Distance sets the personality
Eastbound, Ground behaved like a budget three-day service. From LA it became a week-long haul at noticeably higher prices. Judge it per lane, never by reputation.
The workhorse tier
UPS Ground rates, measured at ten weights on two lanes
This page is a measurement, not a brochure. On 2026-07-27 we quoted the same packed boxes at 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, and 50 lb through our production checkout, once heading south from Newark and once crossing the country from Los Angeles. Every UPS Ground price both lanes returned is below, next to the windows that came with it.
Ten weights, two directionsCaptured 2026-07-27Saver confusion untangled
Same service, two personalities
Short lanes make UPS Ground quick and cheap; coast-to-coast it keeps the name but doubles the days.
Eastbound lane: Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303
A friendly lane for UPS Ground: a regional East Coast run where the quoted window held at 3-4 business days for every single weight we tested on 2026-07-27.
| Weight | UPS Ground price | Quoted window |
|---|---|---|
| 1 lb | $10.31 | 3-4 business days |
| 2 lb | $11.07 | 3-4 business days |
| 3 lb | $12.47 | 3-4 business days |
| 5 lb | $14.05 | 3-4 business days |
| 10 lb | $21.94 | 3-4 business days |
| 15 lb | $23.70 | 3-4 business days |
| 20 lb | $27.27 | 3-4 business days |
| 30 lb | $31.52 | 3-4 business days |
| 40 lb | $38.45 | 3-4 business days |
| 50 lb | $45.01 | 3-4 business days |
Westbound-origin lane: Los Angeles, CA 90011 to New York, NY 10001
Coast to coast, the same boxes told a different story: every weight cost more, and the quoted window stretched to 6-7 business days across the board.
| Weight | UPS Ground price | Quoted window |
|---|---|---|
| 1 lb | $12.99 | 6-7 business days |
| 2 lb | $13.69 | 6-7 business days |
| 3 lb | $15.93 | 6-7 business days |
| 5 lb | $19.30 | 6-7 business days |
| 10 lb | $29.03 | 6-7 business days |
| 15 lb | $34.71 | 6-7 business days |
| 20 lb | $42.13 | 6-7 business days |
| 30 lb | $51.92 | 6-7 business days |
| 40 lb | $65.52 | 6-7 business days |
| 50 lb | $76.04 | 6-7 business days |
One warning about names. UPS Ground and UPS Ground Saver are different services with different economics: Saver undercut Ground narrowly at light weights in our data, $13.65 against $14.05 at 5 lb eastbound, then collapsed as a deal at 30 lb, where Ground charged $31.52 while Saver wanted $51.79. The full head-to-head lives in our UPS Ground Saver rates guide.
Heavy boxes are its home turf
From 30 lb up, Ground beat every alternative our checkout returned on both lanes. The $45.01 eastbound 50 lb row had no serious rival that day.
Real items confirm the ladder
Beyond bare test boxes, the same capture priced a cased guitar at $43.77 and a cube-shaped moving box at $36.03 on UPS Ground eastbound, right where the weight ladder predicts.
Ground rates, examined
How much does UPS Ground cost per package?
In our 2026-07-27 capture, from $10.31 for 1 lb up to $45.01 for 50 lb on the Newark to Atlanta lane, and from $12.99 up to $76.04 for the same weights from Los Angeles to New York. Your route and box dimensions will move those figures.
Is UPS Ground the same as UPS Ground Saver?
No. Ground is the standard door-to-door service with the shorter quoted windows; Saver is the economy variant that trades speed for a small saving on light boxes. In our data Saver stopped being cheaper somewhere between 20 and 30 lb, dramatically so at the heavy end.
How long does UPS Ground actually take?
Whatever your lane says, not the national slogan. Our capture quoted 3-4 business days for every weight from Newark to Atlanta, and 6-7 business days for every weight from Los Angeles to New York, same day, same boxes.
Are these numbers what I would really pay?
They are complete checkout prices from our production system on 2026-07-27, carrier cost and our margin included, nothing added later. They are not UPS retail counter prices, which run higher for the same shipment.