Effective June 7, 2010, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 301.1.6 and 1.7 to implement new deflection standards on commercial flat-size mail.
On March 18, 2010, the Postal Service published a final rule in the Federal Register (75 FR 12981–12988) announcing deferred implementation of new deflection standards for commercial flat-size mail from January 4, 2010, to June 7, 2010, to allow mailers more time to transition to the new standards. The January implementation represented a delay from the originally planned implementation of May 2009.
The new deflection standards encompass all commercial flat-size mailpieces, except those Periodicals and Standard Mail® flats mailed at saturation and high-density flats prices and basic carrier route flats dropshipped to destination delivery units. The new deflection standards allow 1 inch less of vertical deflection (droop) than is currently allowed; as an example, 3 inches of deflection will be allowed for flats 10 inches or longer.
This change modifies the test process in accordance with suggestions from members of the mailing community. It also describes the applicable prices in the event that a flat-size piece does not meet the deflection standard. The price consequences are deferred until October 3, 2010, to allow mailers even more time to comply with the new standards.
Many mailers have redesigned their pieces, but there are still some flats that exhibit too much “droop” to comply with the deflection standards. We strongly recommend that mailers with “droopy” flats redesign their pieces by a variety of methods such as using heavier paper, adding tabs, repositioning spines, or other means as soon as possible to enable USPS® to process more flats on automated equipment, increasing efficiency and providing timely service for these mailings.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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300 Commercial Flats
301 Physical Standards
1.0 Physical Standards for Flats
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[Renumber current 1.6 and 1.7 as new 1.7 and 1.8 and add new 1.6 as follows:]
1.6 Maximum Deflection for Flat-Size Mailpieces
Flat-size mailpieces must be flexible (see 1.3) and must meet maximum deflection standards. Flat-size pieces mailed as high density or saturation carrier route pieces, and basic carrier route pieces entered by the mailer at destination delivery units (DDUs), are not required to meet these deflection standards. Flat-size pieces mailed as basic carrier route pieces that are not entered at DDUs are not exempt from meeting the standards. Test deflection as follows:
a. For pieces 10 inches or longer (see Exhibit 1.6a):
1. Place the piece on a flat, straight-edge surface with the length perpendicular to the edge of the surface, and extend the piece 5 inches off the edge of the surface. Test square-shaped bound flats by placing the bound edge parallel to the edge.
2. Place a flat 12-inch ruler (or other similar flat object 12 inches or longer) on top of the mailpiece with the length parallel to the edge of the surface and as close to the edge as possible so that the 5-pound weight (see 1.6a3) does not extend past the edge.
3. Place a certified 5-pound weight on the center of the ruler to hold the piece in place.
4. Determine the vertical deflection in inches.
5. Turn the piece around 180 degrees and repeat the process.
6. The piece is mailable as a flat if it does not droop more than 3 inches vertically at either end.
b. For pieces less than 10 inches long (see Exhibit 1.6b):
1. Place the piece on a flat, straight-edge surface with the length perpendicular to the edge of the surface, and extend the piece one-half of its length off the edge of the surface. Test square-shaped bound flats by placing the bound edge parallel to the edge.
2. Place a flat 12-inch ruler (or other similar flat object 12 inches or longer) on top of the mailpiece with the length parallel to the edge of the surface and as close to the edge as possible so that the 5-pound weight (see 1.6b3) does not extend past the edge.
3. Place a certified 5-pound weight on the center of the ruler to hold the piece in place.
4. Determine the vertical deflection in inches.
5. Turn the piece around 180 degrees and repeat the process.
6. The piece is mailable as a flat if it does not droop more than 2 inches less than the extended length at either end. For example, a piece 8 inches long would be extended 4 inches horizontally off a flat surface. It must not droop more than 2 inches vertically at either end.
1.7 Flat-Size Pieces Not Eligible for Flat-Size Prices
[Revise text of 1.7 to read as follows:]
Effective October 3, 2010, flat-size mailpieces that do not meet the standards in 1.3 through 1.5 or the standards in 302.2.0 must pay applicable higher prices as noted in either 1.7a or 1.7b below.
a. Flat-size pieces that do not meet flexibility, uniform thickness, or polywrap standards in 1.3 through 1.5 must pay these applicable prices:
1. First-Class Mail—parcel prices.
2. Periodicals—parcel prices.
3. Standard Mail—Not Flat-Machinable or parcel prices.
4. Bound Printed Matter—parcel prices.
b. Flats that do not meet deflection standards in 1.6 must pay the applicable prices as noted in Exhibit 1.7b. Under the column heading “eligibility as presented,” flats will be considered to be presented as automation flats only if they meet all other eligibility standards for automation flats.
Exhibit 1.7b Pricing for Flats Exceeding Maximum Deflection (see 1.6)
Effective October 3, 2010
First-Class Mail Automation
First-Class Mail Presorted (nonautomation)
Periodicals Outside County
Periodicals In-County
Standard Mail
Bound Printed Matter
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3.0 Physical Standards for Automation Flats
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3.2 Additional Criteria for Automation Flats
[Delete current item 3.2.3 in its entirety.]
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700 Special Services
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707 Periodicals
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2.0 Price Application and Computation
2.1 Price Application
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2.1.2 Applying Outside-County Piece Prices
***Apply piece prices for Outside-County mail as follows:
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c. Nonmachinable flats.
[Revise item c1 to read as follows:]
1. Apply the “Nonmachinable Flats—Barcoded” prices to pieces that meet all of the alternative standards for flats in 26.0 and include a barcode. Exception: Barcoded pieces prepared under 26.0 and placed in 5-digit bundles pay the “Machinable Flats—Barcoded” 5-digit price. Effective October 3, 2010, “nonmachinable” barcoded flats claiming the machinable flats-barcoded 5-digit price must meet the deflection standards in 301.1.0.
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26.0 Physical Criteria for Nonmachinable Flat-Size Periodicals
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26.3 Flexibility and Deflection
[Revise the text of 26.3 to read as follows:]
Pieces prepared under 26.0 are not subject to the standards for flexibility in 301.1.3 or the standards for deflection in 301.1.6, except pieces claiming machinable 5-digit prices under 2.1. Effective October 3, 2010, nonmachinable flats in 5-digit bundles claiming 5-digit machinable flats prices must meet the deflection standards in 301.1.0.
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We will incorporate this revision into the next printed version of the DMM and into the monthly update of the online DMM available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards, Pricing, 6-3-10
