Effective January 26, 2026, UPS expanded the assessment criteria for both Additional Handling and the Large Package Surcharge. Additional Handling now also applies to packages with cubic size greater than 10,368 cubic inches. For domestic shipments, Large Package Surcharge now also applies to packages with weight over 110 lbs. and to packages with cubic size greater than 17,280 cubic inches. UPS retained the pre-existing Additional Handling weight, length-plus-girth, length, width, and packaging triggers, and it retained the pre-existing Large Package linear-dimension rules; international Large Package criteria remain based on length plus girth exceeding 130 inches.
The most significant update is the addition of cubic-size triggers for both surcharge categories. That means a package can now qualify even if it does not exceed the longstanding linear-dimension thresholds, so long as its overall cube is above the new limits. UPS also added a new domestic Large Package trigger for packages over 110 lbs., bringing more dense, heavy shipments into LPS eligibility. These additions expand the surcharge framework rather than replace it: the legacy triggers still appear in the post-change language, only one Additional Handling charge or one Large Package Surcharge is assessed per package, and Additional Handling still is not assessed when Large Package Surcharge applies.
Shippers should expect more bulky cartons and dense heavy domestic packages to qualify for surcharges beginning January 26, 2026. Carton cube, packaging design, and dimension capture will become more important because UPS now uses cubic size as a direct trigger for both Additional Handling and domestic Large Package assessments. There is also an added pricing consequence on the Additional Handling side: packages that qualify due to cubic size are now included in the 40-lb minimum billable weight rule, except for UPS Ground with Freight Pricing packages.
💡 Effective January 26, 2026, UPS added a cubic-size trigger to Additional Handling.
💡 Additional Handling now applies to packages over 10,368 cubic inches.
💡 Domestic Large Package Surcharge now applies to packages over 17,280 cubic inches.
💡 Domestic Large Package Surcharge now also applies to packages over 110 lbs.
💡 International Large Package criteria remain length-plus-girth over 130 inches; the new weight and cubic-size LPS triggers are domestic only.
💡 Additional Handling packages triggered by cubic size are now subject to the 40-lb minimum billable weight rule, except for UPS Ground with Freight Pricing packages.
💡 Large Package Surcharge still suppresses Additional Handling, and UPS still assesses only one charge within each surcharge category.
