DHL surcharges 2026: energy surcharge, fuel surcharge, bulky goods and which ones you can spot before the label
This article describes the surcharges DHL applies to business customers shipping from Germany. The linked DHL pages are in German, and we give the German name of each surcharge so you can find it on your invoice.
DHL charges business customers two kinds of surcharge. Some sit on every shipment: for DHL Paket the energy surcharge, the toll and CO₂ surcharge and, at the end of the year, the peak surcharge; for DHL Express the fuel surcharge. Others depend on the individual shipment: bulky goods for DHL Paket, and remote area, oversize and overweight for DHL Express. You can only budget for the first group. The second can be spotted before the label is printed. This article covers both, with the rates and dimensions from DHL's own sources, as of 5 October 2026.
All rates, amounts and dimensions come from the linked DHL pages for business customers and from the DHL Paket service description (September 2026), retrieved on 5 October 2026. DHL changes the rates continuously. Your contract with DHL and the current figures on dhl.de apply to your invoice, not this article.
DHL surcharges at a glance
| Surcharge | Applies to | Amount (as of 5 October 2026) | Depends on the individual shipment? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy surcharge (Energiezuschlag) | DHL Paket, DHL Kleinpaket, DHL Retoure | 4.00% on the base price (October 2026) | No, every shipment |
| Toll and CO₂ surcharge (Maut- und CO₂-Zuschlag) | DHL Paket, Paket International, Europaket, Retoure | 19 cents per shipment | No, every shipment |
| Peak surcharge (Peakzuschlag) | DHL Paket and others, in November and December | 19 cents per shipment | No, only the shipping date counts |
| Peak-in-peak surcharge | as for the peak surcharge, 23 November to 6 December 2026 | 50 cents per shipment | No, only the shipping date counts |
| Bulky goods surcharge (Sperrgutzuschlag) | DHL Paket, DHL Kleinpaket | agreed by contract, not public | Yes: dimensions, shape, packaging |
| Fuel surcharge (Treibstoffzuschlag) | DHL Express | 48.00% (Air) and 40.00% (Road) in week 41 of 2026; published for week 42: 49.00% and 40.75% | No, every shipment |
| Remote area surcharge (Außengebietszuschlag) | DHL Express | per the DHL Express price list | Yes: pick-up and delivery location |
| Oversize and overweight | DHL Express | per the DHL Express price list | Yes: dimensions and weight |
Sources: DHL Paket, surcharges for business customers and DHL Express, surcharges (both in German), as of 5 October 2026.
DHL energy surcharge: amount and calculation
The DHL energy surcharge is a percentage added to the base price. According to DHL it applies to DHL Paket, DHL Paket with production-based billing, DHL Retoure and DHL Kleinpaket. In October 2026 it is 4.00%; in August and September 2026 it was 3.25% each month (DHL, Energiezuschlag, as of 5 October 2026).
DHL calculates it from two components that are added together:
- Long-term component. It follows a weighted index of diesel, natural gas and electricity prices and changes once a month. DHL states 3.25% for October 2026 and 4.00% for November 2026.
- Short-term component. It has applied since 1 June 2026 and follows the average price of Brent crude over ten trading days. Below 70 euros it is 0%, and it is capped at 3.0%. DHL may adjust it on the 1st, 11th and 21st of a month. On 1 October 2026 it stood at 0.75%.
The total is applied to the base price and rounded to whole cents. DHL's own example: with a parcel price of 5.00 euros and an energy surcharge of 3.75%, the parcel costs 5.19 euros. DHL reserves the right to adjust reference values and tables monthly with four weeks' notice and without a separate announcement, so anyone with tight margins should check the page once a month.
Toll and CO₂ surcharge, peak surcharge
The toll and CO₂ surcharge is 19 cents per shipment. According to DHL it contains the distance-based lorry toll on federal trunk roads and the CO₂ levy on fossil fuels. It applies to DHL Paket, DHL Paket International, DHL Europaket and DHL Retoure.
The peak surcharge is 19 cents per shipment and applies in November and December. In the busiest weeks the peak-in-peak surcharge of 50 cents per shipment comes on top, in 2026 from 23 November to 6 December. Both also apply to DHL Kleinpaket and Warenpost International (DHL Paket, surcharges for business customers, as of 5 October 2026).
For your costing this means: in Black Week 2026 a DHL Paket carries three fixed surcharges on top of the energy surcharge, 88 cents per shipment in total (19 + 19 + 50 cents). These surcharges do not depend on the address or the parcel. No shipping app can avoid them, and neither can Karl.
