What is the largest and heaviest package USPS will take?
70 lb, and 108 inches in length plus girth for most services, or 130 inches by Ground Advantage, where anything over 108 in. pays the oversized price regardless of weight: $172.58 online or $177.35 at the counter to Zone 4.
Over 70 lb or over 130 in. is nonmailable. If USPS finds one in its network, it charges a $200.00 fee before releasing it, and an item not paid for and picked up within 14 days is treated as abandoned.
Rates verified on
Postage in the examples is from Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026, which includes USPS's temporary holiday prices for Ground Advantage and Priority Mail until 12 a.m. CT Jan 17, 2027. The fees quoted here are the same as in the July 12, 2026 edition, before the holiday prices began.
The rule, in USPS's words
“Except for USPS Ground Advantage – Retail, which must not measure more than 130 inches in length and girth combined, no mailpiece may measure more than 108 inches in length and girth combined.”
“USPS Ground Advantage — Commercial, Parcel Select Destination Entry, and USPS Connect Local parcels must not measure more than 130 inches in length and girth combined.”
“For parcels that measure in combined length and girth more than 108 inches but not more than 130 inches, use the oversized price, regardless of weight, based on the applicable zone.”
“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.”
“Unless authorized, an overweight or oversize item not paid for and picked up within 14 calendar days will be considered abandoned and disposed of at the discretion of the Postal Service.”
“length: the longest side of the parcel girth: measurement around the thickest part (perpendicular to the length)”
What it costs, with examples
| Box (inches) | Girth | Length + girth | Priority Mail | Ground Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 x 12 x 12 | 48 | 84 | mailable; billed at 38 lb dimensional weight, plus length and cube fees | mailable; billed at 38 lb dimensional weight, plus length and cube fees |
| 46 x 18 x 14 | 64 | 110 | too big (over 108 in.) | oversized price: $172.58 online, Zone 4 |
| 60 x 20 x 16 | 72 | 132 | nonmailable | nonmailable (over 130 in.) |
| Zone | Online (commercial) | Post Office (retail) |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | $112.94 | $116.00 |
| Zone 4 | $172.58 | $177.35 |
| Zone 5 | $206.59 | $211.30 |
| Zone 8 | $295.93 | $301.75 |
Edge cases
- Oversized parcels skip the other size fees: the length and cube nonstandard fees don't apply to oversized-price parcels (DMM 283.1.7, DMM 133.1.8).
- Caught at the counter: the $200.00 fee doesn't apply to an overweight or oversize item found during a retail transaction and handed back (DMM 601.1.2.3).
- Flat Rate: Flat Rate boxes also stop at 70 lb (DMM 123.1.4).
- Processing limits below the legal ones: a parcel over 22 x 18 x 15 in. or 25 lb is nonstandard for USPS machines (DMM 201.7.5, 7.6.1). Of those, only length over 22 in. has a fee of its own, though a big box can also owe the 2 cubic feet fee.
- Military and diplomatic mail: lower limits can apply to APO/FPO/DPO addresses; USPS lists 27 x 14 x 14 in. as the most a DPO package can measure (APO/FPO/DPO rules).
- Two boxes taped together are measured as one parcel (taping boxes together).
What to do
- Measure girth around the thickest part, at right angles to the longest side, and add the length.
- For a box near 108 in., shave the width or height first: each inch off width or height takes 2 in. off the girth.
- Split anything over 70 lb into two parcels.
Questions
What is the maximum size for Priority Mail?
108 inches in length plus girth, and 70 lb (DMM 101.3.2; USPS).
Can Ground Advantage take a 120 inch package?
Yes, up to 130 in. length plus girth, but anything over 108 in. pays the oversized price for its zone whatever it weighs ($112.94 to $295.93 online, Notice 123).
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS Notice 123, Price List (effective Oct 4, 2026)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 101: physical standards for retail letters, flats and parcels
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 123: Priority Mail retail prices and eligibility
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 133: First-Class Mail and Ground Advantage retail prices and eligibility
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 201: physical standards for commercial mail (flats, parcels, nonstandard parcels)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 283: Ground Advantage commercial prices and eligibility
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 601: mailability, packaging and USPS-produced packaging
- USPS: How to Send a Package (domestic)
- USPS: Military and Diplomatic Mail (APO/FPO/DPO)
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.