Effective January 17, 2027, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), in various sections, to add an optional preparation for pallets of Periodicals, USPS Marketing Mail, and Bound Printed Matter flats prepared loose in flat trays, when entered at a destination sectional center facility (DSCF). This optional preparation allows a reduced minimum of at least 10 pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound in each flat tray containing loose flats.
Although these revisions will not be published in the DMM until January 17, 2027, the standards are effective immediately.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
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203 Basic Postage Statement, Documentation, and Preparation Standards
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5.0 Letter Trays and Flat Trays
5.1 General Standards
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[Revise the text of item c. to read as follows:]
c. Flat trays used in a First-Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail, Periodicals, or Bound Printed Matter flat-size mailing may be nested into each other on a pallet without lids, and the pallet then shrink-wrapped.
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207 Periodicals
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12.0 Nonbarcoded (Presorted) Eligibility
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12.2 Prices—Outside-County
[Add a title under 12.2 and revise the text of 12.2.1 to read as follows:]
12.2.1 General
Outside-County nonbarcoded (Presorted) piece prices are based on shape, machinability, and presort level. The presort level of the piece is based primarily on the bundle level of the piece, except the presort level of pieces loose in trays, which is based on the tray level.
[Add the following subsections to 12.2, to read as follows:]
12.2.2 Five-Digit Prices
5-digit prices apply to:
a. Letter-size pieces in 5-digit bundles of six or more pieces each, placed in 5-digit trays.
b. Nonletter-size pieces in 5-digit scheme bundles and 5-digit bundles of six or more addressed pieces each, placed in 5-digit scheme sacks or flat trays, or 5-digit sacks or flat trays, or palletized under 705.8.0 or 705.10.0, 705.12.0, or 705.13.0.
c. Flat-size pieces placed loose in a 5-digit/scheme flat tray of at least 10 pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound entered at a DSCF.
12.2.3 Three-Digit Prices
3-digit prices apply to:
a. Letter-size pieces in 5-digit and 3-digit bundles of six or more pieces each, placed in 3-digit trays.
b. Nonletter-size pieces in 5-digit scheme, 5-digit, 3–digit scheme, and 3-digit bundles of six or more addressed pieces each, placed in 3-digit sacks or flat trays; or 3-digit scheme and 3-digit bundles of six or more addressed pieces each, prepared under 705.8.0 or 705.10.0, 705.12.0, or 705.13.0.
c. Flat-size pieces placed loose in a 3-digit/scheme flat tray of at least 10 pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound entered at a DSCF.
12.2.4 Mixed Prices
Mixed prices apply to pieces that are not eligible for and claimed at 5-digit and 3-digit prices.
12.3 Prices—In-County
12.3.1 Five-Digit Prices
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[Add item c. to read as follows:]
c. Flat-size pieces placed loose in a 5-digit/scheme flat tray of at least 10 pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound entered at a DSCF.
12.3.2 Three-Digit Prices
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[Add item c. to read as follows:]
c. Flat-size pieces placed loose in a 3-digit/scheme flat tray of at least 10 pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound entered at a DSCF.
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14.0 Barcoded (Automation) Eligibility
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14.3 Prices—Outside-County
[Add a title under 14.3 to read as follows:]
14.3.1 General
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[Add the following subsections to 14.3, to read as follows:]
14.3.2 Five-Digit Prices
5-digit automation prices apply to:
a. Letters in groups of 150 or more pieces to the same 5-digit or 5-digit scheme placed in a 5-digit or 5-digit scheme tray or trays prepared under 24.0. (Preparation to qualify for the 5-digit price is optional and, if performed, need not be done for all 5-digit or 5-digit scheme destinations.)
b. Flats in 5-digit bundles and 5-digit scheme bundles of six or more pieces each, prepared under 25.0 or 705.8.0 through 705.13.0.
c. Flats placed loose in a 5-digit/scheme flat tray of at least 10 pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound entered at a DSCF.
14.3.3 Three-Digit Prices
3-digit automation prices apply to:
a. Letters in groups of 150 or more pieces to the same 3-digit or 3-digit scheme placed in a 3-digit/scheme tray or trays under 24.0.
b. Flats in 3-digit scheme, and 3-digit bundles of six or more pieces each, prepared under 25.0 or 705.8.0 through 705.13.0.
c. Flats placed loose in a 3-digit/scheme flat tray of at least 10 pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound entered at a DSCF.
