Effective January 4, 2010, the Postal Service™ is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) sections 221.42 and 231.22 and adding a new section 231.23 to better define and clarify our size requirements for Express Mail International® and Priority Mail International® parcels.
Consistent with Article RC 115 of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Parcel Post Regulations, and to better describe the maximum size dimensions for Priority Mail International parcels, we have deleted our previous reference to “circular parcels” and “rectangular parcels” in IMM 231.22. In the past, parcels that were neither circular nor rectangular were technically nonmailable, but the revised text incorporates parcels of different shapes.
To further assist mailers, we have added new section 231.23, which includes an exhibit that provides five examples on how to determine dimensions of length or length and girth combined for rectangular and nonrectangular parcels. We have also made a corresponding reference in 221.42 to direct Express Mail International customers to this same exhibit for determining dimensions of length or length and girth combined.
We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of the IMM and into the monthly update of the online IMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards, Pricing, 9-10-09
