’s address is incomplete or incorrect on the Air Waybill, Waybill, or any other shipping documentation. If the correct broker address cannot be determined or the broker cannot be reached, FedEx may attempt to contact the sender for clarification or instructions to return the shipment.
Should delivery remain unachievable under these conditions, FedEx will not be held responsible for failure to fulfill its delivery commitment.
Cost: £7.70
Saturday Delivery – £16.70
A surcharge may apply for deliveries made on a Saturday, depending on the origin and destination.
Service availability varies by location.
If Saturday is a standard business day in the destination country or territory, no surcharge applies, and Saturday Delivery does not need to be marked on the Air Waybill.
For more information, please contact Customer Service.
Cost: £16.70
💬 Fuel surcharge
Fuel surcharge
A variable surcharge based on current fuel prices. Please check FedEx for the latest applicable rates.
A variable fuel surcharge applies and is updated regularly.
See the latest rates here: FedEx Fuel Surcharge
Where can I see these surcharges on my invoice?
Surcharges are applied by the carrier after the shipment has been processed and may not be visible when you create the label.
You can find these charges in your Sendcloud account via Account > Billing, where you can download your invoice in PDF or CSV format:
- PDF invoice: Shows a summary of your total costs, including surcharges.
- CSV invoice: Shows a detailed breakdown per shipment, including the tracking number, shipping cost, and any applied surcharges.
💡 Tip: Use the tracking number in the CSV to identify which shipment a surcharge applies to.
For a full explanation of how shipping costs and surcharges are invoiced and how to read them, see Shipment invoicing.