Policy & Research
Background briefings
Pricing in proportion
Royal Mail introduced pricing in proportion (PiP) on 21 August 2006. PiP has changed the way Royal Mail charges for letters and packets to take account of the size, thickness and weight of the item to be posted.
Why change?
Royal Mail believes Pricing in Proportion is a fairer and simpler pricing system which more accurately reflects the cost of handling mail. This is because it believes the size and shape of most mail is a more important factor in the cost of mail sorting and delivery than weight. Prior to the introduction of PiP, customers were often paying too much for small, heavy items and too little for large, light items.
Royal Mail believes the changes were needed so that it can continue to provide a one-price-goes-anywhere universal postal service and can compete fairly with competitors in the future. Royal Mail also believes that PiP makes it simpler and easier for customers and small businesses to post mail.
How does PiP work?
The price depends on the size of the postal item, and there are three sizes for ordinary mail: Letter, Large letter and Packet. Full information, including weights and prices, is available on Royal Mail’s website.
Tips for using the PiP system
- Royal Mail issues ‘large letter’ stamps specifically for ‘large letter’ items. Don’t just use more ‘letter’ stamps, as you will probably end up over- or under-paying
- If possible, fold A4 documents to make them A5 size, as then you can use a letter stamp provided the mail item is still less than 5mm thick
- When sending greetings cards check the thickness of the envelope, especially if the card is embellished or comes with a badge, as these often fall into the large letter category. This is sometimes indicated on the back of the card
| Format | Weight | First class stamps | First class meters/Acc | Second class stamps | Second class meters/Acc | Content would include |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | 0-100g | £0.46 | £0.39 | £0.36 | £0.28 | Most letters, postcards, bills and statements, most greetings cards |
| Large Letter | 0-100g | £0.75 | £0.55 | £0.58 | £0.44 | Large letters or cards(containing unfolded sheets of standard paper) |
| 101-250g | £1.09 | £0.79 | £0.92 | £0.65 | ||
| 251-500g | £1.46 | £1.10 | £1.23 | £0.90 | ||
| 501-750g | £2.07 | £1.60 | £1.76 | £1.30 | ||
| Packet | 0-100g | £1.58 | £1.36 | £1.33 | £1.14 | Most books, some magazines and catalogues, prints and posters in large or cylindrical packaging |
| 101-250g | £1.96 | £1.69 | £1.72 | £1.48 | ||
| 251-500g | £2.48 | £1.90 | £2.16 | £1.59 | ||
| 501-750g | £3.05 | £2.36 | £2.61 | £1.92 | ||
| 751-1000g | £3.71 | £2.86 | £3.15 | £2.31 | ||
| 1001-1250g | £4.90 | £3.98 | Not applicable: items heavier than 1000g cannot be sent Second Class | |||
| 1251-1500g | £5.66 | £4.68 | ||||
| 1501-1750g | £6.42 | £5.37 | ||||
| 1751-2000g | £7.18 | £5.99 | ||||
| 2001-4000g | £8.95 | £7.83 | ||||
| Each additional 2000g or part thereof | £3.05 | £2.67 | ||||
Letter
Length: Up to 240mm
Width: Up to 165mm
Thickness: Up to 5mm
This size is larger than A5 (half a sheet of standard paper)
Large Letter
Length: Up to 353mm
Width: Up to 250mm
Thickness: Up to 25mm
This size is larger than A4 (standard sheet of paper)
Packet
Any item that weighs more than 750g, or is more than
Length: 353mm or
Width: 250mm or
Thickness: 25mm
