The cost of shipping a pallet from the United Kingdom to France depends on the postcodes at both ends, the number of pallets, their size, height and taxable weight, the direction and the options you choose; the fuel surcharge is included. For 1 to 3 pallets, the calculator gives the real ex-VAT price in 30 seconds. Customs clearance charges come on top.
The short answer: what sets the price of a pallet to France
The price of a pallet between the United Kingdom and France depends on the route, postcode to postcode, the number of pallets, their size, height and weight, the direction of travel and the options you choose. For 1 to 3 pallets, the calculator turns all of that into an ex-VAT price in 30 seconds, without signing up.
The factors behind the price
Eight variables decide almost every groupage price between the UK and France: the collection and delivery locations, the number of pallets, their floor space, the taxable weight, the direction, the fuel surcharge, the options chosen and, outside the EU, customs clearance, which is charged separately. Full loads swap pallet counts for distance and vehicle type.
| Factor | What it measures | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Route | Collection and delivery postcodes, islands and remote areas | Your sites |
| Pallets | Number of pallets, from 1 to 3 online | You |
| Floor space and height | Space the load takes in the trailer | You: pallet type and packing |
| Taxable weight | The higher of the real weight and a space-based weight | You: density and packing |
| Direction | To France or from France, each with its own rate | Your Incoterm |
| Fuel surcharge | Current fuel indexation, included in the online price | The market |
| Options | Booked delivery, pallet exchange, ad valorem insurance | You |
| Customs clearance | Declarations for the UK and other non-EU countries, not included | Your customs agent |
A real price in 30 seconds, not an estimate
The online price comes from the same pricing engine our customers book with, applied to your exact route and to the size, height and weight of each pallet. It already includes the current fuel surcharge. Each offer shows the carrier, the taxable weight and the collection terms; DHL Freight is priced only on some continental routes.
Pallet count: why two pallets rarely cost double one
A groupage price climbs with the number of pallets, but not in a straight line: the fixed parts of the job, the collection, the crossing and the paperwork, are spread over more pallets. The price per pallet therefore tends to fall as the shipment grows.
Weight versus space: how taxable weight works
The haulier compares the real weight of your shipment with a theoretical weight worked out from the space it takes up, and charges on whichever is higher: the taxable weight. For the online GEODIS price, that theoretical weight is the volume of the pallets in cubic metres multiplied by 250 kg; DHL Freight charges by the loading metre.
In practice, a Euro pallet of foam 1.80 m high (1.73 m³) is charged on about 430 kg, even if it weighs only 90. A dense pallet, by contrast, is charged on its real weight, up to the limit of 800 kg per pallet. The calculator shows the taxable weight used with each offer: height counts as much as footprint.
Each direction has its own rate
A pallet from the UK to France and the same pallet from France to the UK are two different services, each with its own rate: collection networks, crossings and delivery conditions differ. The calculator prices both directions in 30 seconds, which is useful when you are negotiating the Incoterm with a French supplier or customer.
Collection and delivery locations: regions, islands and remote areas
Where the pallet is collected and delivered changes the price as much as the distance. Dense areas near the Channel ports and the Paris region are served efficiently; rural and remote areas add a longer last mile. Islands and some specific locations have their own rate, calculated automatically, or are priced on request.
Customs clearance: the cost outside the online price
Since Brexit, a pallet between the United Kingdom and France needs export and import declarations, and their charges are not included in the online price. The same applies to Gibraltar, Switzerland, Norway and the other non-EU destinations. Ask your customs agent for their charges and add them to the transport price before deciding.
Between Ireland and France there is no customs clearance at all: the online price is the whole transport cost, before any options.
Options that change the price: booked delivery, pallet exchange, insurance
Options answer constraints at one site or the other: a booked delivery slot, pallet exchange and ad valorem insurance are chosen at booking and added to the price. Say also when a site has no dock or forklift. Leaving out a constraint does not make it disappear: the collection or delivery may simply fail.