DHL fuel surcharge: DHL Express only
People looking for the DHL fuel surcharge often mean the energy surcharge. DHL Paket has no surcharge by that name. The fuel surcharge is charged by DHL Express, in two versions:
- Fuel surcharge Air for international express shipments. It is based on the 20-working-day average price of jet fuel (US Gulf Coast). In week 41 of 2026: 48.00%; published for week 42: 49.00% (DHL Express, Treibstoffzuschlag Air, as of 5 October 2026).
- Fuel surcharge Road for domestic express shipments and DHL Economy Select in the road network. It is based on the corresponding average price of diesel. In week 41 of 2026: 40.00%; published for week 42: 40.75% (DHL Express, Treibstoffzuschlag Road, as of 5 October 2026).
DHL Express publishes the rate per calendar week, in steps of 0.25 percentage points. Between weeks 35 and 41 of 2026 the Air rate rose from 42.50% to 48.00%. It is charged on the net shipment amount and also on transport-related services and surcharges, including the oversize surcharge and the remote area surcharge. According to DHL, falling fuel prices lower it again.
DHL Express also lists a temporary demand surcharge per kilogram: for international shipments from 1 October 2026 to 5 February 2027, for domestic ones from 1 November to 31 December 2026 (DHL Express, surcharges, as of 5 October 2026).
DHL bulky goods: dimensions and surcharge
For DHL Paket the standard dimensions decide. Anything outside them counts as bulky goods (Sperrgut) and incurs the bulky goods surcharge:
| Criterion | DHL Paket, standard | DHL Paket, bulky goods |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum size | 15 x 11 x 1 cm | below that: bulky goods |
| Maximum size | 120 x 60 x 60 cm | longest side up to 200 cm |
| Girth | 360 cm at most | 360 cm at most |
| Roll | counts as bulky goods | up to 200 cm long, diameter up to 60 cm |
| Maximum weight | 31.5 kg | 31.5 kg |
Girth is the longest side plus twice the width plus twice the height. According to DHL, bulky goods also include parcels with a triangular cross-section, protruding parts or loose strapping, and parcels that do not travel stably through the sorting system (DHL Paket, Sperrgut service, as of 5 October 2026).
Three points from the DHL Paket service description (September 2026, retrieved on 5 October 2026) matter at the packing table:
- Bulky goods must be marked as "Sperrgut" on the label.
- Parcels above the maximum size or above 31.5 kg are returned to the sender. The service description lists no overweight surcharge for DHL Paket.
- DHL does not publish an amount. The service description speaks of the agreed bulky goods surcharge, which is in your contract.
DHL Express draws the line differently: the oversize surcharge applies when the longest side exceeds 100 cm or the second-longest side exceeds 80 cm, the overweight surcharge above a chargeable weight of 70 kg (DHL Express, surcharges, as of 5 October 2026).
Is there an island surcharge for DHL Paket?
DHL does not list an island surcharge for DHL Paket. The surcharge page for business customers names the toll and CO₂ surcharge, the energy surcharge, the peak surcharge and the peak-in-peak surcharge. The word "Insel" (island) does not appear in the DHL Paket service description (September 2026), and it lists a remote area surcharge only for the international DHL Europaket. What your own contract says, only you can check.
Some history: according to a report by paketda.de, DHL planned an island surcharge for business customers in 2019 and shelved it until further notice in September 2019 (paketda.de, in German, retrieved on 5 October 2026).
DHL Express is different: it charges a remote area surcharge for pick-up and delivery in remote areas. It applies to DHL Express Worldwide, Express Envelope, Economy Select and Express Domestic, and DHL provides a way to check the affected locations. Other parcel carriers also work with their own zones for islands and remote areas. How that works across carriers is covered in Extended area surcharges: spot them before the label.
Which DHL surcharges are fixed and which you can spot before the label
An honest split:
- Not avoidable: the energy surcharge, toll and CO₂ surcharge, peak surcharge and peak-in-peak surcharge for DHL Paket, and the fuel surcharge and demand surcharge for DHL Express. They do not depend on the individual address or parcel: the energy, toll and fuel surcharges sit on every shipment of the product, the peak and demand surcharges within their period (the international demand surcharge depending on origin and destination region). All you can do is include them in your shipping costs and keep an eye on the rates.
