1st Class mail for next day delivery

Trust 1st Class for quick, efficient delivery across the UK. We’re committed to making sure that your letters and parcels reach their destinations the next working day – including Saturdays. Why send 1st Class?

Forgotten an important birthday? Get your gift there tomorrow.
Stay close to friends and keep in touch with a letter.
Celebrating a special occasion? Set the tone with a 1st Class invitation.

Buy online

Get a price
Print postage online
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Price Finder

Find the right price for your mail and print postage from your computer.

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Overview

1st Class

Aims to deliver the next working day including Saturdays
Great value option to get your post delivered safely and on time
Prices start at 60p for letters up to 100g
Send parcels up to 20kg in weight
Includes compensation cover up to £20

Sending a Letter, a Large Letter, a Small Parcel or a Medium Parcel?

Prices for 1st Class are the same no matter where you're sending in the UK. The amount you pay depends on the size and weight of the item you're sending. Each format has its own size and weight limits.

Work out which format your item falls into
Format	Maximum weight	Maximum length	Maximum width	Maximum thickness
Letter	100g	240mm	165mm	5mm
Large letter	750g	353mm	250mm	25mm
Small Parcel	2kg	45cm	35cm	8cm
Medium Parcel	20kg	61cm	46cm	46cm

Parcels greater in size than 61cm x 46cm x 46cm or heavier than 20kg can be sent using Parcelforce services which include tracking and guaranteed service as standard.

Rolled and cylinder shaped parcels

For rolled and cylinder shaped items, the length of the item plus twice the diameter must not exceed 104cm, with the greatest dimension being no more than 90cm.

Rolled and cylinder shaped parcels that do not exceed 45cm in length and 8cm in diameter can be sent as Small Parcels.

Exceptions apply

Parcels that do not exceed 16cm in length and 16cm in width and 16cm in depth can be sent as Small Parcels, provided the weight does not exceed 2kg. Visit our shop to buy boxes this size.

What if I want a confirmed delivery?

Royal Mail Signed For™ 1st Class

When you need the extra peace of mind you get from proof of delivery with a signature, choose our Royal Mail Signed For™ 1st Class service.

Find out more about our Royal Mail Signed For™ 1st Class.

What if I want a guaranteed next day delivery?

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am and 1pm™
If you need an item to arrive next day guaranteed, or are sending money or something valuable, Special Delivery™ gives you added peace of mind.

Find out more about Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am or 1pm™.

Prices

Our 1st Class prices for stamps and Online Postage are below:

Letter
Weight	Price
Includes postcards.
Up to 100g	60p

Large letter
Weight	Price
Up to 100g	90p
101-250g	£1.20
251-500g	£1.60
501-750g	£2.30

Small Parcels
Weight	Price
0-1kg	£3.00
1-2kg	£6.85

Medium Parcels
Weight	Price
0-1kg	£5.65
1-2kg	£8.90
2-5kg	£15.10
5-10kg	£21.25
10-20kg	£32.40

How to buy
At your Post Office®

1st Class stamps are available at all Post Office® branches. Find your nearest Post Office®.

Post & Go
You can also save time at the Post Office® by using one of the self-serve Post & Go machines. Simply weigh your item, select the service you want, buy and print your postage label.

Buy online

Buy your postage online. You can:
- Use our Price Finder to find out how much your item costs and then print postage directly onto your envelopes or labels. Calculate and print your postage now.
Or
- You can go straight to Online Postage and start printing your postage right away.
Retailers

You can also buy stamps from many retail outlets including supermarkets and newsagents.
Frequently asked questions
Is my item guaranteed to arrive next day?

What compensation is provided?

How much does 1st Class mail cost?

I’m posting a valuable item. Should I be using 1st Class mail?

Are there restrictions on what I can send?

What are the delivery times for 1st Class mail?

What are the size and weight limits?

Need advice on how to wrap and pack your items?

Search help for more answers...

Search Help and Support

Is my item guaranteed to arrive next day?

Although we aim to deliver 93% of 1st Class mail the next working day after posting, we are unable to provide a guaranteed service. For guaranteed next day delivery we recommend Special Delivery Guaranteed™.
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What compensation is provided?

Every 1st Class item is covered against loss or damage up to £20 or the value of the item, whichever is lower.

Compensation for valuables, such as money and jewellery is not available on this service.

Valuables (money and jewellery) and tems of greater value should be sent using Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed™ which is a tracked and secure service.

Find out more about compensation for loss, damage or delay for all our services.

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How much does 1st Class mail cost?

Prices are the same no matter where you’re sending to in the UK, and the amount you pay depends simply on the weight and size of the item you’re sending.

Get a price from Price Finder
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I’m posting a valuable item. Should I be using 1st Class mail?

1st Class mail is not the right service for sending high-value items through the post. All valuable items, especially money and jewellery, should be sent using Special Delivery Guaranteed™.
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Are there restrictions on what I can send?

