What does FedEx charge to ship a pair of skis?
$158.96 for a 74 x 11 x 8 in ski box at 17 lb on FedEx Ground, quoted live from Berkeley Heights, NJ to Denver, CO on 2026-08-18. The same box moved on UPS Ground the same day for $75.76.
Skis
What FedEx charges to ship skis
One ski box, run against both networks on the same day: FedEx Ground wanted $158.96, UPS Ground wanted $75.76, and FedEx's cheaper Ground Economy tier did not price the box at all despite fitting its published size limit on paper. Quoted live on 2026-08-18 from Berkeley Heights, NJ to Denver, CO.
Limits cited to fedex.comQuoted 2026-08-18UPS priced for comparison
Same box, two networks
UPS Ground undercut FedEx Ground by more than half its price on this exact carton and route.
One ski box, quoted 2026-08-18
A pair of alpine skis with bindings, boxed to 74 x 11 x 8 in at 17 lb, run from Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 to Denver, CO 80202. Every figure below is the full checkout total, SMKlog's charge already folded in.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Estimated transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground | $75.76 | 5-6 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $121.30 | 5-6 business days |
| FedEx | Ground | $158.96 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $175.47 | 2-3 business days |
| FedEx | Express Saver | $191.91 | 2-3 business days |
This page reports what FedEx charges, because that is the question it answers. It is not a claim that FedEx wins the lane: on this box, it did not come close. Run your own carton and ZIPs in the calculator, since a shorter box or a closer zone changes the gap.
Why Ground Economy sat this one out
FedEx sells two ground-level products for a box this size. Per fedex.com, read 2026-08-18: FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery take a package up to 150 lb, 108 inches long, and 165 inches of length plus girth combined. FedEx Ground Economy, the cheaper tier, is capped lower at 70 lb and 130 inches of length plus girth.
| Measurement | Ski box | FedEx Ground ceiling | FedEx Ground Economy ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 17 lb | 150 lb | 70 lb |
| Length | 74 in | 108 in | — |
| Length + girth | 112 in | 165 in | 130 in |
By every published number, the box fits Ground Economy with room to spare. It still came back with no Ground Economy rate in our capture, only the pricier Ground service. Published limits describe what a network is built to carry, not a promise that any one box gets every tier's rate; a long, narrow shape is exactly the kind that can fall outside an unpublished handling rule even while it clears the numbers on the page.
The surcharge behind a long box
FedEx's own 2026 surcharge sheet lists a separate Oversize Charge for U.S. Package Services, which covers Ground and Home Delivery, priced by shipping zone (fedex.com, effective 2026, read 2026-08-18). That sheet states the fee without stating the exact box measurements that trigger it, so there is no way to say from the outside whether our ski quote already carries it or not; either way, the checkout total above is the number a shopper actually pays.
Where these rules come from
- FedEx, FedEx Ground — 150 lb, 108 in length, 165 in length plus girth combined. Read 2026-08-18.
- FedEx, FedEx Ground Economy — 70 lb, 130 in of length plus girth combined, 2 to 7 business day window. Read 2026-08-18.
- FedEx, 2026 changes to FedEx surcharges & fees — Oversize Charge for U.S. Package Services by zone. Effective 2026, read 2026-08-18.
Carriers revise limits and surcharges without notice. Treat the figures above as what those pages stated on the date shown.
Common questions
Is FedEx Ground Economy cheaper for skis?
We could not test it. FedEx Ground Economy is built for boxes up to 70 lb and 130 in of length plus girth (fedex.com, read 2026-08-18), and our 74 x 11 x 8 in ski box measures 112 in of length plus girth, inside that ceiling on paper. The quote still came back with no Ground Economy rate at all, only FedEx Ground.
How big can a FedEx Ground box be?
Up to 150 lb, 108 in in length, and 165 in of length plus girth combined, per fedex.com, read 2026-08-18. A 74 inch ski box uses less than half of that length allowance.
Does FedEx charge extra for a long box like a ski carton?
It can. FedEx's own 2026 fee sheet lists a separate Oversize Charge for large U.S. packages, priced by shipping zone (fedex.com, effective 2026, read 2026-08-18). Our captured price is the checkout total either way; whether that charge sits inside it depends on the exact box FedEx's system measured.
Is UPS cheaper than FedEx for shipping skis?
On the one box and route we quoted, yes by a wide margin: $75.76 on UPS Ground against $158.96 on FedEx Ground. Run your own skis and lane in the calculator before assuming either carrier wins on your route.