- Booked delivery slot: required by distribution platforms, retail chains and many sites in the Paris region.
- Ad valorem insurance: 0.8% of the declared value, for goods worth more than the CMR limits cover.
- Private addresses: delivery to a private individual is not offered at the online price.
The fuel surcharge: included in the online price
Diesel is a large share of a lorry’s running cost and its price changes every month, so carriers apply a fuel surcharge revised against an index. The online price already includes the surcharge in force on the day you calculate it, so the price you see is the price you book, before any options.
VAT: ex VAT, with no French VAT outside France
Every online price is shown ex VAT. A business established outside France is invoiced and charged ex VAT, with no French VAT: none applies to a UK business or elsewhere outside the EU, and an Irish or other EU business accounts for the VAT under the reverse charge. A business established in France pays French VAT at 20%.
Hazardous, chilled and oversized freight: on quotation
Some shipments sit outside the online price: more than 3 pallets, dangerous goods under ADR, chilled or frozen goods, loads beyond 800 kg per pallet, 200 cm in height or 400 × 240 cm of floor space, and Malta, Corsica or some islands. A quote request covers them, with a firm price in under 2 working hours.
How to lower the price without taking risks
The best lever is preparation: standard pallets, a controlled height, compact loads, a site with a dock, customs paperwork ready on time and a realistic deadline. Grouping several orders for the same region into one shipment of 2 or 3 pallets usually cuts the cost per pallet, and the calculator compares both options in seconds.
- Use Euro or standard pallets rather than odd sizes that waste trailer space.
- Keep the height and the footprint to what the goods really need.
- Combine orders heading for the same French region.
- Prepare the customs declarations before collection, so the pallet is not held.
What an offer shows, line by line
Each online offer shows the carrier, the ex-VAT price, the taxable weight used, the collection terms and, where relevant, a customs or island notice. Options chosen at booking are added line by line, and the booking confirmation repeats everything. If anything is unclear, ask before you book: a member of our team answers.
Get your price: 30 seconds for 1 to 3 pallets
Enter the direction, the postcodes at both ends and the size, height and weight of each pallet: the ex-VAT price appears in 30 seconds, with no sign-up. For anything larger or more unusual, the quote request takes the same details plus the goods and the site constraints, and a member of our team replies in under 2 working hours.
FAQ
- How much does it cost to send a pallet from the UK to France?
- It depends on the postcodes at both ends, the number of pallets, their size, height and weight, and the direction. Rather than a list price that would rarely match your shipment, the calculator gives the real ex-VAT price for 1 to 3 pallets in 30 seconds, without signing up. Customs clearance charges come on top.
- Is the online price an estimate?
- No. It is calculated by the pricing engine behind all our bookings, from your exact route and the dimensions, height and weight of each pallet, and it includes the current fuel surcharge. Options chosen at booking, such as a booked delivery slot or ad valorem insurance, are added to it; customs clearance charges are paid separately.
- Do I pay French VAT on transport from the UK to France?
- No. A business established outside France is invoiced and charged ex VAT, with no French VAT on the transport. That applies to a UK business as to any business outside the EU; within the EU, as in Ireland, the business accounts for the VAT under the reverse charge with its VAT number.
- Are customs clearance charges included?
- No. Since Brexit, a pallet between the United Kingdom and France needs export and import declarations, and their charges are not included in the online price, although the offer flags the formalities. The same applies to Gibraltar and the other destinations outside the EU customs union. Between Ireland and France, there is no customs clearance at all.
- Is it cheaper to send three pallets together than one at a time?
- Per pallet, usually yes: the fixed parts of the job, collection, crossing and paperwork, are shared, so the price per pallet tends to fall as the shipment grows. Whether waiting is worth it depends on your customer’s deadline. The calculator prices one pallet and three pallets in seconds, so you can compare the two.