Quick Answer: Courier shipping from the USA to Honduras is priced on chargeable weight, not box size: the greater of actual kilos or volumetric weight (L×W×H in cm ÷ 5000). Add fuel surcharge, remote-area fees for Roatán, plus 15% ISV and DAI duty on CIF value. Express delivery runs 2-5 business days.
- Your price is set by chargeable weight — the greater of actual weight or volumetric weight (cm³ ÷ 5000), not by what your bathroom scale says.
- Honduras charges DAI import duty (0-15% for most goods) plus 15% ISV sales tax, both calculated on the CIF value plus duty.
- CAFTA-DR can drop DAI to 0% on qualifying US-origin goods when you include a valid certificate of origin.
- Above roughly 70-100 kg, air freight beats courier on cost per kilo; above 2-3 CBM, LCL ocean through Puerto Cortés wins.
This guide breaks down every line that lands on a Honduras courier invoice, from the volumetric divisor to the SAR tax assessment. The courier calculator Honduras tool embedded on this page runs the same math against live rates from your actual ZIP code.
Get your instant quote
Compare FCL, LCL, Air, and Courier rates in seconds — no email required.
Go to the calculator →Reference prices: shipping a box from the USA to Honduras
| Departure port | 10 kg | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Miami | $235 | 1 day |
| Houston | $235 | 1 day |
| New Jersey | $235 | 1 day |
| Los Angeles | $235 | 1 day |
One 10 kg (40 × 30 × 30 cm) box, door to door, to Honduras, in USD, quoted with our system on September 28, 2026; excludes import taxes. The calculator on this page prices your box. The calculator on this page gives your exact price, with pickup and delivery.
Shipping from another state? Which port to read
Each port in the table is the one that cargo from these states usually leaves through. Miami: Florida. Houston: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. New Jersey: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia and West Virginia. Los Angeles: California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Hawaii. Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama ship through Savannah; Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota ship through Chicago (rail); Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska ship through Seattle / Tacoma: those ports are not in the table yet. We pick up in every state, and the calculator finds the best port from your city.
How much does it cost to ship a package to Honduras?
Quick Answer: Courier cost to Honduras depends on four inputs: chargeable weight, service level, destination city, and declared value. A 2 kg document pouch prices very differently from a 2 kg pillow-sized box. The calculator on this page prices your exact box against live carrier and consolidator rates in seconds.
Four variables drive every quote. Miss one and your estimate drifts badly.
- Chargeable weight — the greater of actual or volumetric weight, the single biggest lever on price.
- Origin ZIP code — a pickup in Hialeah costs less to move than one in rural Montana.
- Destination city — Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are base-rate destinations; the Bay Islands are not.
- Declared value — this sets the CIF base for DAI duty and 15% ISV, plus any insurance line.
Why 5 kg of sneakers costs more than 5 kg of tools
Sneakers are light and bulky. Tools are heavy and dense. A courier charges for the space your carton occupies on the aircraft, so the sneaker box bills at its volumetric weight while the tool box bills at actual weight.
That single rule explains most "why is my quote so high" questions we field. Density wins.
Express versus economy consolidation
Express carriers price per kilo with a high minimum charge. That minimum makes a 0.5 kg envelope expensive per kilo but competitive in absolute dollars.
Economy consolidation through a Miami forwarder works the other way. Heavier and denser boxes get the best cost per kilo, because fixed handling costs spread across more weight.
DHL Express, FedEx International Priority and UPS Worldwide all divide cubic centimeters by 5,000 to get volumetric kilos on international express lanes. In inches, the divisor is 139.
Roatán, Guanaja, Utila and La Mosquitia carry remote-area surcharges on top of base rates. Comparison tools like Easyship's USA to Honduras rate calculator show the spread between carriers, but they price from a default origin. Our embedded tool at #quote-calc prices your origin, not a Miami-only default.
Get your instant quote
Compare FCL, LCL, Air, and Courier rates in seconds — no email required.
Go to the calculator →How do I calculate volumetric weight for a shipment to Honduras?
Quick Answer: Volumetric weight is the space your box occupies converted into a weight figure. Multiply length × width × height in centimeters, then divide by 5000. In inches, divide by 139. Carriers bill the greater of actual weight or volumetric weight. That result is your chargeable weight.
Run the formula before you book. It takes thirty seconds and prevents invoice surprises.
- Measure the outer carton at its widest points, including tape bulges and handles.
