Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total monthly quote
$81,450
Blended revenue per order
$10.18
Storage revenue
$4,840
Pick & pack revenue
$26,000
Shipping revenue (incl. 8% markup)
$45,360
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How to use this
- 1Enter avg pallets stored.
- 2Enter storage rate per pallet/month ($).
- 3Enter units received per month.
- 4Enter receiving fee per unit ($).
- 5Enter orders shipped per month.
- 6Enter pick & pack fee per order ($).
- 7Enter underlying shipping cost per month ($).
- 8Read your total monthly quote on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
A 3PL quote needs to cover storage, inbound receiving, pick-and-pack labor, packaging materials, and a margin on shipping, without any single line item hiding a loss that another line makes up for. This calculator builds a monthly quote from component pieces — storage fee per pallet, receiving fee per pallet or carton, pick-and-pack fee per order, and a shipping markup percentage — so both the 3PL and the client can see exactly what drives the total bill. Pricing everything into one blended per-order rate feels simple but breaks down the moment order profile changes (more lines per order, heavier average weight, seasonal storage spikes), so component-based pricing that scales with actual activity protects margin better than a flat rate, especially for accounts with volatile volume.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Avg pallets stored: 220
- Storage rate per pallet/month: 22 $
- Units received per month: 15000
- Receiving fee per unit: 0.35 $
- Orders shipped per month: 8000
- Pick & pack fee per order: 3.25 $
- Underlying shipping cost per month: 42000 $
Results
- Total monthly quote: $81,450
- Blended revenue per order: $10.18
- Storage revenue: $4,840
- Pick & pack revenue: $26,000
- Shipping revenue (incl. 8% markup): $45,360
What each field means
Inputs
- Avg pallets stored
- The avg pallets stored used in the calculation. Starts at 220 so you have a working example on load.
- Storage rate per pallet/month ($)
- The storage rate per pallet/month used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 22 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Units received per month
- The units received per month used in the calculation. Starts at 15000 so you have a working example on load.
- Receiving fee per unit ($)
- The receiving fee per unit used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.35 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Orders shipped per month
- The orders shipped per month used in the calculation. Starts at 8000 so you have a working example on load.
- Pick & pack fee per order ($)
- The pick & pack fee per order used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3.25 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Underlying shipping cost per month ($)
- The underlying shipping cost per month used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 42000 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Total monthly quote
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Blended revenue per order
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Storage revenue
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Pick & pack revenue
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Shipping revenue (incl. 8% markup)
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why price components separately instead of one blended rate?
A blended per-order rate assumes a stable order profile — if lines per order, average weight, or storage duration shift, a flat rate either overcharges the client or erodes your margin without anyone noticing until the quarterly review. Component pricing tied to actual activity (pallets stored, units received, orders picked) stays accurate as the account's profile changes month to month.
What's a typical shipping markup for a 3PL?
5-12% over actual carrier cost is common, sometimes presented as a per-shipment handling fee instead of a percentage markup to avoid the client feeling like they're paying a hidden tax on freight. Some 3PLs pass shipping through at cost and make their margin entirely on storage and labor instead — either model works as long as it's transparent in the contract.
How do I price receiving if inbound comes by the pallet, not the unit?
Swap the receiving input to a per-pallet or per-container rate instead of per-unit — a common structure is a flat fee per pallet received plus a smaller per-carton fee for de-palletizing and putaway into each pick location if the receipt gets broken down below pallet level.
What margin should the total quote target?
3PL fulfillment operations typically target 15-25% gross margin on the fully loaded quote after direct labor, materials, and facility allocation, with tighter margins on high-volume accounts that reduce marginal cost per unit and better margins on smaller or more complex accounts that consume disproportionate account management time.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Pick Rate Labor Cost Calculator
Cost per line, per unit, and per order from your pick rate and wage.
Pallet Position Cost Calculator
Fully loaded monthly cost per pallet storage slot.
Dunnage & Packaging Cost Per Order Calculator
Blend carton, void fill, tape, and label cost into a true per-order packaging cost.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). 3PL Pricing Quote Builder. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/3pl-pricing-quote
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/3pl-pricing-quote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3PL Pricing Quote Builder — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [3PL Pricing Quote Builder — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/3pl-pricing-quote) (2026).