We published the Packrift Freight Reality Index — aggregate benchmarks for what shipping packaging actually costs in the US, built from live carrier quotes across parcel and LTL.
Three findings stand out. First, the median parcel-quoted shipment runs about $35, while the LTL floor sits near $179 — the gap that quietly decides how packaging gets ordered. Second, on 73% of quoted shipments, freight equals at least half the product's price; on 43% it matches or exceeds it. If you've ever wondered why bulky packaging feels expensive online, that's the number. Third, the parcel-to-LTL crossover starts earlier than most buyers expect: by the 45–70 lb band, LTL already wins about one shipment in five, and oversized double-wall flips to LTL below 30 lb of scale weight.
The full page includes the six-band weight table with medians and interquartile ranges, a 10-region cost index, the crossover analysis, and the methodology. It refreshes quarterly; the dataset summary is published under CC BY 4.0 — cite it freely with attribution.