Shipping to Canada from the US: 2026 Rates, Carriers, Customs and Tariffs

To ship to Canada from the US, pick a carrier, attach a customs form and check what your buyer will owe at the border. In Easyship’s live rates from New York to Toronto, a 1 lb parcel costs $13.66 to $58.03.

• Cheapest light parcels: Flat Export, $13.66 for 1 lb, 10 to 17 working days
• Cheapest 5 to 20 lb: UPS Standard, $23.79 to $38.59, 3 working days
• Fastest: Express services arrive in 1 working day, from $48.23
• Paperwork: USPS uses a CN22 or CN23 form. Couriers need a commercial invoice with HS codes.
• Border fees: Courier parcels pay no duty up to CAD 150 and no tax up to CAD 40. Postal parcels get one CAD 20 limit.
• New in 2026: A 15% to 50% surtax applies to listed US goods at any value.

How much Does Shipping to Canada from the US Cost?

Shipping a parcel from New York to Toronto costs $13.66 to $58.03 at 1 lb and $38.59 to $136.11 at 20 lb. Economy services cost less but take 9 to 32 working days. Express services arrive in 1 working day.

Let’s see that with a couple of examples 

Shipping from New York to Toronto

Shipping from San Francisco to Vancouver

Where you ship from matters less than which service you pick. 

A 1 lb parcel costs the same $13.66 with Flat Export from New York or San Francisco, and UPS Standard costs $18.89 against $19.02. The bigger gaps are between services: on the New York route, a 1 lb parcel ranges from $13.66 to $58.03.

What is the Cheapest Way to Ship to Canada from the US?

The cheapest way to ship a package from US to Canada is as follows:

• For packages below 4 lb, starting range is $13.66 for 1 lb and onwards.
• For packages weighing between 5lbs and 20 lb, UPS Standard is the cheapest option, with rates from $23.79 to $38.59 and delivery in around 3 working days.
• For heavy packages weighing between 20 lb to 50 lb, FedEx International Economy is the cheapest option, with a 50 lb shipment costing around $43.21 and delivery in around 2 working days.

The gap between the cheapest and most expensive service grows with weight. At 1 lb, the most expensive option (FedEx Ground, $58.03) costs 4.2 times the cheapest. At 50 lb, the most expensive (USPS Priority Mail International, $217.78) costs 5 times the cheapest.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship to Canada with USPS?

USPS ships a 1 lb parcel from New York to Toronto for $24.69 with First Class International and a 20 lb parcel for $136.11 with Priority Mail International..

UPS Standard costs less at both weights: $18.89 and $38.59.

Priority Mail Express International is the most expensive way to ship to Canada in Easyship's results at every weight. A 50 lb box costs $378.18, more than 5 times UPS Standard's $65.

USPS carries the parcel to the border. Canada Post makes the final delivery. If the parcel owes duty or tax, Canada Post collects it from your buyer and adds a CAD 9.95 handling fee per item.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship Heavy Packages to Canada?

From New York to Toronto, a 20 lb box costs $38.59 with UPS Standard and up to $136.11 with USPS Priority Mail International. A 50 lb box costs $43.21 with FedEx International Economy, $69.67 with UPS Standard and $217.78 with USPS.

Is UPS or USPS Cheaper for Shipping to Canada?

UPS is cheaper than USPS for shipping to Canada at every weight we priced using the Easyship rate calculator. 

For a 20 lb box from New York to Toronto, UPS Standard costs $38.59 and USPS Priority Mail International costs $136.11, 3.5 times more. UPS Standard also arrives in 3 working days, against 7 to 11.

The difference comes down to how each carrier delivers. UPS runs its own network in Canada. USPS hands every parcel to Canada Post at the border, and the USPS price for Canada is the same whatever your US origin.

What is the cheapest way to ship small packages to Canada?

For parcels under 1 lb, Flat Export is cheapest at $13.66 from New York to Toronto, with delivery in 10 to 17 working days and limited tracking. If your buyer wants a delivery date and full tracking, UPS Standard costs $18.89 and arrives in 3 working days.

Why is Shipping from the US to Canada so Expensive?

Shipping to Canada costs more because every parcel crosses a customs border and then travels long distances to a spread-out population. Fees pile up on top of the label: fuel and remote-area surcharges, brokerage, sales tax and, since September 2026, a surtax on many US goods.

Here's where the money goes.

1. Few people, huge distances. Canada has about 41.4 million people spread across the world's 2nd-largest country by area. Delivery routes outside the big cities cover a few addresses, so each drop costs more.
2. Remote-area and fuel surcharges. Carriers add a surcharge for postcodes they class as remote, and a fuel surcharge that changes weekly. Both are set by the carrier: see UPS fuel surcharges and FedEx fuel surcharge. 
3. Customs clearance fees. UPS, FedEx and DHL clear customs for your buyer and charge for it. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says these fees are "separate and distinct from duties and taxes" and set by each courier. Canada Post charges CAD 9.95 on each mail item that owes duty or tax.
4. The 2026 surtax. Listed US goods pay an extra 15%, 25% or 50% of their value, even in low-value parcels.
5. Dimensional weight. Bulky, light products get billed as if they were heavier, as shown in the heavy-package section above.
6. The service you pick. In Easyship's New York to Toronto rates, the same 20 lb box costs $38.59 with UPS Standard and $136.11 with USPS Priority Mail International. Sellers who default to one carrier often pay several times more than they need to.

