Zone

In parcel shipping, a zone is a geographic pricing band that a carrier uses to determine transit time and base rate — typically defined by the distance or travel days between the shipment's origin ZIP code and destination ZIP code. Most U.S. parcel carriers use Zones 2–8 (or similar), with Zone 2 being the closest and Zone 8 the most distant. Rates increase with zone because longer distances require more handling and line-haul capacity.