A point the rates to and from which are used in constructing through rates between other points.

Basing points give consumers in remote towns an opportunity to establish a price based upon a larger market (the basing point) in order that they may achieve a competitive stature in the marketplace and be able to purchase their scrap in a more logical fashion insofar as the element of competitiveness is concerned. A basing point is a city which has been designated as a point to which a given price per ton has been assigned for the purpose of establishing a market relationship to some other city which is to be the ultimate destination of a shipment. Usually, scrap is not shipped to the basing point but the price at the basing point is used in order to establish the shipping point price to which will be added freight to the ultimate destination, to establish a given delivered cost.

A geographical site used to establish fixed rates and/or prices for federal milk marketing orders. Generally, rates or prices increase according to the distance from the basing point. The FAIR Act of 1996 authorizes USDA to consider the use of multiple basing points for pricing milk under federal milk orders.