- Mailsort
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Mailsort is a five-digit address-coding scheme used by the Royal Mail (the UK's postal service) and its business customers for the automatic direction of mail. Mail users who can present mail sorted by Mailsort code and in quantities of 4,000 upwards (1,000 upwards for large letters and packets) receive a discounted postal rate.
Contents
Use
Mailsort is not widely known to the British public and the code is not written as part of the address; rather it appears elsewhere on the envelope or label. Although the majority of people in the UK use the postcode, the mailsort code is now used for automated sorting.
As the system is only used by a closed group of Royal Mail customers the scheme can be entirely re-coded from time to time (every 18-24 months). The last such update occurred in September 2010.
Unlike posting by regular mail it is possible to specify service levels other than 1st or 2nd class with longer delivery times offered. Four Mailsort products are available - known as 70, 120, 700 and 1400 - each based on the customer's ability to sort into increasingly smaller geographical areas. A further Walksort product is available to those who wish to post to many of the addresses in an area[1] and who can present mail sorted first by mailsort code and then by walk number (the second half of the postcode).
Service levels
Level Service Requirements Mailsort 1 delivery the next working day after the day of posting sorted into Mailsort sequence Mailsort 2 delivery three working days after the day of posting sorted into Mailsort sequence Mailsort 3 delivery within seven working days after the day of posting sorted into Mailsort sequence Walksort 1 delivery the next working day after the day of posting sorted into Mailsort sequence and walk sequence Walksort 2 delivery three working days after the day of posting sorted into Mailsort sequence and walk sequence Two further services — Presstream 1 and Presstream 2 — are available to publishers of magazines and other periodicals. These services are similar to Mailsort 1400 but offer a greater discount for publications which meet certain criteria and have been successfully registered with Royal Mail.
Structure
The first three digits, the Residue Selection Code, corresponds to an area which can vary in size from one postal district to several postcode areas, although most codes correspond exactly to one postcode area. For example:
- 406 corresponds to the KA and ML postcode areas;
- 451 and 452 correspond to the LS postcode area;
- 491 corresponds to the London SW postal area; and
- 502 corresponds to the BN postcode area
The last two digits, called the Direct Selection code correspond to one or more postal districts.
Mailsort codes are sometimes prefixed by a letter (A-P) which corresponds to sixteen regional divisions of the country, although the letter does not form a part the mailsort code. The letter prefix is used by the sender to ensure that when mail is presented to Royal Mail those items with the furthest to travel are given and processed first while those in the same region as the sender are dealt with last. When mail is presented to Royal Mail it is therefore not given in strict mailsort sequence and furthermore the sequence used will differ from one location in the country to another.
References
- ^ "Walksort Rate Card" (PDF). Royal Mail Walksort Rate Card (April 2007). ftp://ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/public/cmwalk/doc/active/doc9900003/Walksort%20Rate%20Card%202nd_April_2007.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
External links
Postal services in the United Kingdom Postcodes and other postal units Organisations and philately Categories:- Postal system of the United Kingdom
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