- Detectable before the label: bulky goods for DHL Paket (dimensions, shape and packaging are known before you print), and remote area, oversize and overweight for DHL Express. Here you have a choice: pack differently, split the parcel, use another carrier, or pay the surcharge knowingly.
The difference shows on the invoice. A surcharge from the first group surprises nobody who knows the rates. One from the second group only appears weeks after shipping if nobody checked before printing.
What Karl checks before the label
Karl is our shipping app for Shopify. From the Pro plan, when you print shipping labels in Shopify, Karl checks before every label whether the delivery address is in a remote area with a surcharge for UPS, FedEx, DHL Express or DPD. If it is, and another of your connected carriers serves the route without that surcharge, Smart Routing switches to that carrier.
What Karl does not do: Karl runs no such address check for DHL Paket. DHL lists no remote area or island surcharge for DHL Paket on dhl.de or in the service description (September 2026); your own contract is what counts. And Karl cannot prevent the general surcharges (energy, toll and CO₂, peak, fuel). They are part of the price of the product.
What you can do now
- Take your last three DHL invoices and sort the surcharges into the two groups. The first group belongs in your shipping cost calculation, the second at the packing table.
- Put the DHL Paket standard dimensions up at the packing table: 120 x 60 x 60 cm, girth 360 cm, 31.5 kg. Anything above is marked as bulky goods before printing, or packed differently.
- If you ship with DHL Express, UPS, FedEx or DPD, check whether your shipping app detects remote areas before the label.
How DHL Paket, Warenpost and DHL Express connect to your store is covered on the DHL Shopify integration page. Karl is installable from the Shopify App Store. Surcharge protection is included from Pro, with a 14-day trial.
Frequently asked questions about DHL surcharges
How high is the DHL energy surcharge at the moment?
In October 2026 the energy surcharge (Energiezuschlag) for DHL Paket is 4.00% on the base price (as of 5 October 2026). DHL sets it monthly and may adjust it on the 11th and 21st of a month. The current rate is published at dhl.de/energiezuschlag (in German).
How is the DHL energy surcharge calculated?
From two components that are added together. The long-term component follows an index of diesel, natural gas and electricity prices and changes once a month. The short-term component has applied since 1 June 2026, follows the price of Brent crude and is capped at 3.0%. The total is applied as a percentage of the base price and rounded to whole cents (DHL, as of 5 October 2026).
Does DHL Paket have a fuel surcharge?
Not under that name. For DHL Paket the comparable charge is the energy surcharge. A fuel surcharge (Treibstoffzuschlag) is charged by DHL Express: "Air" for international express shipments, "Road" for domestic express shipments and DHL Economy Select (DHL, as of 5 October 2026).
How often does the DHL Express fuel surcharge change?
DHL Express publishes the fuel surcharge per calendar week. In week 41 of 2026 (5 to 11 October) it is 48.00% (Air) and 40.00% (Road); for week 42 DHL has published 49.00% and 40.75%. It is based on the 20-working-day average price of jet fuel and diesel respectively (US Gulf Coast) and is charged on the net shipment amount and on transport-related services and surcharges (DHL, as of 5 October 2026).
What does the DHL toll and CO2 surcharge cost?
19 cents per shipment (DHL business customers, as of 5 October 2026). It applies to DHL Paket, DHL Paket International, DHL Europaket and DHL Retoure, among others, and according to DHL covers the lorry toll on federal trunk roads and the CO2 levy.
At what dimensions does a DHL parcel count as bulky?
As soon as it leaves the standard dimensions: larger than 120 x 60 x 60 cm or smaller than 15 x 11 x 1 cm. Bulky goods (Sperrgut) may be up to 200 cm long with a girth of 360 cm; the maximum weight stays at 31.5 kg. Rolls and parcels with loose strapping also count as bulky. The amount of the surcharge is agreed in the business customer contract (DHL service description, September 2026).
Is there an island surcharge for DHL Paket?
DHL does not list an island surcharge for DHL Paket: neither the surcharge page for business customers nor the DHL Paket service description (September 2026) mentions one. DHL Express is different and charges a remote area surcharge for pick-up and delivery in remote areas. Your own contract is what counts.
Which DHL surcharges can a shipping app detect before the label?
Only those that depend on the individual shipment: the destination address, or dimensions and weight. The energy surcharge, toll and CO2 surcharge and fuel surcharge sit on every shipment of the product, the peak surcharge in November and December; they cannot be routed around. From the Pro plan, Karl checks before every label whether the address is in a remote area for UPS, FedEx, DHL Express or DPD.