Washington DC is one of the best-served parcel destinations in the country — dense delivery routes, every carrier, short windows from the entire Northeast.
Pulled live on 2026-07-27 for a single real box; each table row is a carrier's actual reply.
The capital's tables were produced the plain way: one 12 × 10 × 6 in, 5 lb box of household goods, quoted through the SMKlog calculator from Newark and from Los Angeles. Row prices are complete checkout amounts, SMKlog's charge included from the start.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground Saver | $10.56 | 3 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $11.46 | 1 business day |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $11.68 | 2-3 business days |
| USPS | Priority Mail | $14.15 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $16.78 | 2-3 business days |
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $17.30 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $19.14 | 6 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $19.30 | 7-8 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $20.50 | 7-8 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $27.17 | 2-3 business days |
From Newark the board started at $10.56 with UPS Ground Saver; from Los Angeles the low was USPS Ground Advantage at $17.30. One practical wrinkle for DC: many federal buildings accept UPS and FedEx only at a street address, while USPS also serves PO boxes. Prices in these tables belong to 2026-07-27, and carriers do not stand still, so quote your own route for anything you plan to buy.
Quadrant letters matter in Washington: NW, NE, SW and SE versions of the same street number are different places. Include the quadrant, and the ZIP+4 when you have it. For government buildings, ask whether deliveries route through a mail screening facility first.
Newark's list had UPS Ground at next-business-day for $11.46, which makes express tiers nearly pointless from nearby origins. From Los Angeles, the jump from $17.30 ground to 3 Day Select at $27.17 buys the difference between 6-7 days and 2-3. Same page, opposite conclusions.
SMKlog turns a plain description of the item into an estimated packed box, then pulls USPS, UPS and FedEx rates for it live. Precise dimensions can replace the estimate whenever a tape measure is handy. Each purchased label carries tracking from the first scan.
The 2026-07-27 test: $10.56 from Newark, NJ via UPS Ground Saver, $17.30 from Los Angeles, CA via USPS Ground Advantage, for a 12 × 10 × 6 in box at 5 lb. Those totals are exactly what checkout charges, SMKlog's part inside. Rates shift, so run a live quote for yours.
Very fast from the Northeast: UPS Ground quoted one business day from Newark at $11.46 on our pull. Cross-country ground ran 6-8 days, and $27.17 bought 2-3 days via UPS 3 Day Select. The tables list the window next to every price.
UPS Ground Saver at $10.56 from Newark; USPS Ground Advantage at $17.30 from Los Angeles. From close range, UPS's ground products swept the top rows. These rankings hold only as long as the rate cards do, so compare fresh before paying.
It is not. The whole transaction is description, ZIP pair, rate choice, payment. Your label and tracking number appear immediately after, with no account behind any of it.