Paragon Freight

Freight charges are based upon distance and service provided. Paragon's factory is in Mesquite, just outside of Dallas Texas. It stands to reason that customers located in Texas would pay less than a customer located in Maine. The system developed by Dogwood Ceramic Supply justly reflects the true costs of shipping a kiln across county. In the simple terms, the customer located closest to Dallas will pay the least in shipping costs.

    Dogwood's freight table is based upon two primary factors:
    A) The location (state) of the customer.
    B) The weight class of the kiln.

There are additional factors that may adjust the freight costs of the kiln. Specific cities or areas have special (higher or lower) rates, and residential deliveries or special delivery locations will also adjust the freight charges. A complete list of adjustments follows the rate table.

Please Note: Liftgate delivery is ALWAYS included in the shipping costs for kilns that are drop shipped from the Paragon factory.

Freight delivery to any point outside of the Continental USA must be hand computed.

Freight rates listed above are based upon the average delivery costs for the specific kiln class for delivery from the various freight terminals in that state and are based upon ABF Freight System's general rates effective February 4, 2008. The published freight rates are considered accurate until February 1, 2009, except as noted in the adjustments below.

Kiln furniture is very dense and when added to a kiln shipment can allow a kiln to be shipped at a less costly freight class than a kiln being shipped by itself. The computed freight charges are based upon the kiln and the matching furniture kit being purchased and shipped together. For kilns shipped without the matching furniture kit the freight charges must be hand computed and are typically $30 to $80 higher than the published freight rates.

Freight costs are dependant upon the weight shipped and as such purchasing multiple kilns can realize substantial savings on freight costs. Please call for specific details.

Liftgate Service: Freight companies will use a hydraulic tailgate on the delivery vehicle to lower the heavy kiln from the bed of the trailer to the ground. Liftgate service is ALWAYS included in the prices quoted above as most customers NEED the liftgate service to prevent injury to themselves or to their kiln. Liftgate service is generally quite expensive, but in recent years the largest freight companies have been including liftgate service as part of their standard discount offerings to major shippers such as Paragon and Dogwood Ceramic Supply. However, some customers honestly do not need Liftgate service. If your delivery location has a loading dock and does not require liftgate service then please let us know as we may be able to use a lower cost freight company that does not offer liftgate service.

Lower cost freight service is available in some markets for customers that DO NOT need Liftgate Service

Restrictive Access Deliveries: Commercial deliveries are less time consuming and easier to complete for freight companies than residential or school deliveries and as such freight companies routinely charge an additional fee for the more time consuming delivery locations which are called Restrictive Access Deliveries. The list of Restrictive Access Deliveries includes any churches, prisons, military bases, schools, hospitals, construction sites and of course residential deliveries. For 2008 the Restrictive Access Delivery Fee is $40.

Traffic Congestion Surcharge: Applicable to customers located in specific major metropolitan areas. Generally the surcharge (if it is applicable to the customer's location) will add approximately 15 to 50% to the published freight charges for the surrounding area.
1) Metro New York City (Zip Codes 10000 thru 10299) add 15 to 50% to the standard New York (upstate) charges.
2) Extreme Southeast Florida (Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties) add 15% to the standard Florida rate.

Please be advised: For customers located in the Metro New York City are the freight charges must be hand computed.

Limited Access Deliveries: Applies to customers on islands or narrow points of land (such as the southern tip of the DelMarVa peninsula). The amount of the freight charge will vary according to final destination Zip Code. In all cases for limited access delivery locations the freight charges must be hand computed.

Non-Direct Service: Generally applies to rural locations with limited population. Also applies to some islands and narrow points of land. In most cases it will require the freight being transferred from the major national freight carrier to a "local" delivery service. ABF Motor Freight is the primary freight company for Paragon. According to ABF, they provide direct service to 98.7% of all US cities with a population greater than 30,000. To determine if your zip code does not have direct service please refer to the ABF website at www.abf.com and click on "routing and search". Zip Codes with "connecting service" or direct service through "marketing partner" will indicate that ABF does not have direct service to your area.
The published freight charges may or may not apply to customers with non-direct service. In some cases the connecting service or marketing partner will honor the standard ABF freight charges. In other cases there will be an additional charge for delivery which must be hand computed.

Difficult Access Deliveries: Over the river and through the woods to the kiln shed we go. Does this sound familiar? Does your private driveway wind through narrow tree lined paths? Are tire chains needed to climb your steep driveway in the middle of Summer? Any of these situations apply to your kiln location? Welcome to Difficult Access Deliveries. If there is a risk of the Freight Truck not being able to have direct access to your delivery location please inform Dogwood Ceramic Supply at the time of your order. In some markets the Freight Company may have a box truck (smaller 10 wheeled truck) that can make deliveries at little or no extra cost. Sometimes. In some markets the use of the box truck will dramatically increase the shipping costs. In most markets alternative shipping arrangements will need to be made. In most locations the kiln can be shipped to the freight terminal for customer pickup. If you are purchasing a large kiln it may be best to ship the kiln to a moving company for special delivery.

Florida Panhandle is charged a lower rate than the standard Florida rate. Delivery at this rate is limited to the 850 area code as well as communities along I-10 in the 386 and 904 area codes.

Metro Memphis TN is charged a lower rate than the standard Tennessee rate. The rate only applies to deliveries with a physical address within Shelby County Tennessee.

Metro Dallas-Fort Worth freight rates are lower than the standard Texas rate due to the physical proximity to the Paragon factory. The rate applies to any delivery within Denton, Collin, Rockwell, Dallas and Tarrant counties of Texas.

For customers in close proximity to the Paragon Factory, or for those customers desiring to make the trip to the Dallas Texas area, Paragon kilns can be purchased with NO freight charge by picking up your desired kiln in person during Paragon's standard business hours of Monday thru Thursday from 7 AM to 5:30 PM.

The kiln (s) must be ordered in advance from Dogwood Ceramic Supply and requested for factory pickup. Very large kilns, such as the Paragon Dragon, which are designated DSO (Drop Ship Only) are not recommended for local pickup due to the difficulty in handling these kilns. The kiln will be crated for ease of handling and the factory has fork lift service and will lift the kiln into your vehicle. Please insure the dimensions of the crated kiln will fit within your vehicle space. The customer is responsible for any tie downs, dunnage, and tarps needed to protect the kiln. The factory staff will not work overtime to meet the timetable of the customer. Any change order in the shipping status / pickup status of the kiln will result in additional charges.

Customers needing multiple kilns requiring freight delivery will be hand computed and on a per kiln basis will ALWAYS be less than the published rate for a single kiln. Shipping multiple kilns via UPS usually does not result in any significant savings on the freight charges.

Dogwood Ceramic Supply has worked with Paragon to establish a Factory Freight Free program to service customers purchasing the largest Paragon kilns as well commercial customers purchasing multiple kilns. The Factory Freight Free program was designed for commercial locations with loading dock. Additional charges for liftgate service, restricted access or limited access delivery may apply.

The Paragon Factory Freight Free Program also applies to any combination of Paragon kilns that exceed $6000 or more at Dogwood's selling price.

Kiln Shipping

Paragon has prepared a tutorial on how to receive a crated kiln and handling damages. Please review the Paragon website www.paragonweb.com/Receiving_A_Kiln_Shipment.cfm prior to having a kiln delivered to your home or studio.