mailing tube 1st class package size limit?

[bluejettoy]

Is there a different dimension limit for mailing tubes sent as 1st class package? I cant find any info on USPS website, 2 other sites I read had conflicting info ~one said that mailing tubes can be up to 26" for 1st class, the other said that the 22" length limit also applies to mailing tubes. Thanks in advance!

[comics-scifi-collectibles · Accepted solution]

@bluejettoy 

I had another member ask this question recently and I had to "phone a friend"  I was confused because I had shipped posters last year in a 30-inch long tube 1st class using ebay labels.  It turns out that they reduced the size allowed for tubes.  

22 inch is for commercial rate ( ie eBay labels )   On the USPS site when I did a price lookup I was able to select 30 x 3 x3 and it had a price for RETAIL rate... this means you have to go into the post office to buy the label.  

Personally, if it's over 22 inches I would just use Priority now.

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c227

[nobody*s_perfect]

The Domestic Mail Manual doesn't seem to address tubes specifically. So the 22-inch limit would seem to apply; see section 8.3.2.  It's possible that your source that said 26 inches was obsolete.

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/201.htm#ep1097318

The standard for retail First Class packaegs seems to be a length-plus-girth of 108 inches, see section 6.4:

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/101.htm#ep1002718