14.3.4 Mixed Prices
Mixed automation prices apply to:
a. Letters prepared under 24.0 that are not claimed at 5–digit or 3-digit prices.
b. Flats prepared under 25.0 or 705.8.0 through 705.13.0 that are not claimed at 5-digit or 3-digit prices.
c. All pieces in any bundle that contains fewer than six pieces.
14.4 Prices—In-County
14.4.1 Five-Digit Prices
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[Add item c. to read as follows:]
c. Flats placed loose in a 5-digit/scheme flat tray of at least 10 pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound entered at a DSCF.
14.4.2 Three-Digit Prices
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[Add item c. to read as follows:]
c. Flats placed loose in a 3-digit/scheme flat tray of at least 10 pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound entered at a DSCF.
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22.0 Preparing Nonbarcoded (Presorted) Periodicals
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22.7 Tray Preparation—Flat-Size Nonbarcoded Pieces
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[Add a note after item e(2) to read as follows:]
Note: DSCF entered flats may be prepared loose in flat trays with a minimum of 10 pieces and a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound per tray.
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25.0 Preparing Flat-Size Barcoded (Automation) Periodicals
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25.5 Tray Preparation—Flat-Size Barcoded Pieces
[Revise the text of 25.5 to read as follows:]
Mailers must place machinable flats (under 201.6.0) in flat trays (see 24.0) instead of sacks, unless prepared as the following: Direct carrier route; 5-digit scheme carrier route; 5-digit carrier route; Nonpalletized residual 5-digit and entered at a DDU along with carrier-route flats; Nonpalletized 5-digit flats entered at the DSCF (origin); or nonpalletized 3-digit/SCF entered at the DSCF (origin). Mailers must group together all pieces for each 5-digit scheme, 5-digit, 3-digit scheme, 3-digit, and SCF destination. Bundling in flat trays is optional when no mail in that tray would have been more finely sorted, if bundled. Bundles must be trayed and labeled separately from loose flats prepared in flat trays. Tray preparation, sequence, and labeling:***
[Add a note after item e(2) to read as follows:]
Note: DSCF entered flats may be prepared loose in flat trays with a minimum of 10 pieces and a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound per tray.
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240 Commercial Mail USPS Marketing Mail
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 Price Application for Nonautomation Flat
5.6.1 5-Digit Prices for Flats
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[Add item b. to read as follows and renumber current b. and c. as c. and d., respectively:]
b. In groups of 10 or more pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound placed in a 5-digit or scheme flat tray entered at a DSCF.
5.6.3 3-Digit Prices for Flats
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[Add item b. to read as follows and renumber current b. as c.:]
b. In groups of 10 or more 5-digit/scheme or 3-digit/scheme pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound in a 3-digit/SCF flat tray entered at a DSCF.
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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
[Revise the text of 7.5.1 to read as follows:]
Automation prices apply to each piece properly sorted into qualifying groups:
a. Groups of 50 or more flat-size pieces and all pieces in a full 5-digit/scheme tray qualify for the 5-digit price.
b. Groups of 10 or more flat-size pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound in a 5-digit/scheme tray qualify for the 5-digit price when entered at a DSCF.
c. Flat-size pieces in 5-digit/scheme bundles of 15 or more pieces, as applicable, qualify for the 5-digit price when palletized.
d. Groups of 50 or more flat-size pieces and all pieces in a full 3-digit/scheme/SCF tray qualify for the 3-digit price.
e. Groups of 10 or more flat-size pieces with a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound in a 3-digit/scheme/SCF tray qualify for the 3-digit price when entered at a DSCF.
f. Flat-size pieces in 3-digit/scheme bundles of 10 or more pieces qualify for the 3-digit price when palletized.
g. All flat-size pieces in mixed trays and palletized mixed bundles qualify for the mixed price (no minimum).
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245 Mail Preparation
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8.0 Preparing Nonautomation Flats
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8.5 Traying, Sacking, and Labeling
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[Add a note after item e(2) to read as follows:]
Note: DSCF entered flats may be prepared loose in flat trays with a minimum of 10 pieces and a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound per tray.
