Outgoing Mail - Preparation & Handling

Fouth-Class Mail

Fourth-Class matter is mailable material weighing 16 oz. or more and not required to be mailed as first-class mail. There are several rate structures within Fourth-Class which are further described in descending cost order below. Weight, destination, and contents determine the exact cost for each item. Delivery time for Fourth-Class mail is approximately 3 to 10 days.

Parcel Post
Any Fourth-Class matter can be mailed at Parcel Post rates. This is most commonly used for merchandise/retail items. Parcel Post however, is the most expensive of the Fourth-Class rates and care should be taken to use this classification only when the others don’t apply.

Bound Printed Matter
This rate is for bound printed matter weighing between one and ten pounds, and which:

a) Consists of advertising, promotional directory or editorial material.

b) Is securely bound by permanent fastening (staples, spiral binding, glue, stitching, etc.) Loose-leaf binders are not considered permanent.

c) Consists of sheets of which at least 90% are imprinted by any process other than handwriting or typewriting.

d) Does not have the nature of personal correspondence.

e) Is not a book eligible for Book or Library rate.

f) Is not stationery or pads of blank printed forms.

Parcels with contents qualifying for this rate must be marked "BOUND PRINTED MATTER."

Special Fourth-Class
Books, 16 mm or smaller films, film catalogues, printed music, test materials, manuscripts, play scripts, educational reference charts and medical information are the kinds of things which can be mailed at Special Fourth-Class rate. Parcels with contents qualifying for this rate must be marked clearly, "SPECIAL FOURTH-CLASS RATE."

Library Rate
Library rate is the least expensive type of Fourth-Class mail and is primarily for educational and other non-profit organizations. As a university, we are able to use Library Rate for certain articles. The following specific items may be mailed at library rate when loaned or exchanged between schools, college, universities, public libraries, museums, and non-profit religious, educational, charitable, veteran of fraternal organizations:

1. Books, scholarly bibliographies, or reading matter containing no advertising other than incidental announcements of books.

2. Printed music.

3. Bound volumes of academic theses in typewritten or duplicated form.

4. Bound or unbound periodicals.

5. Sound recordings.

6. Other library materials in printed, duplicated or photographic form or in the form of unpublished manuscripts.

The following specific items may be mailed at library rate and are not required to be on loan or exchange if they are sent to or from schools, colleges, universities, public libraries, museums, and non-profit religious, educational, charitable, veteran, or fraternal organizations:

1. 16mm or smaller films, film strips, transparencies, slides, and microfilms. These must be positive prints in final form for viewing.

2. Sound recordings.

3. Scientific or mathematical kits, instruments or other devices.

4. Catalogs of materials named above, and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such materials.

Book publishers and distributors are allowed to mail to schools, colleges and universities at the Library Rate. However, colleges, schools, universities, and libraries cannot return books to publishers using the Library Rate.