Flat (USPS) - Wikipedia

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The United States Postal Service uses the words flats and nonletters interchangeably to refer to large envelopes, newsletters, and magazines.

Size restrictions

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To fit the definition a flat must:

Have one dimension that is greater than 6-1/8 inches high OR 11-½ inches long (the side parallel to the address as read) OR ¼ inch thick.
Be no more than 12 inches high x 15 inches long x ¾ inch thick.
Weigh no more than 13 ounces.

Furthermore, the item must be somewhat bendable: see the USPS Domestic Mail Manual for exact details. This general rule does not apply to: Automation rate flats and Standard Mail Enhanced Carrier Route flats.

Postage

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The maximum size for a flat provides enough room to enclose much material. An issue, however, is that the higher the weight the higher the postage, especially for First-Class Mail.

External links and references

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Domestic Mail Manual 101.2 Flats Physical Standards

v t e United States Postal Service
Organizations	American Letter Mail Company American Postal Workers Union Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service Bureau of Transportation Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees National Association of Letter Carriers National Association of Presort Mailers National Postal Mail Handlers Union National Rural Letter Carriers' Association Postal Regulatory Commission Postal Transportation Service PostalWatch Incorporated United States Postal Inspection Service United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General
Systems	Address Management System Advanced Facer-Canceler System Coding Accuracy Support System Delivery Bar Code Sorter Flats Sequencing System Locatable Address Conversion System United States Postal Savings System
Services	Click-N-Ship Express mail in the United States National Change Of Address Permit mail Permit Reply Mail Postal notes Railway Mail Service Registered mail Special Delivery Special handling
Facilities	Air mail facility Boat railway post office Community post office Dead letter office Highway post office J. W. Westcott II List of United States post offices National Postal Museum Network distribution center Railway mail service library Red Brick Roads Sectional center facility Streetcar railway post office Terminal railway post office
Legal	Comstock Act of 1873 Post Office Consolidation Act of 1872 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 Postal Service Act of 1792 Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 Private Express Statutes Rural Post Roads Act of 1916 Title 39 of the United States Code
Related	2020 United States Postal Service crisis United States airmail service CAR-RT SORT Catcher pouch Cimarron Redoubt Domestic Mail Manual Facing Identification Mark Flats Ford-Utilimaster FFV Grumman LLV Information-Based Indicia The Inspectors Intelligent Mail barcode Jeep DJ Label 228 List of postal killings List of U.S. state abbreviations List of United States airmail stamps Mail bag Mail cover Mail hook Mail Isolation Control and Tracking Mail jumping Mail pouch Mail sack Mail satchel Nixie ORM-D Owney (dog) Pony Express mochila Postage stamps and postal history of the United States Postal Alpha Numeric Encoding Technique Postal Clause Postal voting in the United States Postal worker Postmaster General Prohibitory Order Remote Bar Coding System Rural Free Delivery Rural letter carrier STD-4C United States post office murals List of murals USPS Post Office Box Lobby Recycling program United States Postal Service creed

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