The Priority Mail® Flat-Rate Envelope is priced at $4.60, regardless of weight or destination. Priority Mail Flat-Rate Boxes will become a permanent offering and will be charged $9.15, regardless of weight or destination. The Governors have asked the PRC to reconsider its recommended rate, which is higher than what we originally proposed. Again, as shape becomes more important, weight is less important, and prices for Priority Mail pieces weighing over 23 pounds decrease for all zones, many by as much as 20 percent.
Balloon-rate pricing for Priority Mail packages has increased from 15 to 20 pounds. It applies only to packages measuring larger than 84 inches combined length and girth and traveling locally and to Zones 1–4. Balloon-rate pricing no longer applies to packages destinating to Zones 5–8.
Priority Mail packages that exceed 1 cubic foot and addressed to Zones 5–8 are subject to a new dimensional-weight price under Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 123.1.4. We calculate postage for these pieces at the greater of their actual weight or dimensional-weight. In general, if a package is relatively light for its size, it may be subject to a dimensional-weight price. Dimensional-weight is calculated using one of two formulas, one for rectangular-shaped packages and one for nonrectangular packages.
Priority Mail containers, including the Priority Mail Flat-Rate Boxes, are available at Post Offices™ and on www.usps.com; under “Shipping Tools,” click Supplies. They are not large enough to be subject to balloon-rate or dimensional-weight pricing. Dimensional-weight pricing will not apply to Priority Mail Open and Distribute (formerly Priority Mail Drop Shipment) mailings of other classes of mail.
