How Many Stamps Do I Need?

The United States postal system is an incredible public service. For only $0.55, one can send a letter anywhere in the United States to arrive in 1-3 days! The first $0.55 covers up to 1 ounce. After that, add $0.15 per ounce up to 3.5 ounces. Check out our handy, visual stamp guide below.

Jump to: Envelope requirements,   how to weigh your envelope,   where to buy stamps,   delivery times,   accuracy notes,   where to apply stamps,   postage for more than 3.5 ounces, or   postage for large envelopes (flats)

Postage from US to AfghanistanPostage from US to Aland IslandsPostage from US to AlbaniaPostage from US to AlgeriaPostage from US to American SamoaPostage from US to AndorraPostage from US to AngolaPostage from US to AnguillaPostage from US to AntarcticaPostage from US to Antigua and BarbudaPostage from US to ArgentinaPostage from US to ArmeniaPostage from US to ArubaPostage from US to AustraliaPostage from US to AustriaPostage from US to AzerbaijanPostage from US to BahamasPostage from US to Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and SabaPostage from US to BahrainPostage from US to BangladeshPostage from US to BarbadosPostage from US to BelarusPostage from US to BelgiumPostage from US to BelizePostage from US to BeninPostage from US to BermudaPostage from US to BhutanPostage from US to BoliviaPostage from US to Bosnia and HerzegovinaPostage from US to BotswanaPostage from US to Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Postage from US to BrazilPostage from US to British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)Postage from US to British Virgin IslandsPostage from US to Brunei DarussalamPostage from US to BulgariaPostage from US to Burkina FasoPostage from US to BurundiPostage from US to CambodiaPostage from US to CameroonPostage from US to CanadaPostage from US to Cape VerdePostage from US to Cayman IslandsPostage from US to Central African RepublicPostage from US to ChadPostage from US to ChilePostage from US to ChinaPostage from US to Christmas IslandPostage from US to Cocos (Keeling) IslandsPostage from US to ColombiaPostage from US to ComorosPostage from US to Congo, Democratic Republic of thePostage from US to Congo, Republic of thePostage from US to Cook IslandsPostage from US to Costa RicaPostage from US to Cote d'IvoirePostage from US to CroatiaPostage from US to CubaPostage from US to CuracaoPostage from US to CyprusPostage from US to Czech RepublicPostage from US to DenmarkPostage from US to DjiboutiPostage from US to DominicaPostage from US to Dominican RepublicPostage from US to EcuadorPostage from US to EgyptPostage from US to El SalvadorPostage from US to Equatorial GuineaPostage from US to EritreaPostage from US to EswatiniPostage from US to EstoniaPostage from US to EthiopiaPostage from US to Faroe IslandsPostage from US to Falkland IslandsPostage from US to FijiPostage from US to FinlandPostage from US to FrancePostage from US to French GuianaPostage from US to French PolynesiaPostage from US to French Southern TerritoriesPostage from US to GabonPostage from US to GambiaPostage from US to GeorgiaPostage from US to GermanyPostage from US to GhanaPostage from US to GibraltarPostage from US to GreecePostage from US to GreenlandPostage from US to GrenadaPostage from US to GuadeloupePostage from US to GuamPostage from US to GuatemalaPostage from US to GuernseyPostage from US to GuineaPostage from US to Guinea-BissauPostage from US to GuyanaPostage from US to HaitiPostage from US to Heard Island and McDonald IslandsPostage from US to Vatican CityPostage from US to HondurasPostage from US to Hong KongPostage from US to HungaryPostage from US to IcelandPostage from US to IndiaPostage from US to IndonesiaPostage from US to IranPostage from US to IraqPostage from US to IrelandPostage from US to Northern IrelandPostage from US to Isle of ManPostage from US to IsraelPostage from US to ItalyPostage from US to KosovoPostage from US to JamaicaPostage from US to JapanPostage from US to JerseyPostage from US to JordanPostage from US to KazakhstanPostage from US to KenyaPostage from US to KiribatiPostage from US to North KoreaPostage from US to South KoreaPostage from US to KuwaitPostage from US to KyrgyzstanPostage from US to LaosPostage from US to LatviaPostage from US to LebanonPostage from US to LesothoPostage from US to LiberiaPostage from US to LibyaPostage from US to LiechtensteinPostage from US to LithuaniaPostage from US to LuxembourgPostage from US to MacaoPostage from US to MacedoniaPostage from US to MadagascarPostage from US to MalawiPostage from US to MalaysiaPostage from US to MaldivesPostage from US to MaliPostage from US to MaltaPostage from US to Marshall IslandsPostage from US to MartiniquePostage from US to MauritaniaPostage from US to MauritiusPostage from US to MayottePostage from US to MexicoPostage from US to MicronesiaPostage from US to MoldovaPostage from US to MonacoPostage from US to MongoliaPostage from US to MontenegroPostage from US to MontserratPostage from US to MoroccoPostage from US to MozambiquePostage from US to Myanmar (Burma)Postage from US to NamibiaPostage from US to NauruPostage from US to NepalPostage from US to Netherlands AntillesPostage from US to NetherlandsPostage from US to New CaledoniaPostage from US to New ZealandPostage from US to NicaraguaPostage from US to NigerPostage from US to NigeriaPostage from US to NiuePostage from US to Norfolk IslandPostage from US to Northern Mariana IslandsPostage from US to NorwayPostage from US to OmanPostage from US to PakistanPostage from US to PalauPostage from US to Palestinian TerritoryPostage from US to PanamaPostage from US to Papua New GuineaPostage from US to ParaguayPostage from US to PeruPostage from US to PhilippinesPostage from US to Pitcairn IslandsPostage from US to PolandPostage from US to PortugalPostage from US to Puerto RicoPostage from US to QatarPostage from US to ReunionPostage from US to RomaniaPostage from US to RussiaPostage from US to RwandaPostage from US to Saint BarthelemyPostage from US to Saint HelenaPostage from US to Saint Kitts and NevisPostage from US to Saint LuciaPostage from US to Saint MartinPostage from US to Saint Pierre and MiquelonPostage from US to Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesPostage from US to Sint MaartenPostage from US to SamoaPostage from US to San MarinoPostage from US to Sao Tome and PrincipePostage from US to Saudi ArabiaPostage from US to SenegalPostage from US to SerbiaPostage from US to SeychellesPostage from US to Sierra LeonePostage from US to SingaporePostage from US to SlovakiaPostage from US to SloveniaPostage from US to Solomon IslandsPostage from US to Somalia, Somali RepublicPostage from US to South AfricaPostage from US to South Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsPostage from US to SpainPostage from US to Sri LankaPostage from US to SudanPostage from US to SurinamePostage from US to Svalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsPostage from US to SwedenPostage from US to SwitzerlandPostage from US to SyriaPostage from US to TaiwanPostage from US to TajikistanPostage from US to TanzaniaPostage from US to ThailandPostage from US to Timor-LestePostage from US to TogoPostage from US to TokelauPostage from US to TongaPostage from US to Trinidad and TobagoPostage from US to TunisiaPostage from US to TurkeyPostage from US to TurkmenistanPostage from US to Turks and Caicos IslandsPostage from US to TuvaluPostage from US to UgandaPostage from US to UkrainePostage from US to United Arab EmiratesPostage from US to United KingdomPostage from US to United StatesPostage from US to United States Minor Outlying IslandsPostage from US to United States Virgin IslandsPostage from US to UruguayPostage from US to UzbekistanPostage from US to VanuatuPostage from US to VenezuelaPostage from US to VietnamPostage from US to Wallis and FutunaPostage from US to Western SaharaPostage from US to YemenPostage from US to ZambiaPostage from US to Zimbabwe

