Standard Envelope Sizes In The UK: What Are They And How To Use Them?
Most companies have no clue about the envelope size they should use for their business mailers. They don’t pay attention to it until something goes wrong and they are left with a pile of unusable wrong-sized envelopes. So, if you are among those companies that have no clue about the standard envelope sizes, don’t worry you are not alone.
![standard envelope sizes uk](https://www.postgrid.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/standard-envelope-sizes-uk.jpg)
However, when it comes to business operations, ignorance is NOT bliss. Instead, you could lose valuable money and resources by not paying enough attention to what is the size of a standard letter envelope you use.
It pays to know the standard envelope sizes if you wish to use an integrated marketing strategy in the future. Unless, of course, you are planning on automating your postal mail process. But even with an automated system, it is worth learning about the envelope sizes to optimise your campaigns.
What Are The Standard Envelope Sizes In The UK?
Every country or, more accurately, every postal mail service provider has a set of standard envelope sizes for sending your mail. The Royal Mail also use some standard envelopes for sending your postal mail. The envelope you send your business mail in can vary depending on what you are sending.
For example, suppose you want to send an important document and don’t want to fold it. In that case, you might want to consider a larger envelope. Also, if you want to save yourself the trouble of printing the address twice, you can use a window envelope. Either way, the standard envelope size will vary.
Categorising Standard Envelope Sizes UK
It might surprise some of you that every envelope you use, whether it is for sending postal or something, has standard envelope dimensions. They don’t make envelopes as per some random measurements.
Most envelopes you buy follow the standards set by ISO (International Organization for Standardisation) 269 standards. However, The Royal Mail does not use all standard envelope sizes from ISO. Most of the postal mail uses one of the two envelope categories, and they are
- C Series Envelopes
- DL Envelopes
While the DL envelope is a single-size envelope, the C series envelopes include a variety of standard envelope sizes ranging from C0 to C10. Generally, the standard size of envelopes the Royal Mail uses falls between 28 mm x 40 mm to 917 mm x 1297 mm.
However, categorising postal envelopes does not depend on the envelope dimensions alone. After choosing the right size for your envelope, you can also choose the style or type of envelopes you want to use. The major envelope types or styles you can choose for your business mailers include
- Commercial Flap Envelopes
- Announcement Envelopes
- Window Envelopes
- Side Seam Envelopes
- Square Flap Envelopes
- Wallet Flap Envelopes
- Policy Envelopes
- Ticket Envelopes
- Metal Clasp Envelopes
- Booklet Envelopes
- Wallet (Open) Envelopes
- Catalogue Envelopes
- Coin Envelopes
- Square Envelopes
DL Envelopes
The DL standard size envelopes are the most common envelope to send business mailers. It can comfortably fit an A4 size folded into thirds. It is the envelope that we consider “the” letter envelope.
You might have noticed that most of your standard post arrives in a DL standard size envelope. And since DL envelopes allow you to send A4 documents and marketing materials, you can send the following items with DL envelopes.
- Catalogues
- Letters
- Forms
- Magazines
- And more
Besides direct mail marketing, businesses like insurance companies send letters regularly. Insurance companies sending letters like monthly billing statements, cancellation letters etc., often use DL envelopes. So, if yours is an insurance business, it is worth knowing the standard envelope size for DL envelopes.
DL Envelope Dimensions
The following table shows the accurate size of a C7 envelope in mm, cm, and inches.
DL Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 220 | 110 |
In cm | 22 | 11 |
In inches | 8.66 | 4.33 |
C Series Envelopes
As mentioned above, most of the postal mail letters in the UK use C series envelopes as the standard envelope size. It is worth noting that most envelopes use a C series paper. The geometric area of the C series paper lies between the A and B series papers of the same number.
In other words, the C4 size is bigger than the A4 size and smaller than the B4 size papers. When it comes to practical application, it means that you can comfortably fit A4 size papers or documents in C4 standard-size envelopes.
