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3PL Cost Calculator — Total Third-Party Logistics Cost

Calculate your total monthly 3PL cost across all fee categories. Receiving, storage, pick and pack, outbound shipping, and accessorial charges — all in one view.

Quick answer: Typical 3PL costs: Receiving $2–$5/pallet, Storage $8–$20/pallet/month, Pick $0.25–$0.75/line, Pack $1–$3/order, Outbound shipping at carrier rates. Total 3PL cost often runs $4–$8 per order.

🏭 3PL Cost Calculator

Monthly 3PL Cost
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Cost Per Order
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Annual 3PL Spend
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How to Use This Calculator

  1. Enter monthly order volume — and average lines per order.
  2. Enter storage details — average pallet count and the 3PL's monthly storage rate per pallet.
  3. Enter pick and pack rates — from your 3PL quote or contract — per-line pick rate and per-order pack rate.
  4. Add outbound shipping — average shipping cost per order — 3PLs often have negotiated carrier rates.

Worked Example

800 orders/month, 1.8 lines each, 40 pallets at $15, $0.45/line pick, $1.75/order pack, $7.50 outbound, $120 receiving.

  1. Storage: 40 × $15 = $600
  2. Pick: 800 × 1.8 × $0.45 = $648
  3. Pack: 800 × $1.75 = $1,400
  4. Outbound: 800 × $7.50 = $6,000
  5. Total: $120 + $600 + $648 + $1,400 + $6,000 = $8,768/mo
  6. Per order: $10.96

Outbound shipping dominates at 68% of total 3PL cost. Negotiate carrier rates directly and have the 3PL bill at cost — or use your own carrier account if your volume justifies better rates than the 3PL's negotiated rates.

Frequently Asked Questions

At low volumes (under 200 orders/month), 3PL is usually cheaper — no warehouse overhead, staff, or equipment. At high volumes (2,000+ orders/month), self-fulfillment often becomes cheaper. The crossover depends on your product profile, return rate, and local real estate/labour costs. Run both scenarios using this calculator and the Pick & Pack Cost Calculator.

Minimum monthly fees (watch for $1,000–$2,000 minimums that hurt at low volume), rate escalation clauses, contract term and exit penalties, accessorial fee transparency, inventory accuracy guarantees, reporting/WMS access, and SLAs for order processing time. Negotiate annual rate caps and volume discounts.