Transportation, Freight & Distribution worked example

Freight Cost per Unit at 72% chargeable freight share: a worked example in transportation, freight & distribution

This worked example runs the freight cost per unit numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 72% chargeable freight share instead of the typical 100%. Allocate linehaul, fuel surcharge, accessorials, and fixed shipment cost across units, cases, or pallets to estimate freight cost per shipped unit.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Shipped units: 1,200 units (held at the documented default)
  • Variable freight rate: 0.42 $/unit (held at the documented default)
  • Chargeable freight share: 72 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 100)
  • Fixed shipment charges: 185 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Variable freight cost per unit = shipped units × variable freight rate × chargeable freight share.
  • Total freight cost per unit works out to 548 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Freight cost per shipped unit works out to 0.46 $ / unit at these inputs.
  • Variable freight cost per unit works out to 363 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed charges works out to 185 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where chargeable freight share sits at 100% and the headline result is 689 $, this scenario comes in 20.48% below the baseline at 548 $.
  • Use it when quoting delivered pricing, comparing LTL versus parcel or full-truckload economics, or allocating freight to a costed BOM. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Total freight cost per unit: 548 $ (headline result)
  • Freight cost per shipped unit: 0.46 $ / unit
  • Variable freight cost per unit: 363 $
  • Fixed charges: 185 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Freight Cost per Unit calculator, set chargeable freight share to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.