How Do You Reduce Shipping Cost For Small Packages

 4 ways to keep small-parcel costs down:

• Use a poly mailer instead of a box, so you pay for actual weight and not dimensional weight.
• Keep the order value under CAD 40 if you ship by courier. Your buyer then pays no sales tax at the border, unless the product is on the surtax list.
• Compare economy and standard services before you buy. At 1 lb, UPS Standard costs $5.23 more than Flat Export and arrives 7 to 14 working days sooner.
• Use multi carrier shipping software which will provide you with discounted shipping rates.

Which Carriers are Best for Shipping to Canada from the US?

UPS Standard is the best all-round carrier for shipping to Canada from the US. It was the cheapest option from 5 to 20 lb in Easyship's New York to Toronto rates, with full tracking and 3-day delivery. Flat Export is cheapest under 1 lb. For next-day delivery, UPS Worldwide Saver and FedEx International Priority cost least.

The carriers also differ at the border and at pickup:

How Long Does Shipping from the US to Canada Take?

Shipping from the US to Canada can take anywhere from 1 to 32 working days.

Express services like UPS Worldwide Saver and FedEx International Economy are the fastest and usually take 1–2 working days. 

Ground services generally take 3–4 working days. UPS Standard takes around 3 working days, while FedEx Ground takes about 4 working days.

Postal and economy services take longer, usually 6–17 working days like USPS First Class International and USPS Priority Mail International.

Low-cost international services can take 15–32 working days like ePost Global Priority Parcel with DelCon. 

Ground services slow down on the longer west coast route. FedEx Ground takes 8 working days from San Francisco to Vancouver, against 4 from New York to Toronto. Express services take 1 working day on both.

What adds days:

• Customs holds. A missing HS code, vague item description or undervalued invoice can stop a parcel at the border until it's fixed.
• Remote postcodes. Deliveries to Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern parts of the provinces often take longer and may cost extra.

What Customs Forms Do You Need to Ship to Canada?

Every parcel to Canada needs a customs declaration via forms like:

• USPS customs form. USPS uses the international CN22/CN23 format. Shipping software fills it in when you buy the label.
• Commercial invoice. Required for courier shipments. It lists the seller, buyer, item description, HS code, quantity, value, currency and country of origin.
• CUSMA certification of origin. Needed only if you claim duty-free treatment under CUSMA (the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement). There's no set form. The required data elements can go on the commercial invoice
• HS codes. These are 6- to 10-digit product classification codes. Customs uses them to set the duty rate and to check the surtax list.

The rules

• Declare what the buyer paid. Customs converts the value to Canadian dollars.
• Mark gifts as gifts only when they are personal gifts between friends or family. Business-to-consumer sales don't qualify for the CAD 60 gift exemption (Canada Post).
• Don't split one order into several boxes to stay under a limit. CBSA treats split shipments as one (CBSA Customs Notice 20-18).
• Know who the importer of record is. That's the party legally responsible for the import. It's your buyer by default. If you prepay duties, you or your broker take on that role, which usually means getting a Canadian business number and registering in CARM, CBSA's online system for paying duties.
• Check the restricted and prohibited list in the section below before you ship.

How are Canadian Import Duties and Taxes Calculated?

Canadian import charges depend on 4 things: how the parcel is shipped (post or courier), its value in Canadian dollars, where the goods were made, and the buyer's province. Duty and any surtax are worked out first. Then sales tax is charged on the total.

You can use Easyship’s tax and duty calculator which will calculate taxes to Canada for free.

Duty-free and tax-free limits

Source: CBSA Customs Notice 20-18. The 2026 surtax applies at every value.

The courier limits apply to goods shipped from the US, even if they weren't made there, as long as they were sold in the US market first.

Sales tax by province

also apply in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec.

Duty rates. Goods that meet CUSMA rules of origin pay 0% duty, with proof of origin. Goods made elsewhere, such as a product made in China and shipped from a US warehouse, pay Canada's standard (MFN) duty rate for that HS code.

Brokerage fees. Couriers set their own clearance fees. CBSA doesn't regulate them, so check each carrier's rates.

Let’s clarify this with an example.

The order: A US-made jacket worth CAD 200, shipped by courier to a buyer in Ontario. As per the 2026 surtax list released by Canada, US origin clothing charges up to 25% surtax. 

