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What are the Media Mail weight and size limits?

USPS's rules: Up to 70 lb

A Media Mail package can weigh up to 70 lb and measure up to 108 inches in length plus girth, the longest side plus the distance around the thickest part. USPS charges per pound with a 1 lb minimum and counts any fraction of a pound as a whole pound, so an 8 oz paperback pays $4.39 and a 2 lb 1 oz box pays the 3 lb price, $5.86. DMM 173 charges Media Mail by the pound with no dimensional-weight rule or nonstandard fees; Notice 123 lists those for Ground Advantage and Priority Mail, not Media Mail.

Rates verified on

The rule, in USPS's words

Quoted from the official pages linked below each quote, checked Oct 19, 2026.

“no mailpiece may measure more than 108 inches in length and girth combined. For parcels, length is the distance of the longest dimension, and girth is the distance around the thickest part.”
Domestic Mail Manual 101.3.2.1 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 101: physical standards (size and weight limits, large envelopes)
“Except as provided under 4.0 through 7.0, no mailpiece may weigh more than 70 pounds.”
Domestic Mail Manual 101.3.2.2 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 101: physical standards (size and weight limits, large envelopes)
“any fraction of a pound is considered a whole pound. The minimum postage per piece is for a piece weighing 1 pound.”
Domestic Mail Manual 173.1.2 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 173: Media Mail and Library Mail prices and eligibility
“Except for USPS Ground Advantage – Retail, which must not measure more than 130 inches in length and girth combined”
Domestic Mail Manual 101.3.2.1 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 101: physical standards (size and weight limits, large envelopes)
“The oversized price is based on the zone and applies to pieces that measure more than 108 inches but not more than 130 inches in combined length and girth.”
Domestic Mail Manual 283.1.1c · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 283: USPS Ground Advantage commercial prices and eligibility (dimensional weight)
“mailers of retail and commercial paid overweight or oversize items reported in a manifest or found in the Postal Service network will be assessed the overweight- or oversize-items fee of $200.”
Domestic Mail Manual 601.1.2.3 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 601: mailability (overweight items, USPS-produced packaging)
“If the result exceeds 1,728 cubic inches, divide the result by 139 and round up”
Domestic Mail Manual 283.1.4.2 · USPS Domestic Mail Manual 283: USPS Ground Advantage commercial prices and eligibility (dimensional weight)

What it costs to ship

Media Mail costs the same to every US address, with a 1 lb minimum ($4.39) and any fraction of a pound rounded up. Ground Advantage, USPS's ground package service with tracking included, is priced by weight and zone: online is USPS's commercial price for labels bought online, and the counter price is retail.

USD, weight not over. USPS Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026; Ground Advantage includes USPS's temporary holiday prices, in effect until 12 a.m. CT Jan 17, 2027 (Media Mail isn't affected). Selling platforms and label services can have their own rates.
Package Media Mail Ground Advantage online, Zones 1-9 Ground Advantage at the counter, Zones 1-9
8 oz $4.39 $7.33 to $8.95 $8.40 to $10.20
1 lb $4.39 $8.01 to $11.22 $10.05 to $13.65
2 lb $5.13 $8.39 to $13.42 $11.30 to $19.80
5 lb $7.34 $10.35 to $20.24 $13.75 to $27.45
70 lb $55.23 $56.48 to $199.01 $68.00 to $204.30

Worked examples

  • 8 oz: $4.39. 1 lb 1 oz: $5.13. 70 lb, the most Media Mail can carry: $55.23.
  • A 24 x 18 x 12 in. box measures 24 + 2 x (18 + 12) = 84 in. in length plus girth, under 108.
  • The same 24 x 18 x 12 in. box packed with 30 lb of books: Media Mail charges the actual weight, $25.76. Ground Advantage online would charge dimensional weight, 24 x 18 x 12 = 5,184 cu. in. divided by 139 = 38 lb rounded up, so $38.23 to $127.21, plus $4.50 because it's over 22 in. long and $21.00 because it's over 2 cubic feet (DMM 283.1.4, Notice 123).

Every weight from 1 to 70 lb: Media Mail rates · Ground Advantage rates

Edge cases

  • Media Mail prices cover large envelopes too: Notice 123 heads the table "Flats (Large Envelopes) & Parcels" (Notice 123).
  • Two packages of about the same size and shape may be mailed as one if they are securely fastened together and within the limits (DMM 101.3.3).
  • Over 108 in. in length plus girth is too big for Media Mail; Ground Advantage takes pieces up to 130 in. at its oversized price, at the counter (DMM 101.3.2.1) or online (DMM 283.1.1c).
  • Over 70 lb is nonmailable by any USPS service, and a piece found in the network costs the mailer a $200 fee before USPS releases it (DMM 601.1.2).
  • Long boxes: a 26 in. box pays no extra by Media Mail, while Ground Advantage online adds $4.50 over 22 in. and $10.00 over 30 in. (Notice 123).
  • The one surcharge in Notice 123's Media Mail tables is the commercial table's $0.25 Package Quality Noncompliance Fee, for a piece that doesn't meet the unique Intelligent Mail barcode requirements (IMpb and IMmb) (DMM 273.5.6).
  • Some APO and FPO addresses have lower limits: see APO, FPO and DPO.
  • Paying with stamps over 10 oz or 1/2 in. thick? See the counter rule.

What to do

  • Weigh the packed box and round up: 1 oz over a pound costs the next pound's price.
  • Measure the longest side and the distance around the thickest part before a big box.

Sources

Rates verified on from each official page below.

Free 1-page Reseller Cheat Sheet: fees on 8 platforms, Media Mail and stamp prices

What each platform takes from a $10, $25 and $50 sale, Media Mail 1-10 lb, Ground Advantage to Zones 1, 5 and 8, and the Forever stamp, on one printable page. The link appears as soon as you sign up.