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10.0 Preparing Automation Flats
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10.4 USPS Marketing Mail Bundle and Flat-Tray Preparation
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10.4.2 Required Traying
[Revise the text of 10.4.2 to read as follows:]
Except as provided in 10.4.3, a flat tray or a letter tray under 3.0, must be prepared when the quantity of mail for a required presort destination reaches a full tray (see 1.4e) or 50 pieces, whichever occurs first.
10.4.3 Traying, Sacking, and Labeling
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[Add a note after item e(2) to read as follows:]
Note: DSCF entered flats may be prepared loose in flat trays with a minimum of 10 pieces and a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound per tray.
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260 Commercial Mail Bound Printed Matter
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265 Mail Preparation
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5.0 Preparing Presorted Flats
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5.2 Bundling
5.2.1 Required Bundling
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[Add a note at the end of 5.2.1 to read as follows:]
Note: Exception to bundling: DSCF entered flats may be prepared loose in flat trays with a minimum of 10 pieces and a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound per tray.
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5.3 Sacking
5.3.1 Required Sacking
[Add a sentence after the first sentence of 5.3.1 to read as follows:]
***Additionally, DSCF entered flats may be prepared loose in flat trays with a minimum of 10 pieces and a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound per tray.***
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7.0 Preparing Barcoded Flats
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7.3 Bundling
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7.3.2 Bundle Preparation
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[Add a note after item f. to read as follows:]
Note: DSCF entered flats may be prepared loose in flat trays with a minimum of 10 pieces and a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound per tray.
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7.4 Sacking
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[Add a note after item d(2) to read as follows:]
Note: DSCF entered flats may be prepared loose in flat trays with a minimum of 10 pieces and a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound per tray.
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266 Enter and Deposit
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4.0 Destination Sectional Center Facility (DSCF)/Local Processing Center (LPC) Entry
4.1 Eligibility
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[Add item d. at the end of 4.1 to read as follows:]
d. Are prepared loose in flat trays that contain a minimum of 10 pieces and a combined piece-weight of at least 1 pound entered at a DSCF/LPC/RPDC.
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705 Advanced Preparation and Special Postage Payment Systems
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8.0 Preparing Pallets
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8.5 General Preparation
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8.5.3 Minimum Load
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[Revise the text of item a(4) to read as follows:]
4. At an SCF, a 5-digit, 3-digit, or SCF pallet may contain less than the required minimum load of mail for that SCF’s service area only.
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8.8 Basic Uses
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[Revise the text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. Letter-size and nonletter-size mail in trays.
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8.10 Pallet Presort and Labeling
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[Revise the title of 8.10.4 to read as follows:]
8.10.4 Package Services Flats—Bundles, Sacks, and DSCF Entry Flat Trays
[Add a sentence before the last sentence of the first paragraph to read as follows:]
***For mailings of Bound Printed Matter DSCF entry loose flats in flat trays, use 8.10.4c through 8.10.4e.***
[Revise the first sentence of item c. to read as follows:]
c. 5-digit, required, permitted for bundles, sacks, and DSCF entry loose flats in flat trays.***
[Add a sentence before the last sentence of the introductory text of item d. to read as follows:]
d. ***Also allowed for loose flats in flat trays prepared for DSCF entry.***
[Revise the first sentence of item e. to read as follows:]
e. SCF/LPC, required, permitted for bundles, sacks, and DSCF entry loose flats in flat trays.***
15.0 Combining USPS Marketing Mail Flats, Bound Printed Matter Flats, and Periodicals Flats
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15.1 Basic Standards
15.1.1 General
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[Revise the text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. Mailers must prepare pieces in bundles on pallets (DSCF entered flats may be presented loose in flat trays on pallets). For exceptions to bundling contact the Pricing and Classification Service Center (see 608.8.4).
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15.1.4 Documentation
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[Revise the text of item e. to read as follows:]
e. Documentation to support entry and bundle or tray totals, if requested.
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15.1.7 Piece Prices
[Revise the first sentence of 15.1.7 to read as follows:]
Apply piece prices based on the bundle or tray level, as applicable.***
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15.4 Pallet Preparation
15.4.1 Pallet Preparation, Sequence, and Labeling
[Add a sentence after the first sentence to read as follows:]
***When combining flats trays of loose flats on pallets for DSCF entry, use 15.4.1e through 15.4.1g.***
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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, 11-12-26
