Standard Mail vs First Class – What’s the Difference?

Many businesses ask, “Should I choose Standard Class or First Class mail?” when considering a mailing campaign.

To make the best choice, it’s crucial to analyze the features, benefits and costs of both first-class and standard mail, including USPS Marketing Mail. The final decision will be determined by your budget and the timeliness of the campaign.

Given that business owners and marketing teams often ask this question, let’s examine the differences between first-class and standard mail. 

By the end of this article, you’ll be fully informed about mail options and able to make the best decision for your direct mail marketing campaign or any other mailings your business requires.

Table of Contents

• First Class Mail
• Standard Class Mail
• First Class vs Standard Class: A Comparison
• How to Choose the Right Mail Class?
• Direct Mail Automation and Postage Class Choices
• Send Direct Mail with Postalytics

First Class Mail

First (no pun intended), let’s take a look at first-class mail.

What is First Class mail?

USPS First Class Mail offers the highest level of service for delivering direct mail pieces such as postcards, letters, and packages in the United States. Direct mail campaigns benefit greatly from the reliable and timely delivery provided by First Class Mail. Think of any domestic mail or direct mail campaign sent in envelopes and small packages using USPS First Class delivery.

The features of First Class Mail:

• The most consistent delivery timing with delivery in 1–5 business days (excellent option for priority mail
• Smaller packages are typically delivered sometime between 1 and 3 business days
• Eligible for delivery confirmation services such as Certified Mail®
• It can be used for cards, letters, flats, and parcels that weigh 13 ounces or less
• Free automatic returns and mail forwarding
• Lower pricing is offered when using the presorted First Class mail option.

What is presorted First Class mail?

Presorting your First Class mail can save you on postage as the USPS offers discounts of up to 20% to businesses that presort their mail. Mail is typically bundled by service type, size, and ZIP Code.

We recommend presorting your mail to take advantage of these discounts, especially if you’re dealing with time sensitive mail.

What is considered First Class mail?

First Class mail is the least expensive and most immediate option for mailing postcards, letters, large envelopes, and parcels.

Any envelopes that weigh less than 3.5 ounces and any package that weighs less than 13 ounces can be sent by this type of mail.

How much does First Class mail cost? 

Based on First Class Mail postage costs in 2024, here’s an overview of postage costs for letters, flat-rate envelopes, and packages, both domestic and international.

• Letters: The rate for letters (1 ounce) purchased from the Post Office starts at $0.58 for domestic letters, with each additional ounce costing $0.20. Postage for International First Class Mail letters is $1.30.
• Envelopes: Rates for large envelopes (1 ounce) start at $1.16. Each additional ounce is $0.20.
• Domestic and International Packages: Rates for First Class Package service start at $3.37 for domestic posting, and $14.11 for international shipping. 

Standard Class Mail

Now we have a good overview of First Class mail, let’s turn our attention to Standard Class (also known as marketing mail.)

What is standard mail?

Standard mail is a level of service and pricing designed for large commercial mailing campaigns where time sensitivity is not as important. Using the standard option in this instance will reduce the direct mail campaign cost.

The features of Standard Class Mail:

• Around 32% cheaper per piece than First Class mail
• Delivered in 5–21 business days
• Doesn’t include forwarding and return service
• Pieces must weigh less than 16 ounces
• A minimum of 200 pieces required or 50 pounds of mail

What is considered standard mail?

Standard mail covers many formats, but generally, it is any printed marketing piece that is identical in content. This might include;

• Flyers
• Circulars
• Advertising materials
• Bulletins
• Newsletters
• Catalogs

Standard Class tracking

A standard mail tracking service is available with the United States Postal Service (USPS) via the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB). 

Intelligent Mail Barcode is a tool used to capture barcode scans on the pallets of mail that move throughout the USPS delivery system. This service allows for updates as the mail moves through the system to its final destination. The USPS does not always perform the scans for Standard Class Mail, but it generally does. If you want to make sure you are getting as many IMB scans as possible, then you should use First Class Mail.

How do you forward standard mail?

Standard mail does not offer free automatic returns and mail forwarding; instead, a special endorsement at an additional fee is required.

The USPS will discard any undeliverable standard mail that doesn’t have an endorsement.

To avoid wasting money on standard mail going to outdated addresses, we recommend cleaning up your database before sending standard mail.

What is Nonprofit mail?

Standard mail can be classed as Nonprofit or Regular. Nonprofit rates are lower than Regular Standard Mail but have strict USPS content and design requirements.

