Small strings and single amps sit at the low end of parcel pricing, keyboards and drum kits at the top. The number for a specific instrument depends on the case it packs in, the outer box that case sits in, and the ZIP-to-ZIP zone. This page gathers the ballpark by shape and points to the live quote for the exact instrument.
Small strings at the low end; drum kits at the high end; everything else in between.
Each instrument on this site has its own page with live carrier quotes for a specific route, dated on that page. The numbers move week to week and by lane, so rather than reprinting them here, use each per-instrument guide for the live figure and this page for how the shape fits the price ladder.
| Instrument shape | Typical packed box | Live quote |
|---|---|---|
| 4/4 violin outfit, hard case | Around 33 × 12 × 7 in, ~11 lb | Violin page |
| Acoustic guitar, hard case | Around 43 × 20 × 7 in, ~15 lb | Guitar page |
| Guitar combo amp | Around 20 × 20 × 12 in, ~23 lb | Guitar amp page |
| Bass combo amp | Around 20 × 16 × 14 in, ~20 lb | Bass amp page |
| Alto saxophone, boxed with case | Sax case boxed | Saxophone page |
| 88-key digital keyboard | Around 53 × 16 × 12 in, ~35 lb | Keyboard page |
| Five-piece drum kit | Three parcel boxes, total ~73 lb | Drum kit page |
The lane matters as much as the instrument. A short-zone route quotes at the low end of each range; a coast-to-coast route pulls to the high end. Every quote on the linked pages is the specific route named, and the site's own live rate on the day it was captured, not a national average.
Carrier dimensional weight is length × width × height divided by 139 (UPS/FedEx) or 166 (USPS). Instruments are long and light, so the DIM weight almost always beats the actual weight. A guitar case at 45 inches out-prices a bass amp at 20 inches even with less physical weight.
A hard case packs smaller and needs less outer padding than a gig bag; a gig-bagged instrument needs a bigger box and more foam. That is why the same electric guitar in a gig bag can quote higher than in a hard case.
Every carrier prices by zone from 2 to 8. A three-zone jump doubles the price on some routes. The calculator returns the actual zone in the return line so a seller can spot whether cross-country is worth the additional insurance line.
Two lines on the label form move the total more than most sellers expect.
The number depends on the packed length, packed weight and destination zone. Small strings and single amps sit at the low end of parcel pricing, keyboards and drum kits at the top. Price the specific instrument you have on the calculator; the per-instrument guides linked above carry the live quotes we captured on named routes.
Box length. Every carrier prices instruments on dimensional weight, which multiplies length by width by height. A 45-inch guitar case out-quotes a 33-inch violin case even at similar physical weight because the guitar box is bigger.
Declared value is the right lever. Carriers include $100 of automatic liability on domestic parcels; anything above that has to be declared at label purchase, at a cost per $100 published in the carrier tariff.
A full drum kit ships as three or four parcel boxes, not one; the four pieces of a five-piece kit come apart at the lugs. A digital keyboard on Ground packs at 53 inches long. An acoustic upright or grand piano is freight, not parcel, and a manager quotes it.
It varies by instrument and lane. UPS Ground carries most guitars and violins at the lowest price on the routes tested; FedEx Ground Economy tends to win on heavier and longer parcels because it uses USPS for the last leg. The calculator returns every service side by side.