Effective November 6, 2023, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), in various sections, to reflect the recent change in Postal Service requirements regarding maximum dimensions of a machinable parcel.
As part of Postal Service price changes that became effective July 9, 2023, the Postal Service revised the requirement for maximum dimensions for a machinable parcel to be 22 inches long by 18 inches wide and 15 inches high. The Postal Service made this change to maximize the operational capabilities of the parcel-sorting equipment in Postal Service facilities.
In addition, the Postal Service condensed the “machinable” and “nonmachinable” price categories in Parcel Select® Destination Entry, the last Postal Service parcel product to have “machinable” and “nonmachinable” pricing. As a result of the Parcel Select Destination Entry pricing change, the revised requirement for maximum machinable parcel dimensions does not affect pricing for any Postal Service parcel product, nor preparing Parcel Select Destination Entry mailings and the eligibility to mail as Parcel Select Lightweight® product.
The Postal Service is also clarifying that the revised requirement for maximum machinable parcel dimensions does not affect USPS Marketing Mail® parcels. Except for USPS Marketing Mail parcels mailed as small Product Samples, all other USPS Marketing Mail parcel categories must not exceed 12 inches long, 9 inches wide, and 2 inches thick.
Although the Postal Service will not publish these revisions in the DMM until November 6, 2023, the standards are effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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200 Commercial Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
201 Physical Standards
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7.0 Physical Standards for Parcels
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7.3 Maximum Weight and Size
[Revise the text of 7.3 to read as follows:]
7.3.1 Maximum Weight
No mailpiece may weigh more than 70 pounds. Lower-weight limits apply to parcels mailed at Priority Mail cubic, USPS Ground Advantage — Commercial cubic, USPS Marketing Mail, and Bound Printed Matter prices.
7.3.2 Maximum Size
The following applies:
a. Except for USPS Ground Advantage — Commercial, Parcel Select Destination Entry and USPS Connect Local, mailpieces must not measure more than 108 inches in length and girth combined.
b. USPS Ground Advantage — Commercial, Parcel Select Destination Entry, and USPS Connect Local parcels must not measure more than 130 inches in length and girth combined.
c. Lower-size limits apply to Parcel Select Lightweight under 8.5.3 and USPS Marketing Mail parcels under 8.4.
d. For parcels, length is the distance of the longest dimension and girth is the distance around the thickest part.
e. Lower-weight or lower-size standards apply to mail addressed to some APOs and FPOs subject to 703.2.0 and 703.4.0 and for U.S. Department of State mail, subject to 703.3.0.
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8.0 Additional Physical Standards by Class of Mail
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8.4 USPS Marketing Mail Parcels
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[Revise the title and introductory text of 8.4.2 to read as follows:]
8.4.2 Size
USPS Marketing Mail parcels do not meet flat-size physical standards and have the following characteristics:
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[Revise the first sentence of item e. to read as follows:]
e. Parcels mailed as small Product Samples under 243 must be no larger than 6 inches long, 4 inches high, and 1.5 inches thick.***
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The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the November 6, 2023, edition of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Product Solutions, 7-27-23
