Why does USPS charge extra for a poster tube, tin or wooden box?
Notice 123 adds $4.50 to Ground Advantage and Priority Mail postage for a parcel that is a cylindrical tube or roll, a can, or a wood or metal box, or that holds more than 24 oz of liquid in glass or 1 gallon or more in metal or plastic containers.
USPS calls these nonstandard characteristics (DMM 201.7.6.2). The fee applies at the counter and online, including to cubic-priced parcels, and was $4.00 before Jan 18, 2026.
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
“Parcels that contain any of the following characteristics, add $4.50:”
“Cylindrical tubes or rolls. A can, or wood or metal box.”
“A parcel containing more than 24 ounces of liquid in glass containers, or 1 gallon or more of liquid in metal or plastic containers (see 601.3.4).”
“A piece that is subject to both a length (1.7a, 1.7b) and a characteristic (1.7d) nonstandard fee is only subject to the highest fee.”
“Cubic-priced mailpieces must not be rolls or tubes.”
What it costs, with examples
| Parcel | Length fee | Characteristics fee | Ground Advantage adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 in. poster tube | none | $4.50 | $4.50 |
| 38 in. poster tube | $10.00 | $4.50 | $10.00 (the higher one) |
| Cookie tin mailed as is, 10 x 10 x 4 in. | none | $4.50 | $4.50 |
| The same tin packed inside a corrugated box | none | not a listed characteristic | nothing |
| Box with four 8 oz glass bottles (32 oz) | none | $4.50 | $4.50 |
| Box with one 16 oz glass bottle | none | none | nothing |
| Label | Postage | Fee (higher of length and tube) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Advantage, online | $9.29 | $10.00 | $19.29 |
| Priority Mail, online | $13.82 | $21.00 | $34.82 |
Edge cases
- What the list describes: the characteristics are about the parcel you hand over. A tin or wooden box packed inside a corrugated box is a corrugated parcel; mailed as is, it is a can or a wood box.
- Open-ended category: item (d) covers parcels with contents that may make them roll or not hold together in processing (DMM 201.7.6.2), and DMM 601.3.1.2 says packaging that doesn't keep its shape may be subject to the nonstandard fee.
- Tubes can't use cubic prices, so a tube always pays by weight, and by dimensional weight if it is over 1 cubic foot.
- Tube construction rules: a tube's length must not exceed 10 times its girth, slide-on end caps need tape around every seam, and crimped or taped ends are only for light rolled items such as posters (DMM 601.4.3).
- Cube stacks: a wooden crate over 2 cubic feet pays the $4.50 fee and the $21.00 cube fee by Ground Advantage.
- Flat Rate is exempt from Priority Mail nonstandard fees (DMM 123.1.6).
- Online labels: label software has to send the characteristics code for these parcels; leaving it off can draw the $3.00 Dimension Noncompliance Fee (DMM 283.1.7).
What to do
- Overbox tins, cans, wooden boxes and metal boxes in corrugated cardboard.
- Ship posters and prints flat in a box no longer than 22 in. instead of rolled.
- Split liquids so no parcel carries more than 24 oz in glass; see shipping liquids.
Questions
Do I pay both the tube fee and the over 30 inch fee?
No. When a parcel owes a length fee and a characteristics fee, USPS charges only the higher one (DMM 283.1.7): $10.00 for a tube over 30 in. by Ground Advantage, $21.00 by Priority Mail.
Does the fee apply to cubic-priced parcels?
Yes. Notice 123 lists the $4.50 characteristics fee under both cubic price tables, but rolls and tubes can't use cubic prices at all (DMM 283.1.3.1).
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS Notice 123, Price List (effective Oct 4, 2026)
- USPS Notice 123 effective Oct 5, 2025 (Postal Explorer archive): fees before Jan 18, 2026
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 123: Priority Mail 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
Free 1-page Reseller Cheat Sheet: fees on 8 platforms, Media Mail and stamp prices
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