Canada Post vs FedEx

Canada Post and FedEx compared for parcels within Canada: delivery times, PO boxes and rural routes, size limits, weekends and claim deadlines.

Checked against both carriers’ own pages on October 11, 2026

Short answer. Canada Post delivers to PO boxes and rural mailboxes, and Regular Parcel suits light parcels that can take a few days. FedEx takes parcels up to 150 lb, offers two-day and next-day delivery by 5 p.m. at businesses, and delivers Ground parcels to homes on Saturdays in big cities in six provinces. Canada Post is joining ProtonShip quotes soon.

Canada Post and FedEx side by side

Topic	Canada Post	FedEx
Services	Regular Parcel, Expedited Parcel, Xpresspost, Priority	Ground, 2Day, Standard Overnight
Fastest service	Priority, its fastest service	Standard Overnight, by 5:00 pm, 8:00 pm to homes
Heaviest parcel	66 lb	150 lb
Longest side	78 in	108 in
Length + girth	118 in	165 in Ground · 130 in Express
Dimensional weight	L × W × H ÷ 166 Regular Parcel · ÷ 139 others	L × W × H ÷ 139
Signature on delivery	Available	Available
Weekends	Monday to Friday. Weekend delivery is starting in parts of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, on a day Canada Post picks	FedEx Ground delivers to homes on Saturdays in big cities in six provinces; no Sundays
PO boxes	Delivers to PO boxes and general delivery	Doesn't deliver to the box; FedEx Express holds the parcel at a FedEx location
Rural addresses	Every address in Canada, it says, rural mailboxes included	Rural routes accepted with the receiver's area code and phone number
Territories	Served, with northern and remote points taking 5 to 14 business days	Ground and 2Day reach all three; Ground stops at 70 lb there
Claim deadline	90 days after shipping, for loss or damage	Damage: 21 days after delivery. Loss: 9 months after shipping
Who files a claim	The sender only, and refunds go to the account that paid	Sender, recipient or a third party can file; FedEx pays the sender
Drop-off	Post offices, plus driver pickup for Solutions for Small Business accounts	FedEx Ship Centres, Staples and other authorized locations, and drop boxes
Good for	PO boxes, rural mailboxes and small, light parcels	Two-day and next-day delivery by a set time, and Saturday ground delivery to homes

Choose Canada Post when

The address is a PO box or general delivery, which FedEx doesn't deliver to.
The parcel is light and can take a few days. Regular Parcel divides by 166, where FedEx divides by 139.
The recipient is on a rural mail route, where Canada Post leaves parcels in the mailbox or brings them to the door.
Damage might show weeks later. Canada Post gives 90 days from shipping, and FedEx 21 days from delivery.

Choose FedEx when

The parcel is over 66 lb or longer than 78 inches. FedEx takes up to 150 lb and 108 inches.
It needs a set delivery time: by 5 p.m. at a business the next business day with FedEx Standard Overnight, or within two with FedEx 2Day.
It's a ground parcel to a home in a big city in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec or Saskatchewan, where FedEx Ground can deliver on a Saturday.

Canada Post is joining ProtonShip quotes soon. Until then, a ProtonShip quote shows FedEx next to UniUni, Purolator and UPS.

Delivery times

FedEx sets a time of day on its express services. FedEx Standard Overnight arrives by 5 p.m. at businesses and 8 p.m. at homes the next business day, and FedEx 2Day in one to two business days by the same times. FedEx Ground takes one to seven business days. Canada Post publishes no time of day for any service, and delivers to homes between 9 a.m. and as late as 8 p.m.

Canada Post’s own standards between major urban areas run from next day for Priority to four to ten business days for Regular Parcel across the country, with Xpresspost at two days and Expedited Parcel at two to eight days nationally. Outside major urban areas they stretch, up to 5 to 14 business days to northern and remote points.

Canada Post’s On-Time Delivery Guarantee covers Priority, Xpresspost and Expedited Parcel against those standards, but not Regular Parcel or parcels to or from air stage offices.

