Effective July 13, 2025, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), sections 235, 243, 245, and 705, to reflect a change in the Postal Service standards for First-Class Mail® and USPS Marketing Mail® flats.
Instead of being required, as it is currently, for 5-digit/scheme, 3-digit, and area distribution center (ADC) preparation, the standards will be optional when preparing bundles and trays.
The Postal Service is revising these standards to encourage mailers to create full flat trays of mail and to reduce the volume of bundles entering the mailstream.
The Postal Service will publish these revisions in the July 13, 2025, DMM edition. These standards will become effective July 13, 2025.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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200 Commercial Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
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230 Commercial Mail First-Class Mail
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235 Mail Preparation
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7.0 Preparation of Nonautomation Flats
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7.4 Bundling and Labeling
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[Revise the text of items a. through c. to read as follows:]
a. 5-digit (optional); 10-piece minimum; red Label 5 or optional endorsement line (OEL).
b. 3-digit (optional); 10-piece minimum; green Label 3 or OEL.
c. ADC (optional); 10-piece minimum; pink Label A or OEL.
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7.5 Traying and Labeling
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[Revise the introductory text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. 5-digit (optional); full trays (no overflow); labeling:
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[Revise the introductory text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. 3-digit (optional); full trays (no overflow), except for one less-than-full tray for each origin 3-digit(s); labeling:
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[Revise the introductory text of item c. to read as follows:]
c. ADC (optional); full trays (no overflow); labeling:
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8.0 Preparation of Automation Flats
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8.5 First-Class Mail Required Bundle-Based Preparation
8.5.1 Bundling and Labeling
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[Revise the text of items b. through d. to read as follows:]
b. 5-digit (optional); 10-piece minimum; red Label 5 or optional endorsement line (OEL).
c. 3-digit (optional); 10-piece minimum; green Label 3 or OEL.
d. ADC (optional); 10-piece minimum; pink Label A or OEL.
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8.5.2 Traying and Labeling
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[Revise the introductory text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. 5-digit (optional); full trays (no overflow); labeling:
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[Revise the introductory text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. 3-digit (optional); full trays (no overflow); labeling:
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[Revise the introductory text of item d. to read as follows:]
d. ADC (optional); full trays (no overflow); labeling:
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8.6 First-Class Mail Optional Tray-Based Preparation
[Revise the text of items a. and b. to read as follows:]
a. 5-digit: optional (90-piece minimum); one less-than-full or overflow tray allowed; for Line 1, use city, state, and 5-digit ZIP Code destination of pieces. (For military mail, see 4.0). (Preparation to qualify for the 5–digit price is optional and need not be done for all 5-digit destinations.)
b. 3-digit: optional (90-piece minimum); one less-than-full or overflow tray allowed; for Line 1, use L002, Column A, for 3-digit destinations.
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[Revise the first sentence of item d. to read as follows:]
d. ADC: optional (90-piece minimum); one less-than-full or overflow tray allowed; group pieces by 3-digit ZIP Code prefix; for Line 1, use L004.***
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240 Commercial Mail USPS Marketing Mail
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243 Prices and Eligibility
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5.0 Additional Eligibility Standards for Nonautomation USPS Marketing Mail Letters, Flats, and Presorted USPS Marketing Mail Parcels
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5.6 Nonautomation Price Application — Flats
5.6.1 5-Digit Prices for Flats
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[Add new item d. to read as follows:]
d. Placed unbundled in a full 5-digit flat tray under 203.4.4.
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5.6.3 3-Digit Prices for Flats
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[Add new item c. to read as follows:]
c. Placed unbundled in a full 3-digit flat tray under 203.4.4.
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5.6.5 ADC Prices for Flats
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[Add new item d. to read as follows:]
d. Placed unbundled in a full ADC flat tray under 203.4.4.
