Canada Post vs Purolator

Canada Post and Purolator compared: delivery standards and times, PO boxes, size limits, dimensional weight, weekends and claim deadlines.

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

Short answer. Canada Post delivers to PO boxes and says it reaches every address in Canada, and its Regular Parcel suits small, light parcels that aren't urgent. Purolator takes heavier and bigger boxes and delivers next morning by a set time at select points, but it doesn't deliver to PO boxes. Canada Post is joining ProtonShip quotes soon.

Canada Post and Purolator side by side

Topic	Canada Post	Purolator
Services	Regular Parcel, Expedited Parcel, Xpresspost, Priority	Ground, Express, Express 10:30 AM, Express 9 AM
Fastest service	Priority, its fastest service	Express 9 AM, by 9:00 am
Heaviest parcel	66 lb	70 lb
Longest side	78 in	108 in Ground · 96 in Express
Length + girth	118 in	165 in Ground · 144 in Express
Dimensional weight	L × W × H ÷ 166 Regular Parcel · ÷ 139 others	L × W × H ÷ 139 Ground · ÷ 115 Express
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	Saturday Service on Express for Friday pickups, and no standard Sunday delivery
PO boxes	Delivers to PO boxes and general delivery	Doesn't deliver to PO boxes
Rural addresses	Every address in Canada, it says, rural mailboxes included	Every Canadian postal code, it says; guarantees stop at remote points
Territories	Served, with northern and remote points taking 5 to 14 business days	Served by ground and express
Claim deadline	90 days after shipping, for loss or damage	Loss: 9 months after shipping. Damage: 60 days, or 21 if found after delivery
Who files a claim	The sender only, and refunds go to the account that paid	Only the party that pays Purolator for the shipment
Drop-off	Post offices, plus driver pickup for Solutions for Small Business accounts	More than 3,000 shipping centres, agents, kiosks and lockers, plus pickups
Good for	PO boxes, rural mailboxes and small, light parcels	Business deliveries, rural addresses and next-morning delivery by a set time

Choose Canada Post when

The address is a PO box or general delivery, which Canada Post delivers to and Purolator doesn't.
The parcel is light and not urgent. Regular Parcel divides by 166, so a bulky box bills less weight.
The recipient is on a rural mail route, where Canada Post leaves parcels in the mailbox or brings them to the door.
It's going to a home in the parts of Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal where Canada Post's weekend delivery is starting.

Choose Purolator when

The parcel is over 66 lb or longer than 78 inches. Through ProtonShip, Purolator takes up to 70 lb and 108 inches.
It has to arrive by 9 or 10:30 the next morning at a point Purolator serves with those options.
It needs to be there by end of day the next business day, which Purolator Express commits to at most points.
It's a business delivery that should be signed for, which Purolator does at no extra charge.

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

Is Purolator faster than Canada Post?

For a set time of day, yes. Purolator Express commits to delivery by end of day the next business day to most points, which its terms define as 9 p.m. in the receiver’s time, and its 10:30AM and 9AM options arrive by those times at select points. Canada Post publishes no time of day for any of its services.

Canada Post publishes its delivery standards in business days. Between major urban areas they are:

Service	Local	Regional	National
Priority	Next day	Next day	Next day
Xpresspost	Next day	Next day	2 days
Expedited Parcel	1 to 2 days	1 to 4 days	2 to 8 days
Regular Parcel	1 to 3 days	3 to 6 days	4 to 10 days

Canada Post delivery standards between major urban areas, from its Parcel Services guide, checked October 11, 2026.

Outside major urban areas the standards stretch, and northern and remote points take 5 to 14 business days. Purolator Ground delivers by end of day in one or more business days, with no delivery guarantee.

Guarantees differ too. Canada Post’s On-Time Delivery Guarantee covers Priority, Xpresspost and Expedited Parcel against its published standards, but not Regular Parcel or parcels to or from air stage offices. Purolator guarantees its Express services for pieces of 70 lb or less, except at points it considers remote and for labels bought through a reseller such as ProtonShip.

Which takes bigger parcels?

Purolator. Canada Post takes up to 30 kg (66 lb), 2 m (78 in) on the longest side and 3 m (118 in) in length plus girth. Through ProtonShip, Purolator takes up to 70 lb, 108 inches long and 165 inches in total size by road, or 96 and 144 inches when an Express parcel flies. Purolator’s own limit is 150 lb, but pieces over 70 lb travel as Heavyweight shipments arranged in advance, which ProtonShip doesn’t sell.