- Multiply length × width × height in centimeters to get cubic centimeters.
- Divide by 5,000 for metric volumetric kilos. Using inches? Divide by 139 for volumetric pounds.
- Compare the volumetric figure to the actual scale weight.
- Use the higher number — that is your chargeable weight and the figure you enter in the calculator.
Worked example: a 40 × 30 × 30 cm box
Say your box measures 40 × 30 × 30 cm and weighs 4 kg on the scale. Multiply: 40 × 30 × 30 = 36,000 cm³.
Divide 36,000 by 5,000 and you get 7.2 volumetric kilos. Actual weight is 4 kg. You pay for 7.2 kg — nearly double what your scale showed.
Most carriers then round up to the next 0.5 kg increment after the comparison. So 7.2 kg bills as 7.5 kg.
Pro Tip
Downsize the carton, not the contents. Cutting a 40 × 30 × 30 cm box down to 35 × 28 × 22 cm drops volumetric weight from 7.2 kg to 4.3 kg. On a 5-box shipment to San Pedro Sula, that repack pays for itself several times over. Carriers re-measure at the hub with laser dimensioners, and reweigh charges follow automatically.
What is a courier calculator and how accurate is it?
Quick Answer: A courier calculator is a tool that converts your box dimensions, weight, origin and destination into a live shipping price. Accuracy depends on your inputs. Enter true dimensions and honest declared value and the quote holds. Wrong measurements trigger reweigh charges that appear on the final invoice.
A good courier calculator Honduras tool prices the freight side precisely. It estimates the tax side, because a foreign customs authority makes the final call.
What the calculator prices exactly
- Base freight for your chargeable weight and service level
- Fuel surcharge, typically 15-25% depending on the carrier's monthly index
- Security and screening fees applied to air cargo
- Remote-area surcharge where the postal code triggers one
What it can only estimate
DAI duty and 15% ISV are estimates until clearance. The SAR assigns the final SAC tariff classification, and that code sets the duty rate. Two similar products can land in different headings.
Quotes and invoices also diverge for mundane reasons: reweigh at the hub, address correction fees, residential versus commercial delivery, and duty billed on delivery under DAP terms.
Our calculator differs from a single carrier's own tool in one important way. It compares express, economy consolidation and air freight for the same box, side by side. For a look at how document-only pricing logic works on a different lane, see our Free Courier Documents Calculator: USA to Peru 2026.
Under-declaring value backfires
Declaring a $400 laptop at $50 to shrink the ISV bill is the most common mistake we see on the Honduras lane. The SAR maintains reference valuation databases. A rejected declared value triggers reassessment, a penalty, and days of delay — and your insurance claim caps at the declared figure if the parcel is lost.
DHL vs FedEx vs UPS vs Correos vs forwarder: which is cheapest to Honduras?
Quick Answer: No single carrier wins at every weight. Express carriers dominate under 2 kg on speed. Postal services win on very light, low-value parcels. A Miami consolidator usually wins from 5 kg upward, especially on bulky boxes, because consolidated rates spread fixed costs across many shippers.
Here is how the five main options behave across common weight brackets to Tegucigalpa.
| Service | Transit days | Min. chargeable weight | Best weight band | DDP capable | Best use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DHL Express Worldwide | 2-4 | 0.5 kg | 0.5-5 kg | Yes | Urgent documents, samples, high-value electronics |
| FedEx International Priority | 2-5 | 0.5 kg | 0.5-10 kg | Yes | Time-critical commercial parcels with full tracking |
| UPS Worldwide Expedited | 3-6 | 0.5 kg | 2-20 kg | Yes | Mid-weight B2B shipments, scheduled pickups |
| USPS / EMS → Correos de Honduras | 8-20 | Per-ounce bands | Under 2 kg | No | Low-value personal parcels where speed is irrelevant |
| Miami forwarder consolidation | 5-12 | Varies by program | 5 kg and up | Yes | Multiple boxes, bulky goods, e-commerce restock |
Express carriers
DHL, FedEx and UPS build customs brokerage into the rate. Their agents clear the parcel at the SAR and deliver door to door. Tracking is event-level from pickup to signature. You pay a premium per kilo, and the minimum charge makes light parcels costly on a per-kilo basis. Under 2 kg, that premium is usually worth it.
