The postage rate for mailing a regular first-class letter in the United States starting January 22, 2012 is $0.45 for the first ounce and $0.20 for additional ounces up to 3.5 ounces. After that, you must use the rate for large envelopes, called flats, which start at $0.90 and also add $0.20 for additional ounces. Suppose that you only have 45-cent stamps. What should you do? You could affix one such stamp for each ounce. However, two first-ounce stamps covers three ounces for a letter. The first table below shows the costs for up to 13 ounces and the number of first-ounce stamps needed when you don't have additional-ounce stamps. The second table below shows the values when only first-ounce stamps are applied, and how many ounces for letters and flats are covered by using only these stamps.
| Ounces | Cost for Letters | Stamps Needed | Cost for Flats | Stamps Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0.45 | 1 | $0.90 | 2 |
| 2 | 0.65 | 2 | 1.10 | 3 |
| 3 | 0.85 | 2 | 1.30 | 3 |
| 3.5 | 1.05 | 3 | ---- | --- |
| 4 | 1.50 | 4 | 1.50 | 4 |
| 5 | 1.70 | 4 | 1.70 | 4 |
| 6 | 1.90 | 5 | 1.90 | 5 |
| 7 | 2.10 | 5 | 2.10 | 5 |
| 8 | 2.30 | 6 | 2.30 | 6 |
| 9 | 2.50 | 6 | 2.50 | 6 |
| 10 | 2.70 | 6 | 2.70 | 6 |
| 11 | 2.90 | 7 | 2.90 | 7 |
| 12 | 3.10 | 7 | 3.10 | 7 |
| 13 | 3.30 | 8 | 3.30 | 8 |
| First-Ounce Stamps | Value | Covers-Letters (oz) | Covers-Flats (oz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0.45 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 0.90 | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | 1.35 | 3.5 | 3 |
| 4 | 1.80 | 5 | 5 |
| 5 | 2.25 | 7 | 7 |
| 6 | 2.70 | 10 | 10 |
| 7 | 3.15 | 12 | 12 |
| 8 | 3.60 | 13 | 13 |
Following are the size requirements on letters and large envelopes (flats). If any of the limits on flats are exceeded, then package rates apply. If any of the limits on letters are exceeded without exceeding the corresponding limit for flats, then the rates for flats apply. The minimum requirements must be met for both letters and flats. The minimum width has 1/2 in parentheses since there is a discrepancy in reference 3 between the words and a diagram.
| Dimension | Minimum (in) | Limit-Letters (in) | Limit-Flats (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width (side to side) | 5 (1/2) | 11 1/2 | 15 |
| Height (top to bottom) | 3 1/2 | 6 1/8 | 12 |
| Thickness (front to back) | 0.007 | 1/4 | 3/4 |
Reference 3 contains the following notice about letter requirements: "A letter will be charged a nonmachinable surcharge if it’s a square letter 5" x 5" or larger, it doesn’t bend easily, has clasps or similar closure devices, has an address parallel to the shorter dimension of the letter, is lumpy, or the length divided by height is less than 1.3 or more than 2.5." This surcharge is $0.20.
Disclaimer: This above information is based on that from USPS.com. Although intended to be accurate, errors may occur. You assume all risks in using the information on this page.
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Provides commands for modifying Internet Explorer's web-address
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david dot wincelberg at gmail dot com
(In the above line, change "at" and "dot" to
their symbols and remove the spaces to produce my e-mail address.)
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Last updated: 1-Feb-2012