Weight	Postage
Up to 1 ounce ($0.55)	One Domestic Forever stamp ($0.55)
2 ounces ($0.70)	One Domestic Forever stamp, and one 15¢ Additional Ounce stamp ($0.70) Or you can overpay by $0.40 using two Domestic Forever stamps ($1.10)
3 ounces ($0.85)	One Domestic Forever stamp, and two 15¢ Additional Ounce stamps ($0.85) Or you can overpay by $0.25 using two Domestic Forever stamps ($1.10)
3.5 ounces ($1.00)	One Domestic Forever stamp, one 35¢ Postcard stamp, and one 10¢ stamp ($1.00) Or you can overpay by $0.10 using two Domestic Forever stamps ($1.10)
More than 3.5 ounces	See rates for flats

Envelope requirements

Your envelope must be a minimum 5” x 3.5”, maximum 11.5” x 6+⅛”, and no thicker than 1/4".

Make sure your envelope is of uniform thickness, rectangular, and bendable. Otherwise, you may have a "non-machinable" envelope and add $0.21 of extra postage. Check out the full list of non-machinable characteristics.

Square envelopes must be a minimum of 5". Square envelopes are considered non-machinable so add the extra $0.21.

How to weigh your envelope

Use a kitchen food scale to measure your envelope’s weight. If you don’t own one, Amazon makes a good entry level scale for $10.99 and there’s a higher end scale from My Weigh for $38 on Amazon Prime. Walmart also offers several cheap kitchen scales like this Milleroo scale for $8.25. 

If you're sending printed photos, check out our guide on how many stamps are needed to mail 4x6 photos — no scale needed!

