How the Shipping Cost per Unit Calculator works
A single freight invoice often covers several products. To know each product's real cost you have to split the bill sensibly: by weight when freight was charged by weight, by value when insurance and duty drive the cost, or simply by units.
For a one-product shipment just enter the units. For a mixed shipment list one product per line with units, weight and value.
Formula
- By units: share = product units ÷ total units
- By weight: share = product units × weight ÷ total weight
- By value: share = product units × value ÷ total value
- Equal: share = 1 ÷ number of products
- Per unit = Shipment cost × share ÷ product units
Example
By weight the blenders carry $3.87 each and the spatula sets $0.48, versus a misleading $1.50 flat average.
Total shipment cost: 1500Allocation method: weightProducts (one per line: name, units, weight lb, value): Blender, 300, 3.2, 12.50
Spatula set, 700, 0.4, 3.00
Frequently asked questions
Which method should I use?
Match how the carrier charged you: ocean freight by volume or weight, courier by weight, duty by value. When unsure, by weight is the fairest for physical goods.
Can I paste from a spreadsheet?
Yes. Tab-separated or comma-separated lines both work; extra spaces and currency symbols are ignored.