The requirements for meeting this are strictly enforced. You can check whether your company meets the nonprofit requirements set by the USPS here.

For eligible organizations, the business mail entry unit (BMEU) plays a crucial role in ensuring that communications meet these requirements, enabling them to submit mailings at reduced rates. The BMEU helps organizations take advantage of USPS bulk mailing services and postage discounts, making Nonprofit mail a cost-effective option for qualified entities.

How much does the standard direct mail cost?

The cost for standard mail will vary, but postage prices start at $0.197. 

Postalytics offers its clients the best pricing. For example, even when the standard mail postage rates increased in August 2021, we offered our clients discounts.

Nonprofit organizations can also benefit from reduced postage by obtaining the necessary PS Form 3624 at their local post office, allowing them to send communications at nonprofit standard mail rates.

What is presorted standard mail?

There is also the option to presort standard mail. Presorted mail is mail that has been sorted and combined by service type, size, and ZIP Code.

Presorting mail saves the USPS time, allowing them to offer a discount of up to 20% for those who presort their mail.

First Class vs Standard Mail: A Comparison

As we have seen, the significant differences between sending First Class and standard mail pieces are price, speed of delivery, and options for mail forwarding and mail returns for items with incorrect addresses.

Let’s again look at the differences in speed and costs.

What is the estimated delivery time of First Class and standard mail?

This mail can take between 1 and 5 business days for large packages and between 1 and 3 business days for small packages. You can find more detailed information on how long does First Class mail take here.

Standard mail has no guaranteed delivery time, but we recommended allowing between 9 and 21 business days to be delivered. Therefore, we would only recommend this option for mailers that aren’t time sensitive.

Holiday season mailing

Because of the priority given to First Class direct mail over standard/marketing mail, we strongly recommend that marketers use First Class during the holiday period, especially for time-sensitive promotions.

We’ve seen holiday season Standard Class mail take weeks to deliver, with drastic variations in delivery times.

The holiday season (from Thanksgiving through the New Year) is the peak mailing season for the USPS. In fact, over 15 billion pieces of mail are processed during the holiday mailing season.

Learn More About Holiday Season Mailing

Because local and regional bottlenecks can occur during the peak season, these slowdowns can be completely unpredictable and out of the control of the marketer and/or the printer/mailer.

How to Choose the Right Mail Class

Choosing the right mail class can be overwhelming, especially with many available options. The main factors to consider when deciding between First Class and Standard Class are: 

• Time sensitivity: If you need to send time-sensitive documents or packages, First Class may be the best option.
• Budget: If you’re on a tight budget, Standard Mail may be the most cost-effective option.
• Volume: If you’re sending a large quantity of mail, Standard Mail may be the most cost-effective option.
• Content: If you’re sending promotional materials, Standard Mail may be the best option.
• Destination: If you’re sending mail to a local or regional audience, First Class or Standard Mail may be sufficient.
• Multi-Channel Campaigns: First Class Mail is recommended for multi-channel campaigns that rely on precise timing and coordination.
• Holiday Season Mailings: To ensure timely delivery during peak seasons, First Class Mail is generally preferred.

While the above summarizes the differences between standard mail vs First Class –  it still leaves a decision to be made: which is the best option to use?

The decision will usually depend on the urgency with which the information must be mailed and the budget allocated for the mailing.

First Class mail is the best option if you want your mail delivered faster. We also recommend using First Class if you wish to take advantage of the free forwarding and return services.

On the other hand, if you want to stay cost-effective and delivery time isn’t crucial, then Standard Class mail is the better way for you to go. Standard class mail is also a better option if you have a large mailing and want to take advantage of bulk rates. Just be sure that your customer database is up to date so as to eliminate failed deliveries.

Direct Mail Automation and Postage Class Choices

Automated direct mail software like Postalytics should make the choice between First Class and Standard Class direct mail easier. 

Our self-service tools, such as the Smart Send Campaign, speed up execution and provide an ‘Estimated In-Home Date’ tool. These tools help you understand delivery timelines and cost differences, making it easier to choose the right mail class for your needs.

You’ll be making mailing decisions faster than you can choose between coffee or tea!

Send Direct Mail With Postalytics

Whichever option you choose, one thing is guaranteed – Postalytics can offer you the best results for your mailing needs.

If you’re building a direct mail campaign in the United States or Canada, arm yourself with the best direct mail solutions by creating your free Postalytics account today.

You can also contact us for more information on mailing or to discuss which mailing option is best for you.