Royal Mail typically uses every envelope size from C0 to C10 for their mailers. However, as you can guess, not many people use a sizeable page-size envelope for their mailers. Nonetheless, we discuss every C series envelope you can use to send your business mailers.
C0 Envelopes
The C0 envelope dimensions are relatively big, so you can use it to send extra-large documents. As you can figure, the basis of the C0 envelope size is the ISO 269 paper size standard. The practical use of C0 envelopes is limited, especially regarding business communication.
However, you can comfortably fit an A0 size paper inside the C0 envelopes. The A0 paper is ideal for holding technical drawings. You can also use it for sending posters. So, if your direct mail marketing campaign involves sending marketing posters, then the C0 standard envelope size can help you.
C0 Envelope Dimensions
The following table shows the accurate size of a C0 envelope in mm, cm, and inches.
C0 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 1297 | 917 |
In cm | 129.7 | 91.7 |
In inches | 51.5 | 36.1 |
C1 Envelopes
The C1 envelopes are smaller than the C0 but not by a large margin. So, as you can guess, the C1 envelope dimensions are pretty big, and you can find out exactly how big it is by going through the table below.
But first, let’s talk about what you can fit inside the envelope. It can accommodate a standard A1 size paper inside it. And much like A0 papers, you can use them for sending technical drawings. But more relevantly, you can use the C1 standard size envelope to send large-format advertising materials, including posters and maps.
C1 Envelope Dimensions
The following table shows the accurate size of a C1 envelope in mm, cm, and inches.
C1 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 917 | 648 |
In cm | 91.7 | 64.8 |
In inches | 36.1 | 25.5 |
C2 Envelopes
The third-largest envelope size among the C series envelopes is the C2 envelope. You may not be aware of this, but the A2 paper format is a trendy paper format that businesses often use. However, that does not necessarily mean that the C2 standard size envelopes are just as popular.
The common uses of A2 size papers include printing
- Medium-sized posters
- Calendars
- Architectural illustrations
- Diagrams
It is not uncommon for businesses to send calendars and even posters as part of their direct mail marketing campaigns. So if you want to implement a similar marketing plan, the C2 envelop dimensions are perfect for your mailers.
C2 Envelope Dimensions
The following table shows the accurate size of a C2 envelope in mm, cm, and inches.
C2 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 648 | 458 |
In cm | 64.8 | 45.8 |
In inches | 25.5 | 18 |
C3 Envelopes
You might have noticed how the envelope dimensions decrease as you count the envelope size from C0. The C3 envelopes are much smaller than the C0 envelopes. It is relatively common for business organisations to use C3 envelopes for their marketing mailers.
The C3 envelop can easily fit unfolded A3 papers inside it. But to get a better real-life idea of C3 envelope dimensions, think of it as double the size of a standard A4 format paper. In other words, the C3 envelope and A3 paper are still pretty big and may not fit all printers.
You can use A3 paper for printing out
- Drawings
- Charts
- Graphs and related tables
- Diagrams
C3 Envelope Dimensions
The following table shows the accurate size of a C3 envelope in mm, cm, and inches.
C3 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 458 | 324 |
In cm | 45.8 | 32.4 |
In inches | 18 | 12.8 |
C4 Envelopes
The standard envelope dimensions start becoming much more practical once you reach the C4 size envelopes. Even in today’s digitised world, offices are overflowing with A4 size documents. You can fit any of those office documents comfortably inside the C4 envelope.
The C4 envelope is possibly the most popular among all the standard envelope sizes UK because a wide variety of documents come in A4 size. Your company can use the C4 envelopes for sending any unfolded A4 copy to your customers. The materials you can send via a C4 envelope include
- Catalogues
- Letters
- Forms
- Magazines
- And more.
In addition, you can also send A3 documents folded in half using the C4 envelope. Doing so, you can save yourself some money on your direct mail campaigns.
