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Temporary/Peak
FedEx

FedEx International Demand Fee Update

Effective Date: June 29, 2026 (announced on June 22, 2026)
Reviewed & Verified by:
Dave Sullivan

Summary

FedEx has updated its U.S. Import Demand Surcharge schedule for shipments originating from China, Hong Kong SAR, and Macau SAR, effective June 29, 2026. The previously flat $0.25/lb rate applied uniformly across all services from these origins has been replaced with a tiered structure based on service level. Priority and express services will now carry a higher per-pound rate, while economy services remain unchanged.

Analysis

Under the prior structure (effective May 7, 2026), all FedEx services from China, Hong Kong, and Macau into the U.S. were assessed a uniform $0.25/lb demand surcharge regardless of service type. The June 29 update introduces a two-tier framework: FedEx International First, International Priority Express, International Priority, International Connect Plus, and International Priority Freight will be assessed at $0.35/lb — a $0.10/lb increase — while FedEx International Economy, International Economy Freight, and International Deferred Freight remain at $0.25/lb. All other import surcharges in the schedule are unchanged, including the Asia-Pacific bloc at $0.20/lb and the Middle East/Africa/South Asia (Import Zones K, M, O, South Africa) bloc at $0.70/lb.

Impact on Shippers

Importers receiving FedEx priority or express shipments from China, Hong Kong, or Macau will see a $0.10/lb increase in their per-shipment demand surcharge costs beginning June 29. The impact scales directly with shipment weight and is concentrated among shippers who rely on premium transit services — often those moving higher-value, time-sensitive goods. Shippers using economy services are unaffected. Any shipper with contracted or modeled costs for China-origin inbound volume using priority FedEx services should update their cost assumptions accordingly.

Key Takeaways

💡 FedEx is splitting the China/HK/Macau import demand surcharge by service tier for the first time — priority/express services increase $0.10/lb to $0.35/lb effective June 29, while economy services hold at $0.25/lb.
💡 The change is additive to existing surcharge structures; all other import demand surcharge lanes and rates remain in effect as previously published.
💡 Shippers using FedEx International Priority or express services for China-origin inbound freight should revisit landed cost models and cost-to-serve assumptions ahead of the June 29 effective date.

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