UPS Guide

This guide will teach you what makes UPS different from other carriers.

The goal of this guide is to walk you through UPS's competitive services, predefined parcels, service levels, and how to start generating production UPS labels with EasyPost.

EasyPost supports all of UPS's functionality, along with the full functionality of dozens of other carriers. If you haven't shipped your first label with EasyPost, we recommend you check out our Getting Started Guide.

You can download UPS's documentation for their APIs at www.ups.com/upsdeveloperkit. Their documentation will include additional information about various fields and formats they accept. Please note, the interface may not be identical to the API presented by EasyPost, as we standardize across multiple carriers.

UPS Services

UPS on EasyPost

When you sign up for a UPS account on EasyPost, you gain access to UPS shipping and discounted rates, including:

  • Up to 78% off UPS® Ground shipments
  • Up to 73% off on daily rates for UPS 2nd Day Air® service and UPS Next Day Air® service
  • Up to 82% off on international services

* These rates include Fuel Surcharge and Residential Surcharge for all services and Delivery Area Surcharge for Domestic Services.
* Discounts are from UPS daily rates. Rates are limited to shipping from the U.S. only. Rates and any applicable discounts are subject to change at any time without notice.

UPS Domestic and International

Operating in more than 220 countries and territories, UPS is committed to moving our world forward by delivering what matters. UPS understands and appreciates its responsibility to help build safer, stronger, and more resilient communities founded on justice and economic opportunity for all.

UPS Mail Innovations

UPS Mail Innovations is a UPS' main mail and small parcel delivery service. UPS's Mail Innovations program is a partnership with USPS, where UPS will bring your packages to local USPS distribution centers and USPS will make the final delivery of the package. We don't discuss UPS Mail Innovations' service levels in this guide, but you can find them here.

UPS Worldwide Economy

UPS Worldwide Economy is ideal for your lightweight shipments, helping to keep your ecommerce transactions efficient, and exporting to new markets. UPS Worldwide Economy is a low-cost, deferred international small package service designed for low-weight, low-value cross-border B2C shipments. This service addresses the rapid growth in cross-border ecommerce and helps merchants penetrate new international markets.

Service Levels

UPS has twelve service levels supported by EasyPost. Service levels have to do with both the speed and type of shipments. In order to ship any UPS shipments, the following must be true:

  • Packages can be up to 150 lbs
  • Packages can be up to 108 inches in length
  • Packages with a large size-to-weight ratio require special pricing and dimensional weight calculations

Each service level is detailed below:

Service
Transit Time
Max Dimensions (inches)
Max Weight (ounces)
Ground
1-5 Business Days
UPSStandard
1-5 Business Days
UPSSaver
Next Day to 4 Business Days
Express
Next Day to 3 Business Days
ExpressPlus
Next Day to 2 Business Days
Expedited
3 to 5 Business Days
NextDayAir
Next Business Day by 10:30am
NextDayAirSaver
Next Business Day by 3:00pm
NextDayAirEarlyAM
Next Business Days by 8:00am
2ndDayAir
2 Business Days by end of day
2ndDayAirAM
3DaySelect
3 Business Days by end of day

Predefined Packages

UPS has ten predefined packages supported by EasyPost, detailed below. Predefined packages are an easy way to classify and therefore price a package. With the EasyPost API, pick a predefined parcel that qualifies for your shipment (and sometimes add the weight) and request rates. See sample request in our predefined parcel documentation.

Predefined Package
Dimensions (inches)
Weight (ounces)
UPSLetter
12.5in - 15in x 9.5in
16
UPSExpressBox
12.5in x 3.75in x 18in
480
UPS25kgBox
19.75in x 17.75in x 13.25in
880
UPS10kgBox
16.5in x 13.25in x 10.75in
352
Tube
38in x 6in x 6in
Triangular tube for rolled papers
NA
Pak
16in x 12.75in
NA
SmallExpressBox
13in x 11in x 2in
480
MediumExpressBox
16in x 11in x 3in
480
LargeExpressBox
18in x 13in x 3in
480

Generating production UPS labels with EasyPost

Sign-up for a UPS account

Setting up an account with UPS on EasyPost is easy. Simply select "UPS" from your Carrier Accounts page and agree to the Terms and Conditions to get started.

Connect your UPS credentials to your UPS account

Already have a UPS account? Log into your EasyPost account dashboard and click the "Carrier Account" tab on the navigation bar on the left hand side. Find and click "UPS," a modal will pop up and ask for the following information:

  • Company and address information
  • UPS Account Number

After entering that information, you should be ready to generate live and test UPS postage. Email us at support@easypost.com if you have any questions.

Need More Info About UPS?

Our Carrier Metadata endpoint can programatically return information about UPS including service levels, predefined packages, supported features, and shipment options.

Use this information to quickly integrate with UPS or make educated decisions about your carrier mix. You can also use the Carrier Metadata endpoint to retrieve information about all the carriers on the EasyPost platform.

Talk to a Shipping Expert

Any questions about how to start shipping with UPS through the EasyPost API?