How Much Do USPS Flat Rate Boxes Cost?

Wondering how much USPS flat-rate boxes and envelopes cost? Flat Rate products are some of the Postal Service’s most popular shipping services, and can be an economical way to send smaller shipments on the heavier side. That’s why a lot of shippers love flat-rate services; as long as your items fit inside the packaging and weigh less than 70 pounds, the cost to ship them won’t change at all! Oh, and did we mention that the branded flat-rate packaging you get from USPS doesn’t technically cost anything?

Table of Contents

• USPS Flat Rate Boxes and Envelopes are Free (but You Still Need to Pay for Postage)
• There are Two Levels of Pricing for All USPS Services

USPS Flat Rate Boxes and Envelopes are Free (but You Still Need to Pay for Postage)

Yep, you just read that correctly: Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes and envelopes from USPS are free! This is precisely where a lot of shippers get mixed up, though. The flat-rate packaging itself is free, but you still need to pay for the postage to ship them.

Pro Tip: You can order free Priority Mail shipping supplies on the USPS website! USPS will deliver them directly to your door at absolutely no cost to you, and you can place orders in quantities of 10 or 25. However, you’ll still need to pay for postage to ship them, just like we talked about.

There are Two Levels of Pricing for All USPS Services

Depending on where you buy shipping labels—whether online or at the Post Office—you’ll see two different pricing tiers for USPS postage: Retail Pricing, and Commercial Pricing. We’ve gone into more detail on the differences between them below, and how much each flat rate service costs in both of these tiers.

Retail Pricing (What You’d Pay at the Post Office or on USPS.com)

Retail Pricing reflects the rates that everyday shippers are subject to, without any discounts put in place. You’ll pay Retail prices if you ship your package at the Post Office, or if you buy your label through Click N’ Ship at USPS.com.

We’ve listed Retail Pricing rates for each flat rate service below:

• Flat Rate Envelope: $9.65
• Legal Flat Rate Envelope: $9.95
• Padded Flat Rate Envelope: $10.40
• Small Flat Rate Box: $10.20
• Medium Flat Rate Box: $17.10
• Large Flat Rate Box: $22.80
• APO/FPO/DPO Flat Rate Box: $21.20

Pro Tip: You should never pay Retail Pricing rates! Instead, use free online shipping software to buy and print discounted postage online. You’ll still be able to ship with the same flat rate service you want…you’ll just end up saving way more money on the cost of your label. Depending on the shipping software you use, you’ll also be able to avoid the long lines at your local Post Office by scheduling a USPS pickup for free!

Commercial Pricing (Highest Level of USPS Discounts)

On the opposite side of the coin, Commercial Pricing represents the highest level of discounts that USPS offers. USPS typically reserves these highly discounted rates for huge shippers sending more than 50,000 packages per year. That said, anyone can access Commercial Pricing rates on most online shipping software solutions that sell discounted USPS labels!

Here’s how much each flat rate service costs within the Commercial Pricing tier:

• Flat Rate Envelope: $8.05
• Legal Flat Rate Envelope: $8.35
• Padded Flat Rate Envelope: $8.80
• Small Flat Rate Box: $8.55
• Medium Flat Rate Box: $14.75
• Large Flat Rate Box: $19.90