Royal Mail Technical

Latest posting times

It is a contractual requirement for Mailsort, Presstream and Walksort users to have mail ready for collection by the times specified. For 1st Class mailings these collection times are determined by the Postcode area from which you're posting.

In general terms, Mailsort 1, Presstream 1 and Walksort 1 should be available for collection by no later than 3pm (Monday to Friday) on the day on which it is posted. Earlier times will apply for some selections depending upon where the posting takes place and where it is going.
These are shown below - just enter the Postcode District (i.e the first half of the Postcode) from which the posting is to be made, and the appropriate Latest Posting Times for each Destination area will appear.

We keep latest posting times under review and over time improve them when we can. To ensure you have the latest information, you may wish to contact your local Customer Operations Manager. Other points to bear in mind are:

Mailsort, Presstream and Walksort 1 and 2 should be available for collection by 12 noon if it is being posted on a Saturday.

Mailsort, Presstream and Walksort 2 should be available for collection by 5pm (Monday to Friday) on the day on which it is posted. For Northern Ireland and Scotland mail should be available for collection by 3pm (with the exception of EH, G, ML, FK, PH1-2, DD1-2, PA1-15 and KA1-7 postcode areas where mail should be available for collection by 5pm).

Mailsort 3 mail should be available for collection by 5pm (Monday to Friday) on the day on which it is posted. For Northern Ireland and Scotland mail should be available for collection by 3pm (with the exception of EH, G, ML, FK, PH1-2, DD1-2, PA1-15 and KA1-7 postcode areas where mail should be available for collection by 5pm).

Enhanced latest posting and collection times

Later posting or collection times are available for Local Mailsort 1, Presstream 1 and Walksort 1 destinations and all Mailsort 2, Presstream 2 and Walksort 2 destinations where postings meet certain criteria; these are also referred to as "Enhanced Posting Times". These arrangements offer a significant improvement to the standard Mailsort, Presstream and Walksort latest posting times.

Please refer to your Customer Operations Manager for a definition of "local area" for First Class postings from your Postcode Area.

These criteria are as follows:

Minimum mailing size:

Mailsort 1 or 2, Walksort 1 or 2: 50,000 letters

Mailsort, Walksort, Presstream or Presstream Walksort 1 or 2: 15,000 Large Letters, A3 Packets, Packets.

Cages segregated to the Outward Segregation requirements of Royal Mail’s Regional Distribution Centres (18 ways as at 23^rd July 2007)

Mail must carry final bag labels, including date of posting

To determine the enhanced posting times available for your region, please select a Postcode Area from the drop-down list, and click OK.

Please select a Postcode Area:

For details of the precise conditions and posting times from your area, speak to your Royal Mail account manager or contact your local Royal Mail Customer Operations Manager.