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Save Money on Postage by Weighing Mail at Home

Save Money on Postage by Weighing Mail at Home

Paying for postage can get expensive, and fast. Skip the post office and invest in a scale to weigh your mail quickly and easily at home!

Young woman at post office counter scanning in mail and packages to be sent out. She stands in front of a bookcase filled with other mail and packages

Why weigh mail at home? 

Weighing your mail at home cuts down on costs and allows you to determine the exact amount of postage you need without making an extra trip to the post office.       


Pro Tip: If you use stamps, make sure to keep stamps in several denominations on hand. You can also save a small amount of money on each item you mail when you use online postage sites like Stamps.com rather than the post office.         

Calculating Postage 

Postal rates are based on the weight, shape and size, destination, speed, and special handling. Weighing mail at home can save money and time.  


Buying a postage scale may seem important if you're trying to calculate postage rates at home, but you can easily figure out what the United States Postal Service (USPS) will charge to mail a package without one.    

Weigh Your Mail & Round Up

Of course, you can have the post office weigh your item, but that just takes extra time. Here’s what you need to know when it comes to weighing your mail at home:    


USPS rounds up to either the next pound (lb) or ounce (oz) on postage. This means, if your package weighs 3 lbs 5 oz, it would be charged at the 4 lb-rate. Same with a 7.3 oz package, it must be charged at the 8 oz-rate. This applies to all mail classes—domestic and international.

Select a Mail Class

Stack of letters spread out to reveal the postage corners of each. 7 letters laying on a dark wood background

Weighing your mail is important so you can choose the correct mail class. 

  • First-Class Mail & First Class Package can only be used for packages under 13 oz.
  • Priority Mail® service for anything over 13 oz. and under 70lbs.  

Learn more about USPS postage here. Once you have your weight and measurements of your package, you can calculate the shipping price for USPS here, and for FedEx here.   


Pro Tip: Make sure you weigh your mail as it is going to be shipped to ensure accuracy. 

How to weigh mail at home? 

Best Scale for Weighing Mail 

Truweigh general compact bench scale with a pile of letters being weighed. The scale sits on a dark wood desk with other office supplies in the background.

The Truweigh General Compact Bench Scale is a great option for weighing your mail at home. 


Featuring a large stainless steel platform with rubber feet for added stability, this scale is heavy duty with a large maximum capacity, making it essential for more than just weighing mail. 


The Hold feature locks the display at the press of a button, allowing you to weigh oversized items or bigger packages that might block your view, and results are also easy to read on the green back-lit LCD in any lighting condition.


Comes with built-in overload protection to prevent damage to the scale. Other features include power-saving Auto-Off after 3 minutes of inactivity, Tare/Zero feature for subtracting the weight of a container or expansion tray if necessary, and easy one-touch calibration. 


The General Compact Bench Scale has a max capacity of 3,000 g or about 100 oz so you have plenty of room to weigh most of your mail easily and efficiently at home. Backed by a Ten Year Limited Warranty. Truweigh: Quality (and mail) You Can Measure.