Size and weight

FedEx takes parcels up to 150 lb and 108 inches long, with length plus girth up to 165 inches on Ground and 130 on its express services. FedEx Ground stops at 70 lb to Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Canada Post stops at 30 kg (66 lb), 2 m (78 in) on the longest side and 3 m (118 in) in length plus girth.

FedEx divides length × width × height in inches by 139 on every service, after rounding each side up to the next whole inch. Canada Post divides by 166 for Regular Parcel and 139 for its other services. A 14 × 10 × 6 inch box that weighs 2 lb comes to 5.1 lb by Regular Parcel and 6.0 lb by FedEx or Canada Post’s faster services, so a box like that bills at its dimensional weight, well above the 2 lb on the scale. Try yours in the parcel size calculator.

PO boxes and rural addresses

Canada Post delivers to PO boxes and general delivery. FedEx doesn’t deliver to the box: FedEx Express holds a parcel addressed to one at a FedEx location for the recipient to collect, and its delivery commitment no longer applies.

On rural routes, Canada Post leaves parcels in the mail receptacle or tries the door within 500 m of the route. FedEx needs the receiver’s area code and phone number on a rural route, concession or side road address. Both reach the territories: FedEx Ground and 2Day go to all three, and Canada Post takes 5 to 14 business days to northern and remote points. FedEx charges more for homes and for remote and rural points; Canada Post lists no separate charge for either.

Weekends

FedEx Ground delivers to homes on Saturdays at no extra cost in major urban centres in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Canada Post is starting weekend delivery in select areas of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, on a Saturday or a Sunday that it picks for each area. Elsewhere Canada Post delivers Monday to Friday, and FedEx doesn’t deliver on Sundays. FedEx’s Saturday option on its express services isn’t sold through ProtonShip yet. See which carriers deliver on weekends.

Claims

Canada Post gives 90 days after shipping to claim for loss or damage, and pays only the sender. FedEx gives 21 days after delivery for damage or missing contents and nine months after shipping for loss, and it pays the sender too. So Canada Post leaves more time for damage, and FedEx for a lost parcel.

Both deal with the account that bought the label. FedEx says a business that resells its shipping is the shipper and handles the claims, and Canada Post refunds the account that paid. So a ProtonShip label is claimed through ProtonShip. See how to file a FedEx claim and coverage and claims at ProtonShip.

Drop-off

Canada Post takes parcels at post offices, where a parcel left on a weekend counts as deposited the next business day, and Priority can’t go in a street letter box. FedEx takes them at FedEx Ship Centres, at authorized locations in Staples, Kent and Super C stores, and in drop boxes, which aren’t emptied on Saturdays.

Which costs less?

Neither is cheaper every time. Canada Post’s Regular Parcel bills a light, bulky box at less weight and lists no separate charge for homes, which FedEx adds. FedEx is the only one of the two for a parcel over 66 lb or a set delivery time. Distance and speed move both prices.

Once Canada Post joins ProtonShip quotes, one quote will price both for your parcel, with fuel and the surcharges known at booking already included. Until then, a quote compares FedEx with UniUni, Purolator and UPS.

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Questions about Canada Post and FedEx

Does FedEx deliver to PO boxes in Canada?

Not to the box itself. FedEx Express accepts parcels addressed to a PO box and holds them at a FedEx location for the recipient to collect. Canada Post delivers to PO boxes and general delivery.

Is FedEx faster than Canada Post?

FedEx sets a time of day: Standard Overnight by 5 p.m. at businesses the next business day, and 2Day within one to two business days. Canada Post's Priority is next day between major urban areas, but Canada Post publishes no time of day.

Do Canada Post and FedEx deliver on weekends?

FedEx Ground delivers to homes on Saturdays in big cities in six provinces. Canada Post is starting Saturday or Sunday delivery in parts of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. FedEx doesn't deliver on Sundays.

Which is cheaper, Canada Post or FedEx?

It depends on the parcel. Canada Post's Regular Parcel bills light, bulky boxes at less weight and lists no separate charge for homes, which FedEx adds. Weight, size, distance and speed decide it, and one ProtonShip quote will price both once Canada Post joins.

Sources, checked October 11, 2026

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