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7.0 Eligibility Standards for Automation USPS Marketing Mail
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7.5 Price Application for Automation Flats
7.5.1 General
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[Revise the text of items a. through c. to read as follows:]
a. The 5-digit price applies to flat-size pieces in a 5-digit/scheme bundle of 10 or more pieces, as applicable. The 5-digit price also applies to unbundled flats placed in 5-digit flat trays under 203.4.4.
b. The 3-digit price applies to flat-size pieces in a 3-digit/scheme bundle of 10 or more pieces. The 3-digit price also applies to unbundled flats placed in 3-digit flat trays under 203.4.4.
c. The ADC price applies to flat-size pieces in an ADC bundle of 10 or more pieces. The ADC price also applies to unbundled flats placed in ADC flat trays under 203.4.4.
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245 Mail Preparation
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8.0 Preparing Nonautomation Flats
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8.3 Bundling and Labeling
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Revise the introductory text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. 5-digit scheme (required for flats meeting the automation-compatibility standards in 201.6.0), see definition in 1.4j:
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[Revise the introductory text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. 5-digit (optional), see definition in 1.4j:
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[Revise the text of items d. and e. to read as follows:]
d. 3-digit (optional), see definition in 1.4p; 10-piece minimum; green Label 3 or OEL.
e. ADC (optional); 10-piece minimum; pink Label A or OEL.
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8.6 Traying, Sacking, and Labeling
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[Revise the introductory text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. 5-digit/scheme (optional); scheme sort required (before 5-digit sort), only for pieces meeting the automation flats criteria in 201.6.0, see definition in 1.4j; full flat tray; 125-piece, or 15-pound minimum; labeling:
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[Revise the introductory text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. 3-digit (optional); full flat tray; 125-piece, or 15-pound minimum; labeling:
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[Revise the introductory text of item d. to read as follows:]
d. ADC (optional); full flat tray; 125-piece, or 15-pound minimum; labeling:
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10.0 Preparing Automation Flats
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10.4 USPS Marketing Mail Bundle and Flat-Tray Preparation
10.4.1 Bundling and Labeling
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[Revise the introductory text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. 5-digit scheme (optional); see definition in 1.4g:
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[Revise the introductory text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. 5-digit presort (optional); see definition in 1.4g:
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[Revise the text of items c. through e. to read as follows:]
c. 3-digit scheme (optional); see definition in 1.4p; 10–piece minimum; green Label 3 SCH or OEL.
d. 3-digit presort (optional); see definition in 1.4p; 10–piece minimum; green Label 3 or OEL.
e. ADC (optional); 10-piece minimum; pink Label A or OEL.
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10.4.3 Traying, Sacking, and Labeling
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[Revise the introductory text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. 5-digit/scheme; (optional), see definition in 1.4h; full flat tray, 125-piece, or 15-pound minimum, labeling:
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[Revise the introductory text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. 3-digit (optional); full flat tray, 125-piece or 15-pound minimum; labeling:
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[Revise the introductory text of item d. to read as follows:]
d. ADC (optional); full flat tray, 125-piece, or 15-pound minimum; labeling:
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700 Special Standards
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[Revise the title of 705 to read as follows:]
705 Advanced Preparation and Special Postage-Payment Systems
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9.0 Combining Bundles of Automation and Nonautomation Flats in Flat Trays and Sacks
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9.3 USPS Marketing Mail
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9.3.5 Flat Tray/Sack Preparation and Labeling
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[Revise the introductory text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. 5-digit/scheme; optional; scheme sort required only for pieces meeting the automation-compatibility criteria in 201.6.0; full tray/125-piece/15-pound minimum; labeling:
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[Revise the introductory text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. 3-digit, optional, full tray/125-piece/15-pound minimum; labeling:
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[Revise the introductory text of item d. to read as follows:]
d. ADC, optional, full tray/125-piece/15-pound minimum; use L004 to determine ZIP Codes served by each ADC; labeling:
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The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the next edition of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Product Solutions, 5-29-25
