Canada Post Expedited Parcel
Canada Post Expedited Parcel is for business accounts only. Its delivery standards, on-time guarantee and limits, with Regular Parcel compared.
Checked against Canada Post’s own pages on . How we check
Short answer. Expedited Parcel is Canada Post's ground service for businesses: it's sold only to Solutions for Small Business cardholders and contract customers. It takes 1 to 2 business days locally and 2 to 8 across Canada between major cities, with tracking, an on-time guarantee and liability coverage included.
Canada Post Expedited Parcel at a glance
- Who can buy it
- Business accounts only
- Delivery standard
- 1 to 2 days locally, 2 to 8 across Canada
- On-time guarantee
- Included, except air stage offices
- Tracking
- Included
- Coverage
- Included
- PO boxes
- Delivered
Size and weight
- Heaviest parcel
- 66 lb
- Longest side
- 78 in
- Length + girth
- 118 in
- Dimensional weight
- L × W × H ÷ 139
What Expedited Parcel is
Expedited Parcel is Canada Post’s ground service for businesses. In Canada Post’s words it is “a cost-effective ground shipping service available to customers with a Standing Offer Agreement and to Solutions for Small Business cardholders only.”
That makes it the one Canada Post parcel service you can’t buy at a post office counter as a member of the public. Canada Post’s consumer price guide has no domestic Expedited Parcel prices; at the counter the choices are Regular Parcel, Xpresspost and Priority. On speed, Expedited Parcel sits between Regular Parcel and Xpresspost.
How long Expedited Parcel takes
Canada Post publishes these delivery standards for Expedited Parcel, in business days.
| Distance | Major urban centres | Other areas | Northern and remote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 2 days | 6 to 7 days |
| Regional | 1 to 4 days | 2 to 5 days | 6 to 14 days |
| National | 2 to 8 days | 4 to 12 days | 6 to 14 days |
The count starts the day after mailing and leaves out weekends and statutory holidays. Expedited Parcel carries Canada Post’s On-Time Delivery Guarantee: if a parcel arrives late, Canada Post offers replacement service or a credit equal to the shipping charges. The guarantee doesn’t apply to parcels sent to or from air stage offices, the post offices in remote communities that Canada Post serves by air, and Canada Post may change it during peak periods or suspend it for events outside its control, such as severe weather or a labour disruption.
Size limits and dimensional weight
The limits are Canada Post’s standard ones: up to 30 kg (66 lb), no side longer than 2 m (78.7 in), and length plus girth up to 3 m (118 in). Any side over 1 m (39.4 in), or a second-longest side over 76 cm (30 in), adds an additional handling charge, and a parcel over 22.7 kg (50 lb) needs an Overweight Parcels sticker.
Expedited Parcel divides the volume by 139 in inches (5,000 in centimetres) for dimensional weight, the same as Xpresspost and Priority. Regular Parcel divides by 166. So an 18 × 14 × 10 in box weighing 6 lb bills at about 18.1 lb by Expedited Parcel and about 15.2 lb by Regular Parcel. For a dense parcel the divisor makes no difference; for a light, bulky one, compare both before you choose. The parcel size calculator shows the figures for any box.
Weekends and holidays
Canada Post delivers parcels Monday to Friday. It is starting weekend parcel delivery in select areas of Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal, where eligible parcels to homes may arrive on a Saturday or a Sunday; Canada Post chooses the day for each area, and senders can’t request it. Businesses that close on weekends and PO boxes aren’t included. Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver are planned for 2027.
The days Canada Post closes are in our Canada Post holiday schedule, and our Canada Post weekend delivery guide lists the weekend areas.
Addresses it reaches
Expedited Parcel goes anywhere Canada Post delivers, which it describes as every residential and business address in Canada, PO boxes and general delivery included. Northern and remote destinations take longer, as the table shows, and parcels to air stage offices travel without the on-time guarantee.
Batteries and restricted items
Canada Post treats Expedited Parcel and Regular Parcel as its surface services. That matters for lithium batteries: loose batteries, or batteries packed with equipment but not installed in it, can only go by a surface service, never by Xpresspost or Priority. Damaged or recalled batteries can’t be mailed at all. See our prohibited and restricted items for the rules across all five carriers.
Tracking and claims
Tracking, the on-time guarantee and some liability coverage are included. A signature on delivery is an option at an extra charge. Canada Post takes claims for loss or damage within 90 calendar days of the shipping date, from the sender. Details are in lost or damaged parcels: claim deadlines by carrier.
When to choose another Canada Post service
- Regular Parcel is slower and has no on-time guarantee, but its 166 divisor bills light, bulky boxes at a lower weight.
- Xpresspost arrives the next business day locally and regionally between major urban centres, and in 2 days nationally.
- Priority is guaranteed for the next business day between major urban centres.
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Questions about Canada Post Expedited Parcel
Who can use Canada Post Expedited Parcel?
Only customers with a Standing Offer Agreement and Solutions for Small Business cardholders. At a post office counter, the public can send Regular Parcel, Xpresspost or Priority instead.
How long does Expedited Parcel take?
Between major urban centres, Canada Post's standard is 1 to 2 business days locally, 1 to 4 regionally and 2 to 8 nationally. Other areas take up to 12 business days, and northern and remote destinations 6 to 14.
Is Expedited Parcel guaranteed?
Yes. It carries Canada Post's On-Time Delivery Guarantee, with replacement service or a credit equal to the shipping charges if it's late. The guarantee doesn't cover parcels to or from air stage offices, and Canada Post can change it in peak periods.
What's the difference between Expedited Parcel and Regular Parcel?
Expedited Parcel is faster on most routes and includes the on-time guarantee and liability coverage. Regular Parcel is Canada Post's most economical service, sold to everyone, and divides by 166 rather than 139 for dimensional weight.
Canada Post’s services side by side
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