Apartment Mailboxes Come in Different Styles

The sales staff at Wisconsin based USA Building Supplies often grins when a customer calls up saying they are looking for an apartment mailbox.  Their reaction is understandable these days because the term apartment mailboxes can be one of a number of different types of commercial mailboxes.  Prior to the USPS revamping many of the postal requirements at the turn of the Century for centralized mail receptacles an apartment mailbox often was another term for a vertical mailbox. Nowadays, a mailbox for apartments can mean any number of things.

4C Horizontal Mailboxes are for New Construction

Currently, 4C horizontal mailboxes are the mandated wall installation mailbox for all new construction due to the enactment of USPS-STD-4C regulation. 4C mailboxes are primarily installed into a wall or kiosk and feature wider doors to accommodate flat mail. In addition, the security of the STD-4C mail receptacle far exceeds the other apartment mailboxes in the marketplace.  Another benefit of the 4C mailboxes is that parcel lockers are built into many of the cabinet configurations to allow residents to receive packages through the centralize mailbox system.

USPS-4B+ Horizontal Mailboxes & Vertical Mailboxes are Being Phased Out

As a result of USPS-STD-4C many commercial mailbox insiders agree that horizontal and vertical mailboxes are less commonplace. The primary reason for the decline in usage of vertical and horizontal mailboxes is that currently they are only USPS approved for replacement purposes. It can also be argued that these types of commercial mailboxes do not offer the same benefits to the end users. For example, vertical mailboxes are not available with package lockers built into the cabinet. In addition, vertical mailboxes less secure than 4C mailboxes. The shortcoming of the horizontal mailbox is also in terms of security and durability. However, it should be noted that the horizontal mailbox remains today one of the most versatile commercial mailboxes.

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