C4 Envelope Dimensions
The following table shows the accurate size of a C4 envelope in mm, cm, and inches.
C4 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 324 | 229 |
In cm | 32.4 | 22.9 |
In inches | 12.8 | 9 |
C5 Envelopes
The C5 standard size envelopes are much smaller than the C4 envelopes. You can easily fit an A4 paper folded in half inside the C5 envelope. Hence, C5 envelopes are ideal if you want to send A4 size marketing materials with minimum folds and waste as little paper as possible.
In other words, you can send an A4 size marketing material in a C5 envelope if you don’t mind folding it. Of course, you can always ship A5 size paper in C5 standard size envelopes without folding it. Some popular A5 size printed materials include magazines, leaflets and flyers.
You can use a specialised service to print business flyers, leaflets, and other marketing materials.
C5 Envelope Dimensions
The following table shows the accurate size of a C5 envelope in mm, cm, and inches.
C5 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 229 | 162 |
In cm | 22.9 | 16.2 |
In inches | 9 | 6.4 |
C6 Envelopes
The C6 standard envelope size is perfect for your business if you want to send folded A4 documents or marketing material. Furthermore, A6 paper is widely popular for foldable printouts, including flyers, cards, advertisements, and leaflets. On top of all this, A6 paper is also a popular size for postcards.
C6 Envelope Dimensions
The following table shows the accurate size of a C6 envelope in mm, cm, and inches.
C6 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 162 | 114 |
In cm | 16.2 | 11.4 |
In inches | 6.4 | 4.5 |
C7 Envelopes
When you get to the C7 standard size envelopes, you will notice that the size of your material has become significantly smaller. The A7 paper is ideal for printing discount cards or coupons for your marketing campaign. You can also use it for sending folded A5 documents or marketing materials.
C7 Envelope Dimensions
The following table shows the accurate size of a C7 envelope in mm, cm, and inches.
C7 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 114 | 81 |
In cm | 11.4 | 8.1 |
In inches, | 4.5 | 3.2 |
C8, C9, & C10 Envelopes
The standard envelope sizes C8, C9, & C10 are the smallest you can find, and they are useless in most practical situations. However, you could fit the following items into these envelopes
- Bank cards
- Driver’s licenses
- Tickets and coupons
- Stamps
C8, C9, & C10 Envelope Dimensions
The following table shows the accurate size of a C8, C9, & C10 envelopes in mm, cm, and inches.
C8 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 81 | 57 |
In cm | 8.1 | 5.7 |
In inches | 3.2 | 2.2 |
C9 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 57 | 40 |
In cm | 5.7 | 4 |
In inches | 2.2 | 1.6 |
C10 Standard Envelope Size | ||
Unit | Length | Width |
In mm | 40 | 28 |
In cm | 4 | 2.8 |
In inches | 1.6 | 1.1 |
Conclusion
Printing and mailing your marketing material is hard enough as it is. No business organisation can afford to spend hours researching online what is the standard size envelope for sending your mailers. And as you can see from all that we discussed above, many envelopes are available for sending business mailers.
Innovative business organisations bypass the struggle of printing and mailing their marketing materials using a service provider like PostGrid. Employing PostGrid’s specialised print and mail API solution takes care of everything. It includes choosing the correct envelope dimensions for your business mailers.
But that’s just a tiny part of what PostGrid can do for your business. PostGrid’s fully automated direct mail software can print personalised marketing materials, schedule delivery, and more. For such an advanced system optimising the standard envelope size for your business mailers is a simple task.
Hence, every business organisation that wants to streamline their direct mail communication must employ a robust print and mailing system like PostGrid.
Ready to Get Started?
Start transforming and automating your offline communications with PostGrid
The post Standard Envelope Sizes UK appeared first on PostGrid UK.
source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/standard-envelope-sizes/
No comments:
Post a Comment