For a light, bulky box, Canada Post’s Regular Parcel is the most forgiving. It divides length × width × height in inches by 166, and Canada Post’s other services by 139. Purolator works out to about 139 for Ground and road Express, and about 115 when Express flies. Here is an 18 × 14 × 10 inch box that weighs 4 lb:

Service	Divisor	Dimensional weight
Canada Post Regular Parcel	166	15.2 lb
Canada Post Priority, Xpresspost and Expedited Parcel	139	18.1 lb
Purolator Ground	About 139	18.1 lb
Purolator Express by air	About 115	21.9 lb

A carrier bills the higher of the scale weight and the dimensional weight, rounded up. Purolator rounds every side up to the next whole inch first.

Try your own box in the parcel size calculator.

PO boxes and rural addresses

Canada Post delivers to PO boxes and general delivery, and Purolator doesn’t. On rural routes, Canada Post leaves parcels in the mail receptacle, or tries the door when the door is within 500 m of the route.

Purolator says it reaches 100% of Canadian postal codes, rural ones included, but its guarantee doesn’t apply at points it considers remote, and it prices those points higher. It also charges more to deliver to homes than to businesses. Canada Post lists no separate residential or remote charge; distance is built into its rates.

Weekends

Canada Post is starting weekend parcel delivery to homes in select areas of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, on a Saturday or a Sunday that Canada Post picks for each area, and plans to add Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver in 2027. Elsewhere it delivers Monday to Friday.

Purolator sells Saturday Service on Express for parcels picked up on a Friday, which isn’t sold through ProtonShip yet, and it has no standard Sunday delivery. See which carriers deliver on weekends.

Claims and fragile goods

Canada Post gives 90 days after shipping to claim for loss or damage, and it pays only the sender. Purolator gives nine months after shipping for loss, 60 days for damage visible at delivery or missing contents, and 21 days for damage found later, and it needs a trace before a loss claim. Since March 30, 2026, only the party that pays Purolator for a shipment can file.

For fragile goods, Canada Post accepts no damage claims for ceramics, glass, porcelain or perishables, and its Regular Parcel includes no coverage at all. Purolator ships glassware, ceramics, liquids, perishables and electronics at the shipper’s risk. A label bought through a shipping platform is claimed through the platform. Our guide to shipping a painting sets out each carrier’s rules for art. See how to file a Purolator claim and claim deadlines for every carrier.

Drop-off and pickup

Canada Post takes parcels at post offices. A parcel left on a weekend counts as deposited the next business day, and Priority can’t go in a street letter box. Solutions for Small Business accounts can book a driver pickup on business days.

Purolator lists more than 3,000 retail agents and Quick Stop locations, including shipping centres, kiosks and parcel lockers, many open around the clock.

Which costs less?

Neither is cheaper every time. Canada Post’s Regular Parcel bills a light, bulky box at less weight, thanks to its 166 divisor, and Canada Post lists no separate charge for homes. Purolator charges more for homes than for businesses, and it’s the only one of the two for a parcel over 66 lb or a delivery by a set time. Distance, speed and remote points move both prices.

Once Canada Post joins ProtonShip quotes, one quote will price both for your parcel. Until then, a quote compares Purolator with UniUni, UPS and FedEx.

Compare Purolator with three other carriers

One quote shows every service that fits your parcel, with its delivery date.

Get early access

Questions about Canada Post and Purolator

Does Canada Post own Purolator?

Mostly. Canada Post's financial report for the second quarter of 2026 (the period ended July 4, 2026) lists Purolator Holdings Ltd. as its subsidiary, with Canada Post holding 91% of it. Canada Post reports the two as separate segments, and they sell separately, so a Purolator parcel follows Purolator's services, rules and claim deadlines, not Canada Post's.

Does Purolator deliver to PO boxes?

No. Purolator doesn't deliver to PO boxes. Canada Post does, along with general delivery, and holds a parcel too big for the box at the post office for 15 calendar days.

Is Purolator faster than Canada Post?

For a time of day, yes. Purolator Express commits to end of day the next business day at most points, with 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. options at select points. Canada Post's Priority is next day between major urban areas, but Canada Post publishes no time of day.

Which takes heavier parcels, Canada Post or Purolator?

Purolator. Canada Post stops at 30 kg (66 lb). Through ProtonShip, Purolator takes up to 70 lb; heavier pieces travel as Purolator Heavyweight shipments arranged in advance, which ProtonShip doesn't sell.

What are the claim deadlines for Canada Post and Purolator?

Canada Post: 90 days after shipping, for loss or damage. Purolator: nine months after shipping for loss, 60 days for damage visible at delivery, and 21 days for damage found later.

Which is cheaper, Canada Post or Purolator?

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

Sources, checked October 11, 2026

Purolator and three other carriers in one account

Pay per label, with fuel and carrier surcharges in the price you're quoted.

Get early access Compare rates