Miami consolidator
A forwarder gathers multiple boxes into one shipment with one customs entry. That means one set of handling and brokerage fees instead of five. Transit is slower because the consolidation window has to close. On bulky, low-density cargo from 5 kg upward, the cost per kilo drops well below express list rates.
Postal shipments hand off to Correos de Honduras at the border. Clearance slows down, tracking goes quiet, and there is no DDP option. Package-forwarding services published by operators such as Viabox's US to Honduras shipping guidelines and Meest's Honduras delivery service sit between these two models.
Readers comparing Caribbean box lanes will find similar economics in our Boxes to Haiti Shipping Calculator: 2026 Rates from $89 guide.
Get your instant quote
Compare FCL, LCL, Air, and Courier rates in seconds — no email required.
Go to the calculator →Do I have to pay customs duty on a package sent to Honduras?
Quick Answer: Yes, most commercial parcels entering Honduras pay DAI import duty plus 15% ISV sales tax. Both are calculated on the CIF value — goods, freight and insurance combined — with ISV applied after duty. Low-value personal gifts may clear under the de minimis threshold administered by the SAR.
Two taxes matter. Learn how they stack and you can predict most of your landed cost.
DAI and ISV explained
DAI is the Derecho Arancelario a la Importación — the import duty. Rates sit at 0% on many raw materials and capital goods, and typically 5-15% on finished consumer goods. Specific categories run higher.
ISV is the Impuesto Sobre Ventas, Honduras' value-added tax at 15%. It applies to CIF value plus DAI plus applicable fees. ISV is calculated after duty, never alongside it.
The math on a $100 CIF shipment
| Line | Basis | Rate | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIF value | Goods + freight + insurance | — | 100.00 |
| DAI import duty | CIF | 10% | 10.00 |
| Taxable base for ISV | CIF + DAI | — | 110.00 |
| ISV sales tax | CIF + DAI | 15% | 16.50 |
| Total tax burden | — | — | 26.50 |
That is a worked example showing the math, not an AB Group charge. Your actual rate depends on the SAC code assigned at clearance.
Who assesses and who collects
The SAR (Servicio de Administración de Rentas) administers tax collection in Honduras, taking over functions previously handled by the DEI. Customs valuation and classification determine the bill.
- Commercial imports: an RTN (Registro Tributario Nacional) is required for the importer of record.
- Individual consignees: clear with a cédula de identidad or passport number.
- Commercial invoice: one line per item, with unit value, quantity and SAC code where known.
- Certificate of origin: needed only if you claim CAFTA-DR preference.
These are Honduran published rates, not AB Group charges
DAI bands and the 15% ISV are set by Honduran law and applied by the SAR. AB Group Shipping is a freight forwarder, not a customs authority or legal counsel. Confirm your product's SAC classification and applicable rate with a licensed Honduran customs broker before you commit to a landed-cost figure for a customer.
What is CAFTA-DR and can it eliminate duty on US goods?
Quick Answer: CAFTA-DR is the free trade agreement between the United States, Central America and the Dominican Republic. Qualifying US-origin goods enter Honduras at 0% DAI duty when accompanied by a valid certificate of origin. ISV at 15% still applies. The exemption covers duty only, never the sales tax.
CAFTA-DR is the most underused savings lever on this lane. It is also the most frequently botched.
Which goods qualify
Goods must be wholly obtained in the US, or sufficiently transformed under the rule of origin for their specific tariff heading. Repackaging in Miami does not count as transformation.
The certificate of origin has no prescribed government form. A signed declaration carrying the required data elements — exporter, importer, description, tariff classification and origin criterion — satisfies the requirement.
The mistake that triggers penalties
Goods manufactured in China, warehoused in Miami, then declared as US origin will fail. The SAR checks. A rejected claim means full duty assessed plus a penalty, and the shipment sits while it is resolved.
Pro Tip
Do the arithmetic before you paperwork. On a parcel with $200 of goods facing 10% DAI, the claim saves $20. If preparing and certifying the origin declaration costs you an hour of staff time, skip it. On a $4,000 consolidated e-commerce restock, the same claim saves $400 and is always worth filing. Our rough threshold: file the certificate above roughly $500 in CIF value.
Remember what CAFTA-DR does not waive: the 15% ISV, customs handling fees and the brokerage line on your invoice all stay.
How does DDP vs DAP change your Honduras calculator result?
Quick Answer: DDP means the sender pays duty and ISV up front; DAP means the receiver pays on delivery. The freight line looks cheaper under DAP, but the total landed cost is identical. DDP simply moves the tax bill from the consignee to the shipper and adds a disbursement fee.