Some items are prohibited or restricted from being sent in the post in the UK, so please check before posting.

Find out more about what you can and can’t send.
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What are the delivery times for 1st Class mail?

Although we aim to deliver 93% of 1st Class mail the next working day after posting, we are unable to provide a guaranteed service. For guaranteed next day delivery we recommend Special Delivery Guaranteed™.
Back to top

What are the size and weight limits?

Find out more about our size and weight limits.
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Need advice on how to wrap and pack your items?

Find out the correct way to wrap, pack and address your mail.
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Sending something special?

Add a personal touch to your letters and packets.

Check out our Smilers stamp range

Got something special to send?

For tracked next-day delivery with compensation cover.

Learn about the advantages of Special Delivery Guaranteed™

Need more than a stamp?

Choose envelopes and other stationery.

Buy online from our Shop now

Cookies Policy

Cookies are small text files stored by your device when you access most websites on the internet. We will use two types of cookies:

Session cookies - these expire when you close your browser and do not remain on your computer.

Persistent cookies - these are stored in the longer term on your computer. They are normally used to make sure the site remembers your preferences.

www.royalmail.com (this Website) uses cookies in order to make it easier to use and to support the provision of relevant information and functionality to you. Cookies also provide us with information about how this Website is used so we can keep it is as up to date, relevant and error free as possible. Further information about the types of cookies in use on this Website is set out below.

By using this Website you agree to the use of cookies. Please note that certain cookies may be set the moment you start visiting this Website. These will be session cookies on your first visit to this Website. If you continue to use or revisit this Website then persistent cookies of the types described below will be served. You can choose to manage the cookies we use on this Website through your browser settings at any time. For more information about how to do this, and about cookies in general, you can visit www.allaboutcookies.org .

Please note that preventing cookies is likely to impact the functionality or performance of this Website, or prevent you from using certain services provided through it. If you choose to prevent cookies, we cannot guarantee access to the services provided through this Website or be sure how this Website will perform during your visit. Preventing cookies will also affect our ability to update this Website to cater for user preferences and improve its performance.

The types of cookies we currently use on this Website are set out below. The cookie categories are based on the category definitions contained in the International Chamber of Commerce UK Cookie guide .

Cookie Category	Details
Strictly necessary	Strictly necessary cookies are essential to enable you to move around this Website and use its features and/or services. These cookies allow this Website to provide services at the request of users. This Website use strictly necessary cookies to: Identify you as being logged in to this Website Remember the goods and services you ordered when you get to the checkout page Remember things like information you've entered on order forms when you navigate to different pages during your session on this Website Remember things like service selections you have made which are essential for us to provide you with services you have requested Make sure you connect to the right service on our website when we make any changes to the way the website works
Performance	Performance cookies allow us to update this Website to cater for Website user preferences and improve performance. They collect information about how this Website is used, e.g. which pages users visit most often and where error messages are delivered. These cookies don't collect information that identifies individuals. All information is aggregated and therefore anonymous. This Website use performance cookies to: Provide statistics on how this Website is used (including selections that you have made and goods and services that you have viewed, during your use of this Website) See how effective our adverts are (we don't use this information to target adverts to you when you visit other websites) Provide feedback to partners that one of our visitors also visited their website. This can include details of any products bought. This lets our partners improve their website, but we don't allow our partners to reuse this information for further advertising
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Targeting or advertising cookies	These cookies collect information about your browsing habits in order to make advertising relevant to you and your interests, to help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. This website does not currently use any targeting/advertising cookies

1st Class mail

Trust Royal Mail to deliver your letters and parcels

Price Finder

Print postage online

Overview

1st Class

Sending a Letter, a Large Letter, a Small Parcel or a Medium Parcel?

Rolled and cylinder shaped parcels

Exceptions apply

What if I want a confirmed delivery?

What if I want a guaranteed next day delivery?

Prices

How to buy

At your Post Office®

Buy online

Retailers

Frequently asked questions

Search help for more answers...

Is my item guaranteed to arrive next day?

What compensation is provided?

How much does 1st Class mail cost?

I’m posting a valuable item. Should I be using 1st Class mail?

Are there restrictions on what I can send?

What are the delivery times for 1st Class mail?

What are the size and weight limits?

Need advice on how to wrap and pack your items?

Sending something special?

Got something special to send?

Need more than a stamp?

Search our help centre

Top topics

Using our UK services

Pay a fee

Tracking your delivery

Preparing your mail

How to buy our services

Our prices

1st Class mail

Trust Royal Mail to deliver your letters and parcels

Price Finder

Sending something special?

Got something special to send?

Need more than a stamp?

Search our help centre

Top topics

Stuck for a decentgift idea?

Drop & Go

Available nowfrom our online shop

Using our UK services

Cookies Policy

Stuck for a decent
gift idea?

Available now
from our online shop