Where to buy stamps

You can buy stamps at your local USPS post office and online at USPS.com — shipping is just over $1 for a sheet of stamps. Walmart and Amazon also carry stamps, as well as many local banks. Stamps from Amazon aren't a very good deal at $16.18 for a sheet of 20 which you can get for $5.18 less direct from the USPS.

Accuracy notes

We check postage rate changes weekly. The latest forever stamp rate change was on January 26, 2020. Rates for domestic letters under 3.5 ounces remained the same. Rates for flats (large envelopes) and all global first-class mail increased. Global forever stamps went from $1.15 to $1.20. (Your old, round global stamps are also forever stamps now worth $1.20.) In addition, rates on additional ounces for flats (large envelopes) went up by $0.05 per additional ounce for domestic flats and changed for international flats as well. Additional ounces for all international first-class mail changed with the base increase from $1.15 to $1.20.

Where to apply stamps on a letter

Stamps go in the upper-right corner of a letter, ideally all in one row. However, the post office will accept your letter even if your stamps go to a second or third line.

Delivery times for letters to the United States

Mail send with stamps isn't tracked and delivery times are not guaranteed, however the typical delivery time is 1-3 days.

Sending more than 3.5 ounces to the United States or sending large envelopes to the United States

Below are the rates for sending a large envelope ("flat") to the United States. The maximum weight for a standard letter is 3.5 ounces, so use a flat if you're sending more than 3.5 ounces. The base rate for the United States is $1.00. Extra ounces cost more and the maximum weight is 13 ounces. The rates below are sourced directly from the USPS.

Flats must be a minimum of 6-1/8" by 11-1/2", maximum 12" by 15". Unlike standard letters, the maximum thickness is 3/4".

A standard 8.5” x 11” manilla envelope is the most common flat size. You can pick up a 100 pack on Amazon for $15.99 ($0.16 each) or 20 pack for $4.83 ($0.24 each). Local office supply stores also have these. Staples offers a 100-pack for $40.79 ($0.41 each).

Note you can't use a bubble envelope as bubble envelopes are typically more than 1/4" thick. Bubble envelopes are usually considered a "package / thick envelope" by the USPS. You can purchase a label on PayPal and print at home or visit your local post office.

Weight	Postage
Up to 1 ounce ($1.00)	One Domestic Forever stamp, one 35¢ Postcard stamp, and one 10¢ stamp ($1.00) Or you can overpay by $0.10 using two Domestic Forever stamps ($1.10)
2 ounces ($1.20)	Two Domestic Forever stamps, and one 10¢ stamp ($1.20) Or you can overpay by $0.45 using three Domestic Forever stamps ($1.65)
3 ounces ($1.40)	Two Domestic Forever stamps, and two 15¢ Additional Ounce stamps ($1.40) Or you can overpay by $0.25 using three Domestic Forever stamps ($1.65)
4 ounces ($1.60)	Two Domestic Forever stamps, one 35¢ Postcard stamp, and one 15¢ Additional Ounce stamp ($1.60) Or you can overpay by $0.05 using three Domestic Forever stamps ($1.65)
5 ounces ($1.80)	Three Domestic Forever stamps, and one 15¢ Additional Ounce stamp ($1.80) Or you can overpay by $0.40 using four Domestic Forever stamps ($2.20)
6 ounces ($2.00)	Three Domestic Forever stamps, and one 35¢ Postcard stamp ($2.00) Or you can overpay by $0.20 using four Domestic Forever stamps ($2.20)
7 ounces ($2.20)	Four Domestic Forever stamps ($2.20)
8 ounces ($2.40)	Four Domestic Forever stamps, one 15¢ Additional Ounce stamp, and one 5¢ stamp ($2.40) Or you can overpay by $0.35 using five Domestic Forever stamps ($2.75)
9 ounces ($2.60)	Four Domestic Forever stamps, one 35¢ Postcard stamp, and one 5¢ stamp ($2.60) Or you can overpay by $0.15 using five Domestic Forever stamps ($2.75)
10 ounces ($2.80)	Five Domestic Forever stamps, and one 5¢ stamp ($2.80) Or you can overpay by $0.50 using six Domestic Forever stamps ($3.30)
11 ounces ($3.00)	Five Domestic Forever stamps, one 15¢ Additional Ounce stamp, and one 10¢ stamp ($3.00) Or you can overpay by $0.30 using six Domestic Forever stamps ($3.30)
12 ounces ($3.20)	Five Domestic Forever stamps, one 35¢ Postcard stamp, and one 10¢ stamp ($3.20) Or you can overpay by $0.10 using six Domestic Forever stamps ($3.30)
13 ounces ($3.40)	Six Domestic Forever stamps, and one 10¢ stamp ($3.40) Or you can overpay by $0.45 using seven Domestic Forever stamps ($3.85)
View 6+ ounces