Addressing and Packaging your Mail

• Addressing Your Mail for Delivery
• Destination Address
• Return Address
• Dual Addressing
• Addressing Tips
• International Addressing Tips
• Packaging Tips
• Special Tips
• ZIP Code
• ZIP+4
• Minimum Size Standards
• Nonstandard Size Mail
• State and other Abbreviations

Addressing Your Mail for Delivery

It is important to use all address information for proper delivery of your mail. For example, today there are more than 40 streets in Atlanta, Georgia, with the name Peachtree - N Peachtree Ct, Peachtree St NW, W Peachtree St NE, and so on. Imagine trying to deliver a letter addressed only to Mrs. Smith on "Peachtree"! We would not know where to send it.

Destination Address

Be sure to include the following in the destination address:

Recipient's name (and/or company name, if applicable). Recipient's street address, post office box number, rural route number and box number, or highway contract route number and box number. In addition, include all required suffixes, directionals, and locators (see Addressing Tips) in the address line. Recipient's city, state, and ZIP Code or ZIP+4, if known. For international mail, include the applicable foreign postal code, if known, city or town, province or state name, and country name (see International Addressing Tips for more details).

Return Address

Include all the elements of the destination address. Place the return address in the upper left corner of the mailpiece.

Dual Addressing

When a post office box number and a street address are used, make sure that the place where you want the mail delivered appears on the line immediately above the city, state, and ZIP Code line and that the ZIP Code or ZIP+4 code corresponds to that address. For example:

Addressing Tips

• Write, type, or print the complete address neatly.
• Always use a return address.
• Always use complete address information, such as the suffixes AVE, BLVD, and ST. Always include locators such as the apartment or suite number.
• Always use correct directionals, such as N, W, and SW.
• Don't let an incorrect ZIP Code delay delivery of your mail. Local post offices and the Postal Service web site, www.usps.gov, offer ZIP Code information.
• Use the four-digit add-on, ZIP+4, in your addressing. Hyphenate the ZIP+4.
• Always use the two-letter state abbreviations listed in the chart in Abbreviations.
• Use common addressing abbreviations listed in the chart in Abbreviations..
• Place endorsements for special services, such as Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, or insured, above the destination address and below and to the right of the return address.

International Addressing Tips

• Put foreign postal codes, if known, in front of the city or town name and on the same line.
  
• Place the city or town name and the province or state name on the next line after the street address information.
  
• Write the name of the foreign country in capital letters on the last line of the address.

Packaging Tips

• Select a box that is strong enough to protect the contents.
  
• Leave space for cushioning inside the carton.
  
• Cushion package contents with shredded or rolled newspaper, bubble wrap, or Styrofoam peanuts. Plain air-popped popcorn is also good for cushioning; it's inexpensive and environmentally friendly. Pack tightly to avoid shifting.
  
• Always use tape that is designed for shipping, such as pressure-sensitive tape, nylon-reinforced kraft paper tape, or glass-reinforced pressure-sensitive tape.
  
• Do not use wrapping paper, string, masking tape, or cellophane tape.
  
• Put the delivery and return addresses on one side only of the package.
  
• Suggestion: Place a return address label inside the package.
  
• Stuff glass and fragile hollow items, like vases, with newspaper or packing material to avoid damage due to shock. When mailing framed photographs, take the glass out of the frame and wrap it separately.
• Remove batteries from toys. Wrap and place them next to the toys in the mailing box.
  
• Take packages that weigh at least 1 pound into the post office for mailing.
  
• Publication 2, Packaging for Mailing, and Publication 227, Preparing Packages for Mailing, contain more tips and are available free from your post office.
  
• Obtain Express Mail and Priority Mail boxes, envelopes, and tubes for free from your post office.
  
• Purchase packaging products, including tape, envelopes, padded bags, corrugated boxes, mailing tubes, and cushioning material, from your post office. Some locations offer decorative boxes and expander packs that are suitable for mailing gifts.

Special Tips

• Access the Postal Service's web site, www.usps.gov, for postage calculations, the latest addressing information, and unique gifts.
  
• Avoid waiting in line for stamps by buying Stamps by Phone (1-800-STAMP24), Stamps by Mail, or stamps from postal self-service vending machines.
  
• If you are a last-minute international mailer, do not despair. The average Global Priority Mail delivery is 4 days to many countries for items up to 4 pounds. The average Express Mail International Service delivery is 1 or 2 days to most major cities.

ZIP Code

The ZIP Code is extremely important in the processing and delivery of mail. An envelope that does not include a ZIP Code in the delivery address must be manually sorted. This increases the cost of sorting the mail and causes mail to be delayed en route to the delivery address. Even though use of the ZIP Code is voluntary for most mail types, we urge you to include it in your return address and the mailing address. ZIP Code directories (Publication 65, National Five-Digit ZIP Code and Post Office Directory) are available for use or sale at your local post office. You may download the order form here.

City/State/ZIP Code Association Lookup

ZIP+4

In 1983, the Postal Service began to use an expanded ZIP Code called ZIP+4. It is composed of the original five-digit code plus a four-digit add-on. Use of the four-digit add-on number is voluntary for most mail. However, this add-on number helps the Postal Service direct mail efficiently and accurately. Even if you prefer not to use your four-digit add-on number, using the correct five-digit ZIP Code helps prevent delays.

The four-digit add-on number identifies a geographic segment within the five-digit delivery area such as a city block, an office building, an individual high-volume receiver of mail, or any other unit that would aid efficient mail sorting and delivery. Using ZIP+4 reduces the number of handlings and significantly decreases the potential for human error and the possibility of misdelivery. You can purchase Publication 66, ZIP+4 State Directory, at your post office. You may download the order form here.

Zip+4 Lookup

Minimum Size Standards

Pieces 1/4 inch or less thick are mailable if they are rectangular and:

• At least 3 1/2 inches high.
  
• At least 5 inches long (items sent to foreign countries must be at least 5 1/2 inches long).
  
• At least 0.007 inch thick (about the thickness of a postcard).

Mail not meeting these standards is returned to the sender.

Nonstandard Size Mail

Nonstandard size mail is more costly to handle because it usually cannot be mechanically processed. First-Class Mail and international letters are nonstandard if they weigh 1 ounce or less and they exceed any of these size limits:

• Height exceeds 6 1/8 inches, or
  
• Length exceeds 11 1/2 inches, or
  
• Thickness exceeds 1/4 inch, or
  
• Length divided by height is less than 1.3 or more than 2.5 inches.

A surcharge, in addition to the applicable postage and fees, is applied to each piece of nonstandard size mail for two reasons: it compensates the Postal Service for the added cost of manually handling nonstandard mail, and it promotes the design and use of mail that can be processed mechanically.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations used in addressing can be confusing at times. When in doubt, check these lists. In addition to the official Postal Service abbreviations for states, territories, and the District of Columbia, we have included the official abbreviations for some common street suffixes, directionals, and locators. A complete listing is printed in Publication 65, which is available at your local post office.