Please note that as of July of 2025, the Postal Service no longer permits using rubber bands and twine or string for securing bundles of flats, with the exception of bundles of First-Class Mail flats placed in flat trays. All bundles of flats must have two or more cross-strapped bands or be shrink-wrapped with one or more cross-strapped bands, with the exception of newspapers that are placed in a flat tray and entered as exceptional dispatch. Such newspapers may be bundled by using only one strap around the middle of the bundle to prevent damage.
Effective July 13, 2025, the Postal Service will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), sections 203.4.4, 203.4.5, 203.4.8, 203.4.9, and 245.9.5 to reflect changes in the Postal Service requirements for securing bundles of flats.
The Postal Service is revising the standards in the following sections to include the following requirements:
— Section 203.4.4: Mailings of 500 flat-sized pieces or less entered at the business mail entry unit do not require bundle preparation. Applicable mailings may be prepared loose in flat trays instead of in bundles.
— Sections 203.4.5, 203.4.8, and 203.4.9: All bundles of flats must have two or more cross-strapped bands or be shrink-wrapped with one or more cross-strapped bands, with the exception of newspapers that are placed in a flat tray and entered as exceptional dispatch. Such newspapers may be bundled by using only one strap around the middle of the bundle to prevent damage.
— Section 245.9.5(d): Shrink-wrapped multi-carrier-route bundles must be bundled by using two or more cross-strapped bands.
Additionally, the Postal Service no longer permits using rubber bands and twine or string for securing bundles of flats, with the exception of bundles of First-Class Mail flats placed in flat trays.