Incoterms 2020 decides who pays what and who carries the risk. For parcels, five terms matter.
| Incoterm | Who pays freight | Who pays DAI | Who pays ISV | Who pays brokerage | Clearance risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXW (Ex Works) | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer |
| FOB (Free On Board) | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer |
| CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) | Seller | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer |
| DAP (Delivered At Place) | Seller | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer |
| DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller |
DDP — seller pays everything
Your Honduran customer receives the parcel with nothing left to pay. That is a strong conversion tool for e-commerce. The catch: you carry Honduran import-side liability, including valuation disputes with the SAR. Carriers also add a disbursement or advancement fee for fronting the tax. The calculator output includes an estimated tax block under DDP.
DAP — receiver pays on delivery
DAP is the default for most express parcels to Honduras. The courier collects DAI and ISV from the consignee before release. Your freight quote looks cheaper because the tax block sits outside the quote. Total landed cost is the same. The risk is customer surprise — a buyer who refuses the tax bill leaves you paying return freight.
Get your instant quote
Compare FCL, LCL, Air, and Courier rates in seconds — no email required.
Go to the calculator →How long does DHL take to deliver to Tegucigalpa?
Quick Answer: DHL Express typically delivers from the USA to Tegucigalpa in 2-4 business days, door to door, customs clearance included. San Pedro Sula runs the same or one day faster because of Ramón Villeda Morales airport. Roatán and remote departments add 1-3 days and a surcharge.
| Destination | Express days | Economy / consolidation days | Remote-area surcharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tegucigalpa (Francisco Morazán) | 2-4 | 7-14 | No |
| San Pedro Sula (Cortés) | 2-3 | 6-12 | No |
| La Ceiba (Atlántida) | 3-5 | 8-15 | Sometimes |
| Choluteca | 3-5 | 8-15 | Sometimes |
| Comayagua | 3-5 | 8-14 | No |
| Roatán / Guanaja / Utila | 4-7 | 10-18 | Yes |
Your origin changes the clock
Miami and Houston feed Honduras with daily lift. Everywhere else adds a domestic leg to the gateway first.
- Florida → Miami, the shortest and most frequent lane to both Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula.
- Texas and the central states → Houston, strong for Puerto Cortés ocean and air.
- California and the Southwest → Los Angeles/Long Beach, add one domestic day.
- The Northeast → New York/New Jersey, add one to two days before the international leg.
- The Midwest → rail or road to Chicago, then a gateway connection.
- Pacific Northwest → Seattle, then southbound routing.
Pro Tip
Flight time is not the variable — clearance is. An incomplete or vague commercial invoice adds 24-72 hours at the SAR while an officer requests better description. Write "12 men's cotton t-shirts, size L, $8.50 each" instead of "clothing". With thousands of shipments processed across the USA–Latin America corridor, invoice quality is the single best predictor of on-time delivery.
Bay Islands reality: Roatán, Guanaja and Utila sit in remote-area postal codes for every express carrier. La Mosquitia often requires a local handoff beyond the courier's network.
What items are prohibited from being shipped to Honduras?
Quick Answer: Honduras prohibits narcotics, weapons and ammunition, counterfeit goods, and certain used clothing imports. Restricted categories requiring permits include medicines, food products, agricultural items, drones, and telecom equipment. Shipping a prohibited item risks seizure, fines, and permanent loss of the parcel with no carrier liability.
Flat prohibitions
- Narcotics and controlled substances
- Firearms, ammunition and explosives
- Counterfeit and pirated goods — a common seizure trigger on e-commerce parcels
- Pornographic material
Restricted — permit required
- Pharmaceuticals and supplements: health authority registration and permit.
- Food and agricultural products: SENASA sanitary clearance.
- Plants, seeds and live animals: phytosanitary or veterinary certificates.
- Drones, radios and telecom devices: CONATEL clearance may apply.
- Lithium batteries: IATA dangerous goods rules govern air transport, including state-of-charge limits.
Used clothing is a regulated category in Honduras. Commercial volumes attract scrutiny and may face sanitary requirements. Personal effects in small quantities are treated differently from bales.
"Gift" is not a description
Writing "gift", "samples" or "personal items" on the commercial invoice is the fastest route to physical inspection at the SAR. Every line needs an item description, quantity, unit value and, where possible, the SAC code. Vague invoices also void CAFTA-DR claims, because the officer cannot match the goods to a tariff heading.
