FedEx Abbreviations: Service, Invoice and Tracking Codes

FedEx abbreviations are the short codes FedEx and shippers use for services (PO for Priority Overnight, FXG for FedEx Ground), operating companies (FDXE, FDXG), delivery options (HAL, DSR), invoice charges (FSC, DAS, AHS) and tracking events (POD, DEX). Most of them show up in three places: shipping software and rate sheets, the invoice, and the detailed scan history.

The tables below group the abbreviations you are most likely to meet, with what each one means in plain English. Where FedEx publishes the full name, we use FedEx’s own wording.

What are the FedEx service abbreviations?

Service abbreviations identify the delivery speed you paid for. They are shorthand used in shipping software, rate tables and on invoices; labels usually print the full service name as well. The delivery commitments below are the standard US times FedEx publishes for most business addresses, with residential times where they differ.

The ground-side codes cause the most confusion, because FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery use the same network but different rules. Our comparison of FedEx Home Delivery vs Ground explains which one a package falls under, and the FedEx shipping guide covers every service in more depth.

What do FDXE, FDXG and the other carrier codes mean?

FedEx is several operating companies, and systems use a carrier code to say which one is handling the shipment. The code matters when you call customer service or file a claim, because each operating company has its own service guide and processes.

What do FedEx delivery option abbreviations mean?

These abbreviations describe extras added to a shipment. Each one is a separately billed option in the FedEx Service Guide.

• HAL (Hold at Location): the package is held at a FedEx location for the recipient to pick up instead of being delivered.
• SAT (Saturday Delivery): Saturday delivery requested on an Express service that would otherwise deliver Monday.
• DSR (Direct Signature Required): someone at the delivery address must sign.
• ISR (Indirect Signature Required): a neighbor or building manager can sign, or the recipient can sign a door tag, for residential deliveries.
• ASR (Adult Signature Required): a signer aged 21 or older with government-issued ID.
• COD (Collect on Delivery): FedEx collects payment from the recipient on the shipper’s behalf before handing over the package.
• DV (Declared Value): the value declared for carrier liability above the default.
• DG (Dangerous Goods): hazardous materials shipped under FedEx’s dangerous goods rules, split into accessible and inaccessible.

Signature codes are the ones recipients ask about most. Our guide to how to know if a FedEx package requires a signature covers each option. If you want the recipient not to see who sent the package, a FedEx blind shipment handles that.

What do the abbreviations on a FedEx invoice mean?

FedEx invoices list surcharges as separate line items, and shippers and invoice-audit reports often shorten the most common ones. The names below match FedEx’s published list of surcharges and fees for 2026; the amounts change every year, so check the current FedEx list or your account rather than an old invoice.

The address correction line is the easiest to prevent: validate the address, include apartment or suite numbers, and confirm the ZIP code before you print. General shipping vocabulary such as dimensional weight and zones is covered in our list of essential shipping terms.

What do FedEx tracking abbreviations mean?

The main tracking page uses plain-language statuses such as “Label created”, “We have your package”, “On the way”, “Out for delivery”, “Delivery exception” and “Running late”. The scan history and shipper reports use shorter codes:

• POD (Proof of Delivery): the delivery record, with date, time, location and signature or photo where captured.
• DEX (Delivery Exception): an event that stopped delivery. Exception codes add a number; commonly seen examples are DEX 03 (incorrect address), DEX 07 (refused by recipient) and DEX 08 (recipient not in or business closed).
• OFD (Out for Delivery): the package is on the vehicle for delivery that day.
• EDD / ETA (Estimated Delivery Date / Time): the projected delivery based on the package’s current position.
• RTS (Return to Sender): the package is going back to the shipper, for example after a refusal.

For what to do after an exception, see our explainer on what a delivery exception means and the steps to fix a FedEx incorrect-address exception.

What are the FedEx international shipping abbreviations?

International shipments add customs and trade terms. Most are not FedEx-specific, but they appear throughout FedEx’s international paperwork.

• AWB (Air Waybill): the shipping document and contract of carriage for an express or air freight shipment; its number is also the tracking number.
• CI (Commercial Invoice): the document customs uses to assess duties, listing contents, value and origin.
• ETD (Electronic Trade Documents): FedEx’s option for submitting the commercial invoice electronically instead of on paper.
• HS code (Harmonized System): the tariff classification number for each item, which determines duty.
• DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): the shipper pays duties and taxes, so the recipient owes nothing on delivery.
• DAP / DDU (Delivered at Place / Delivered Duty Unpaid): the recipient pays duties and taxes; DAP is the current Incoterm that replaced DDU.
• EEI (Electronic Export Information): the US export filing required for certain shipments, filed through the AES system.

Since August 29, 2025, the US has suspended the de minimis duty exemption for most imported goods, so DDP versus DAP decisions matter more for shipments coming into the US than they used to.

Should you compare FedEx with UPS and USPS?

Knowing the abbreviations makes it easier to read a FedEx quote line by line and compare it with another carrier. If you’re open to UPS or USPS instead, ParcelPath is free to use and offers up to 85% off UPS and up to 89% off USPS; you can compare live UPS and USPS rates for the same package before you book. Our roundup of shipping services and solutions compares the main options, and if you plan to stay with FedEx, the FedEx business vs personal account comparison, the FedEx activation code guide and our FedEx frequently asked questions cover account setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common FedEx abbreviations?

The most common FedEx abbreviations are the service codes PO (Priority Overnight), SO (Standard Overnight), 2D (2Day), ES (Express Saver) and FXG (FedEx Ground), the carrier codes FDXE (FedEx Express) and FDXG (FedEx Ground), and the invoice codes FSC (fuel surcharge), DAS (delivery area surcharge) and AHS (additional handling surcharge).

What does FDXG mean on FedEx tracking?

FDXG is the carrier code for FedEx Ground, the operating company that runs FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery. FDXE is the code for FedEx Express, which handles overnight, 2Day, Express Saver and international express shipments. The code tells you which FedEx company to contact about a claim or a delivery problem.

What does DAS mean on a FedEx invoice?

DAS stands for Delivery Area Surcharge. FedEx adds it to shipments delivered to ZIP codes it classifies as outlying, and it publishes Extended and Remote tiers for harder-to-reach areas, including parts of Alaska and Hawaii. You can check whether a ZIP code carries a DAS before shipping using FedEx’s published ZIP code lists.

What does DEX mean in FedEx tracking?

DEX means Delivery Exception, an event that prevented FedEx from completing delivery as planned. It is followed by a number that identifies the cause; commonly seen examples include DEX 03 for an incorrect address, DEX 07 for a package refused by the recipient and DEX 08 when the recipient was not in or the business was closed.

What does HAL mean for a FedEx package?

HAL stands for Hold at Location. Instead of delivering to the address, FedEx holds the package at a FedEx location, such as a FedEx Office or a participating retail partner, for the recipient to collect with ID. Shippers can select it when creating the label, and recipients can often request it from the tracking page.

Sources

• FedEx: Surcharge and fee changes, 2026 (surcharge names)
• FedEx: Overnight shipping delivery commitments
• FedEx Service Guide
• FedEx: Weekend delivery
• US Customs and Border Protection: E-commerce and de minimis

Explore more in our Shipping Services and Solutions hub.

Part of our FedEx Frequently Asked Questions guide. Related: FedEx and USPS Partnership, FedEx Blind Shipment, FedEx Shipping Guide.