What to notice:

• The surtax raises the tax too. HST is charged on the value after the surtax is added. Without the surtax, the buyer would owe only CAD 26.00 in HST (13% of CAD 200).
• CUSMA removes duty but not the surtax. A US-made product can pay 0% duty and still owe the surtax.
• The courier’s brokerage fee is extra. UPS, FedEx and DHL each set their own clearance fee. If you ship DDP, you pay all of this at checkout instead of your buyer paying at the door.

How do Canada's 2026 counter-tariffs affect US shipments?

Since September 8, 2026, Canada charges a surtax of 15%, 25% or 50% of the value on listed US goods, under the United States Surtax Order (2026). It applies to parcels of any value, including those under the duty-free limits.

What you need to know:

• What's covered. The goods are listed by tariff item in 3 schedules (Canada Gazette, SOR/2026-186). Sectors include steel, dairy, appliances, electronics, clothing, beauty and personal care, and cooking appliances.
• Which goods count as US. Goods that can be marked as made in the US under CUSMA marking rules. Qualifying under CUSMA does not remove the surtax.
• Low-value parcels. The surtax applies even when a parcel falls under the CAD 20, 40 or 150 limits. Those parcels must still be declared.
• Who pays. The importer of record. That's your buyer under DDU, or you under DDP.
• How it adds up. Sales tax is charged on the value after the surtax, so a 25% surtax raises the tax bill too. See the worked example above.

What are the Prohibited Items When Shipping to Canada from the US?

Canada bans some goods outright and restricts others until you have a permit. Check CBSA's restricted and prohibited goods list and the other government import requirements before you ship anything unusual.

Prohibited

• Counterfeit goods and currency
• Obscene material and hate propaganda
• Prohibited weapons and devices
• Goods made with forced labour
• Cannabis, unless you have a Health Canada permit

Restricted (permit or extra paperwork needed)

• Food, plants, animals and animal products (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
• Firearms and ammunition
• Medications and health products (Health Canada)
• Certain consumer products, including children's products and cosmetics

Carriers add their own limits too. Lithium batteries, perfume and aerosols often need special handling or can't go by air, so check your carrier's dangerous goods rules.

How Do You Avoid Customs Delays and Surprise Fees when shipping to Canada?

Most delays and surprise fees come from incomplete paperwork or duties the buyer didn't expect. Complete invoices, correct HS codes and duties prepaid at checkout fix both.

• Ship DDP for orders over CAD 40. Your buyer pays one price at checkout and nothing at the door. Refused parcels often come from unexpected border charges.
• Use correct HS codes and real values. Customs holds parcels with vague descriptions such as "gift" or "merchandise".
• Write full addresses with postcodes. Canadian postcodes follow the A1A 1A1 format. A wrong postcode can trigger a remote-area surcharge or a returned parcel.
• Show duties and shipping rates at checkout. Easyship gives your store real-time rates at checkout and connects with 60+ ecommerce platforms, including Shopify and WooCommerce. Every shipment is covered for up to $10,000.

Shipping to Canada from the US costs $13.66 to $58.03 for a 1 lb parcel and $38.59 to $136.11 for 20 lb, before border charges. Flat Export is cheapest for light parcels and UPS Standard from 5 to 20 lb, and UPS beats USPS at every weight we priced. 

Since September 8, 2026, check every product against the surtax list, because it applies at any value.

Compare US to Canada rates from 550+ courier services and show your buyers the full cost at checkout. 

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Frequently asked questions

Does USPS ship to Canada?

Yes. USPS ships to Canada with First-Class Package International Service, Priority Mail International and Priority Mail Express International. Canada Post makes the final delivery and collects any duty or tax from the buyer, plus a CAD 9.95 handling fee.

Is shipping from the US to Canada international shipping?

Yes. Every parcel crosses a customs border, needs a customs form or commercial invoice, and may owe duty and tax. CUSMA lowers duties on qualifying goods, but parcels still clear Canadian customs.

Can I avoid customs fees when shipping to Canada?

Your buyer pays no fees if a courier parcel is worth CAD 40 or less, or a postal parcel CAD 20 or less, and the product isn't on the surtax list. Above that, you can ship DDP so the buyer pays at checkout and not at the door.

Do gifts sent to Canada pay duty?

Personal gifts worth CAD 60 or less enter duty- and tax-free when sent by a friend or relative with a gift card. Above CAD 60, duty and tax apply to the amount over the limit. Sales from a business to a customer never count as gifts.

How much does it cost to ship a package to Canada with USPS?

A 1 lb parcel costs $24.69 with USPS First Class International, and a 20 lb parcel costs $136.11 with Priority Mail International, based on live Easyship rates from New York to Toronto. UPS Standard costs less at both weights: $18.89 and $38.59. 

Do FedEx and UPS charge brokerage fees for Canada?

Yes. FedEx and UPS clear customs for your buyer and bill a clearance or brokerage fee on top of duty and tax. You can prepay these charges by shipping DDP, so your buyer pays nothing at delivery.