When should you switch from courier to air freight or ocean LCL?
Quick Answer: Switch to air freight above roughly 70-100 kg, where cost per kilo drops sharply against express rates. Switch to LCL ocean above 2-3 CBM, routed through Puerto Cortés. Courier stays best for small, urgent, high-value parcels where door-to-door speed outweighs cost per kilo.
| Mode | Cost per kg trend | Transit days | Minimum chargeable | Documents required | Best use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courier (express) | Highest, flat by band | 2-5 | 0.5 kg | Commercial invoice, waybill | Urgent parcels under 70 kg |
| Air freight | Drops sharply above 100 kg | 3-7 | 45-100 kg typical | AWB, invoice, packing list | Heavy, time-sensitive cargo |
| LCL ocean | Lowest per kg, priced per CBM | 4-8 on water + clearance | 1 CBM / 1,000 kg W/M | B/L, invoice, packing list, certificate of origin | Bulky, non-urgent, 2 CBM and up |
Air freight to Honduras
Air moves airport to airport on an Air Waybill (AWB), not door to door. You add a local Honduran customs broker and arrange pickup at Toncontín or Ramón Villeda Morales. The trade-off is real: you manage two more vendors, but cost per kilo falls dramatically above 100 kg.
LCL ocean through Puerto Cortés
Weekly sailings run from Miami and Houston to Puerto Cortés, roughly 4-8 days on water. Add deconsolidation at the CFS and SAR clearance. Puerto Castilla and San Lorenzo serve as secondary gateways — San Lorenzo on the Pacific side is useful for southern Honduras deliveries around Choluteca.
Miami(USMIA)
Puerto Cortés(HNPCR)
Houston(USHOU)
Puerto Cortés(HNPCR)
The LCL cost logic is identical across Central American lanes — our LCL Shipping Miami to Panama 2026: Small Business Cost Calculator and Transit Times guide walks through the per-CBM math in detail.
Adding a vehicle to your Honduras move? Start with our Car Shipping to Honduras Calculator: $1,150+ (2026), then compare global lanes in the International Car Shipping Calculator: 2026 Rates.
Get your instant quote
Compare FCL, LCL, Air, and Courier rates in seconds — no email required.
Go to the calculator →Price your Honduras parcel now
Quick Answer: Enter your carton dimensions, weight, origin ZIP and Honduran destination city into the calculator on this page. It returns express, economy consolidation and air freight options side by side. No email required, no sales call, and it prices your real origin rather than a Miami default.
Measure the box at its widest points. Enter honest declared value. Pick your destination city — the Bay Islands price differently from Tegucigalpa.
Use the courier calculator Honduras tool embedded above at #quote-calc to compare every option for your exact shipment in seconds. For breakbulk, oversized cargo or dangerous goods, the same anchor opens a custom quote request handled by our operations team.
It depends on chargeable weight, destination city and service level, not on what your scale reads. A dense 2 kg box and a bulky 2 kg box price very differently because carriers bill the greater of actual or volumetric weight. Enter your exact dimensions in the calculator on this page for a real number in seconds.
For parcels under about 2 kg, postal service through Correos de Honduras is usually cheapest but slowest. From roughly 5 kg upward, a Miami consolidator normally beats DHL, FedEx and UPS list rates, especially on bulky boxes. Compare all three options in the calculator before you book.
Yes, in most cases. Honduras applies DAI import duty plus 15% ISV sales tax on the CIF value of imported goods, with ISV calculated after duty. Low-value personal gifts may clear under the de minimis threshold, and qualifying US-origin goods can reach 0% duty under CAFTA-DR with a valid certificate of origin.
Multiply length by width by height in centimeters, then divide by 5000. In inches, divide by 139 instead. Compare that figure to the actual weight and the higher number becomes your chargeable weight, which is what DHL, FedEx and UPS bill you for.
DHL Express typically takes 2-4 business days door to door from the USA to Tegucigalpa, including customs clearance. San Pedro Sula often clears a day faster. Roatán, Guanaja, Utila and La Mosquitia add one to three days plus a remote-area surcharge.
Guides for shipping to Honduras
- Car Shipping to Honduras Calculator: Instant Quotes (2026) · Car shipping calculator
- Honduras Container Calculator: Instant Quotes, 2026 · Container (FCL) calculator