WooCommerce offers you a few options to configure shipping rates.
By default, you can’t set automatic shipping cost calculations. However, it is possible to extend WooCommerce’s features with a plugin.
Do you want to know how? You’re in the right place. You’ll learn all about shipping rates in WooCommerce in just 5 minutes. Ready, set, go!
If you want to set shipping rates in WooCommerce, you need to go to WooCommerce settings.
You’ll find the section there: WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping.
As you see, I have two shipping zones there (the UK and the US). Also, I have already configured shipping methods for each shipping zone.
If you want to configure a shipping method, you need to click on the shipping zone’s name (the one to which you want to add a shipping method).
Once you click it, you’ll see the configuration screen of the shipping zone. You can enable or disable a shipping method or add a new one.
There are a few types of shipping methods. Let me talk you through them.
The most popular shipping rate is the Flat Rate. It is a fixed shipping rate such as $5 for every shipment.
In the configuration screen, you can also configure if this shipping method is taxable in your store or not:
In WooCommerce you configure shipping methods per shipping zone. It means that for each shipping zone, you need to configure shipping methods. The pro is you can set different shipping methods or vary shipping rates across the shipping zones.
So, you can add a Flat rate shipping method to every shipping zone in your store. Then, you can set different shipping rate to each Flat rate shipping method.
You may want to offer free shipping to your customers.
Easy-peasy!
Just add a ‘Free shipping’ shipping method to a shipping zone.
However, this shipping method has a few configuration options:
As you see, you can use coupons there. Read our guide if you want to know more: Free Shipping in WooCommerce [Complete Guide]
WooCommerce lets you configure shipping classes. It means that you can group products in your store based on some shipping attributes.
Let’s say you have a few heavy products in your store. So, you can create a ‘heavy’ shipping class and assign the products to it.
When you create your first shipping class, the new options will appear in Flat rate’s configuration:
This way you can add additional cost if a customer orders at least one product from e.g. “Heavy items” shipping class.
Do you want to know more? Check out: How to use shipping classes in WooCommerce? [Shipping Guide]
Flat Rate for a lot of stores is just not enough!
First, you can create virtually any shipping scenario with a Flexible Shipping PRO. Check out the examples:
Flexible Shipping uses a table rate method. That’s why it’s both easy to configure and powerfully. You can create virtually any shipping scenario.
The best Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce. Period. Create shipping rules based on weight, order totals or item count.
View Details or Add to cartDoes Octolize offer free plugins?
What is “Flexible Shipping PRO” and what makes it different?
What does “Customizable Rates” mean?
As you see, WooCommerce can be very powerful in terms of shipping rates configuration. You just need the table rate plugin. How do you like this article and methods I’ve just shown you? Let me know in the comments section below.
Want to learn more about automatic shipping cost and table rate? Check out our video below:
Content Writer at Octolize
Bartosz Gajewski is a content and marketing specialist with a solid background in SEO, WordPress content strategy, and technical documentation for digital products. With years of hands-on experience in both in-house and freelance roles, he supports tech companies – especially in the SaaS and e-commerce space – by creating content that informs, engages, and drives results.
His approach blends storytelling with data-driven SEO, and he’s been involved in projects ranging from rebranding and product marketing to growth experiments and copywriting for complex software tools. On the blog, he shares actionable insights from his work across marketing teams, product documentation, and online store optimization.
