Use this calculator to generate a USPS zone map to determine shipping times from your zip code.
What are USPS shipping zones?
Shipping zones are specific areas that the US Postal Services uses to determine shipping speed and pricing. The shipping zone for your package will depend on what the origin zip code is and what the destination zip code is.
The shipping zone is signified by a number 1-9. As you get farther from the destination zip code, the zone number will get higher. Because of this, your package will not only be slower in delivery, but also cost more because it has to travel a longer distance.
How are shipping zones determined?
Carriers determine the zone for a package based on the number of miles the destination is from the origin zip code.
Shipping Zone Radius
Zone 1 (local) 50 mile radius
Zone 2 51 – 150 mile radius
Zone 3 151 – 300 mile radius
Zone 4 301 – 600 mile radius
Zone 5 601 – 1000 mile radius
Zone 6 1001 – 1400 mile radius
Zone 7 1401 – 1800 mile radius
Zone 8 1801+ mile radius
Zone 9 Freely Associated States
USPS Shipping Zones
Regardless of the ship method used for domestic shipments, the shipping zones for USPS are the same.
USPS provides estimated delivery dates for shipping zones depending on the method chosen, but these are not guaranteed unless you use a guaranteed ship method. The only guaranteed ship method is USPS Priority Mail Express.
For your other common ship methods, here is what you are looking at:
USPS First Class: 2-5 days
USPS Parcel Select: 2-5 days
USPS Priority Mail: 2-3 days
For a full list of USPS ship methods, click here.
USPS Shipping Speed
USPS First Class goes via a mix of air and ground transportation and is the lowest priority package. On the other hand, Parcel Select has a similar ship speed, but is ground transportation only. Finally, Priority Mail is insured and slightly faster than the previous two, but is still not guaranteed.
Note, that many products may take longer to ship. This could happen because of delays at the post office, further locations like Hawaii and Alaska, or ground transportation requirements for hazmat items that cannot be shipped via air transportation.
So, while this map is great for estimates, do understand that the actual ship speed may vary for many reasons. If you need guaranteed ship-by dates, you're stuck with Priority Mail Express which is extremely expensive.
Note: If you are an eCommerce business looking to find faster and cheaper shipping rates, it may be time to look into a 3PL.
USPS Shipping Zones Chart
Enter your origin zip code and use this USPS dynamic zone map to calculate and display the various zones across the country. You can also do the opposite and enter a destination zip code to see what areas have the closest zones to you.
If you are trying to find out which zones match which zip codes on the map, you can generate an Excel file of zone/zip code pairs here!
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