
But if you’re using your own packaging, or if your packages exceed the maximum dimensions for Flat Rate shipping, then you’ll pay an additional amount for every extra pound of weight you send. If you’re using Flat Rate packaging (discussed above), you’ll pay the same whether you’re sending 1 lb or 70 lb. The maximum weight allowed for letters and packages sent by Priority Mail is 70 lb. The trade-off is that your mail has to be small enough to fit inside USPS’s special Flat Rate boxes and envelopes, but it's usually more than enough for most companies’ mailing needs. For a fixed fee, you can ship as much weight as you like (up to 70 lbs) for no extra cost. The USPS is happy to ship letters and boxes with both standard and non-standard dimensions, charging a premium on heavier packages.īut if all your mail tends to be of a similar size, you could save a ton of money if you use USPS’s Flat Rate boxes and envelopes. So, if you live in Washington, you’ll pay Zone 1/2 prices to ship to customers in neighboring Oregon, whereas a business based in New York would pay Zone 7/8 prices to ship to the same customers. Zones aren’t fixed, are defined by the distance between the sender's and receiver's locations.
#Usps pricing by weight code#
Zone 1 covers areas beyond your zip code but within a 50 mile radius, while Zone 8 covers distances of 1801 miles and over (coast-to-coast shipping, essentially). The USPS splits pricing across nine ‘zones’. Put simply, the greater the distance your mail has to go, the more it costs to get it there. Let’s take a closer look at each one: Shipping Zone Three factors affect Priority Mail prices: What Factors Affect USPS Priority Mail Rates?

To keep things simple, USPS Flat Rate pricing delivers speedy shipping to any state:

Paying a little extra means your clients will get their important mail the next day or within two days. When you need your mail to arrive even faster, you need the USPS Priority Mail Express service.
