Sizes for Letters

Standard Style Mail Slots are perfect for USPS residential door mail delivery. They come with a mail flap on the outside of the door and a trim piece on the inside of the door for a clean finished installation. They are manufactured of high quality brass with a durable weather resistant finish that is available in three attractive colors. Magazine Size Mail Slots are the right size for basic. Standard Mail Slot, Letter Size, Antique Item # 3YPA4; Mfr. Model # 4035A UNSPSC # 24112407 Catalog Group # D0048 Catalog Page # N/A Country of Origin USA. Country of Origin is subject to change. Mail slot has a spring-loaded flap for the front of a wall or solid door.

You probably have a picture in your mind of what a 'letter' is. Possibly you're using a standard No. 10 envelope for your letter, so that's easy to picture. However, if you decide to create a mailpiece with its own special envelope or if you are designing a piece that will be folded to letter-size, be sure to keep in mind the following size requirements for letters:

Dimension	Minimum	Maximum
Height	3-1/2 inches	6-1/8 inches
Length	5 inches	11-1/2 inches
Thickness	0.007 inch	1/4 inch

To be eligible for mailing at the price for letters, a piece must be:

Rectangular
At least 3-1/2 inches high x 5 inches long x 0.007 inch thick.
No more than 6-1/8 inches high x 11-1/2 inches long x 1/4 inch thick.

First-Class Mail letters that have one or more nonmachinable characteristics will pay a nonmachinable surcharge. Customers can be unpleasantly surprised that they must pay extra postage when, for example, they mail a square greeting card. The Postal Service charges extra postage because mailpieces that are rigid, square, or unusually shaped, often jam postal equipment and are difficult to process. This costs the Postal Service time and money—and may also damage your mailpiece.

Many mailers fold sheets of paper to form letter-size pieces or newsletters. Folded pieces, or folded self-mailers, can save time and money because you're not paying for or stuffing envelopes. Folded self-mailers must be sealed or they will be subject to the nonmachinable surcharge. We recommend that you use wafer seals or tabs to close the open sides of folded mailpieces.

Here's some good advice on tabbing: Put the fold on the bottom (the side below the address) and secure the opening at the top with a piece of tape, a tab or a wafer seal.

There are special size requirements for mailing letters at automation prices. Contact your Business Mail Entry Unit for more information.

TIPS

0.007 inches? How do I measure that? As a guide, an index card is thick enough. If in doubt, contact a Mailpiece Design Analyst (MDA) near you. MDAs have tools for precisely measuring thickness and can tell you if your mailpiece is thick enough.
What is high? What is long? Length is the side parallel to the address. Height is the side that is perpendicular to the length.

Slot Hole Dimension

Sizes for parcels that weigh 13 ounces or less.

A residential wall mail slot offers the ultimate in convenience for homeowners lucky enough to still receive walk-up mail delivery.

When installing a wall mail slot mailbox you can choose either:

Door Mounted – Bursting forth with nostalgia, a door mail slot mailbox can be installed through a front door (or garage door).

Through Wall – Your wall mail slot mailbox can be installed through the wall of your home.

An exterior mail slot cover (or lid) covers the mail slot so that the home remains insulated against the elements. USPS mailbox guidelines require any horizontal mail slot to be hinged at the top and any vertical mail slot to be hinged on the opposite side from the door’s hinges (if mounted on a door).

When the postal carrier walks up to the house, the mail carrier simply lifts the lid on residential mail slots to insert the mail. The mail passes through your door (or wall for wall mounted door slots) and lies securely on the inside of your home, either on the floor or in a mail slot collection box.

Advantages of a Residential Mail Drop Slot

European Home Mail Slot

While residential mail slots are only advisable for postal areas with walk up delivery, the advantages of these thru-wall and thru door slot mailboxes are three-fold:

Residential mail slots are often far more secure than non-locking post mount or wall mount mailboxes.
Mail slots are less expensive.
Mail slots do not require the homeowner to exit their home to retrieve their mail.

For disabled persons or elderly persons with mobility challenges, this third advantage of mail slot mailboxes is hands-down the most significant, as their mail can be collected from the security and comfort of their home.

Ordering A Slot Mailbox

When buying residential mail slots, take time to consider these three factors:

Mail slot size
Mail slot finish
Whether or not to accessorize your with an indoor collection box

Mail Slot Size

The size of your installed mail slot should be large enough to accommodate large envelopes, magazine subscriptions, or small parcels, and according to the USPS mail slot requirements, the mail slot size should be at least 1 ½ by 7 inches in size.

Mail Slot Finish

The finish of your mail slot should match or complement the finish of your door or wall hardware. For example, if you have a door entry hardware with a natural patina brass finish, consider selecting a brass mail slot with a natural patina finish or consider a high contrast to that brass finish to avoid finishes that clash.

Mail Slot Accessories

If having your mail scattered across a heavily trafficked floor area is a safety concern, an indoor mail collection box accessory or simple drop basket inside the home is advisable. Additionally, indoor mail collection accessories are also recommended when the floor surface (such as soft wood flooring) can be easily damaged by the regular delivery of parcels or packages that might scratch or ding it.

New Installation Considerations

Investing the time to consider these three factors can also augment the success of installing your mail slot in a new location:

Check with your postmaster
Ensure proper mail slot height
Consider an interior hood installation

Consult with Your Postmaster

First, check with your local postmaster to ensure that your wall mail slot is a viable option for mail delivery to your home. While a trip to any of Europe’s great cities and to many of North America’s large east coast cities quickly validates the popularity of mail slot mailboxes (they are called letter boxes in Europe), mail slots are less common in the vast majority of North America. So, take the time to ensure walk up mail delivery is available to your residence before purchasing a mail slot for your home.

Correct Mail Slot Height

Second, the USPS requires that when installed, the bottom of your residential mail slot must be at least 30” above the floor. While there is no height restriction posted by the USPS, it is advisable that the mail slot be mounted at a height that allows the postal carrier to easily deliver your mail without reaching too high or stooping too low.

Interior Hood Installation

Additionally, to ensure the mail flows smoothly through the mail slot upon delivery, the USPS requires that if an interior hood is utilized for privacy, the hooded portion should not be below the bottom of the outside plate on the horizontal mail slot. For vertical mail slots, the hood should not extend beyond the side of the outside plate on the same side as the door’s hinges. Finally, regardless of orientation, the interior privacy hood should not project more than 2 1/16” beyond the inside of the door.

Mail Slot Brands

To shop the largest inventory of residential wall mail slots, browse the selections available at The MailboxWorks, North America’s largest retailer of all types of mailboxes – commercial and residential.

Auth Florence Mail Slots

Standard Slot Sizes

The MailboxWorks features the elegantly simple aluminum mail slot created by Auth Florence, which meets all the USPS regulations regarding mail slots. Florence mail slots are available in eleven beautiful powder coated finishes including antique

Standard Mail Slot Dimensions