Royal Mail runs two separate pricing structures for businesses posting parcels on account, and which one applies to you depends on volume. Royal Mail 24® and Royal Mail 48® are built for businesses sending more than 1,000 parcels or Large Letters per site per year; 1st and 2nd Class Account Mail is aimed squarely at infrequent senders below that threshold. From 1 July 2026, the price difference between the two is significant.
Royal Mail 24/48: pricing for volume senders
For Large Letters, Royal Mail 24 on standard Account pricing runs from £2.25 (100g) to £2.45 (250g–750g), while Royal Mail 48 runs from £1.55 to £1.75 across the same weight bands. For Parcels, Royal Mail 24 starts at £5.55 (1kg), rising to £5.75 (2kg), £8.75 (10kg) and £16.45 (20kg) — Royal Mail 48, capped at a 2kg maximum weight, runs £3.75 (1kg) to £4.15 (2kg). These are the standard Account rates; older Basic Barcode SU1/SU2 rates are noticeably higher and no longer available to new accounts.
1st and 2nd Class Account Mail: pricing for infrequent senders
For businesses sending fewer than 1,000 parcels per site per year, 1st and 2nd Class Account Mail prices a Parcel at £7.85 (1st Class, up to 1kg) or £6.15 (2nd Class, up to 1kg — 2nd Class isn't available above 1kg). 1st Class pricing continues at £11.85 (2kg), £31.85 (5kg), £45.85 (10kg) and £65.85 (20kg).
The gap between the two structures is substantial
Comparing like for like at 1kg: Royal Mail 24 (volume Account) prices a Parcel at £5.55, while 1st Class Account Mail (infrequent sender) prices the same weight at £7.85 — a difference of £2.30 per item, or roughly 40% more expensive on the lower-volume structure. At 2kg the gap widens further: £5.75 on Royal Mail 24 versus £11.85 on 1st Class Account Mail. This isn't a minor difference — it's the clearest illustration in the whole price guide of how much Royal Mail's volume-based pricing rewards consistent, higher shipping volume.
Why the threshold matters more than it first appears
The 1,000-item-per-site-per-year threshold for qualifying for Royal Mail 24/48 works out to roughly 19 to 20 items a week — a volume many growing small businesses cross without necessarily realising their pricing structure should change with it. If your order volume has grown since you first set up a Royal Mail Account, covered in general terms in our business vs personal account guide, it's worth checking directly with Royal Mail whether you now qualify for Royal Mail 24/48 rates rather than continuing to pay 1st/2nd Class Account Mail prices by default.
Delivery speed trade-offs between the two services
Royal Mail 24 aims for next-working-day delivery and Royal Mail 48 aims to deliver the majority of items within two working days — comparable in practice to standard 1st and 2nd Class delivery aims. The price advantage of Royal Mail 24/48 over 1st/2nd Class Account Mail isn't a speed trade-off, it's purely a volume-based rate benefit, which is what makes crossing the qualifying threshold worth actively checking for rather than assuming your existing rate structure is already the best available.
What this means for choosing a shipping platform
Whichever pricing structure applies, the labels themselves are identical in size and format — the pricing difference sits entirely in the courier account, not in what you print or how you dispatch, covered in our guide to Royal Mail's other business fees. Worth reviewing your account structure at the same time as reviewing which shipping software or Click & Drop setup you're using, since both affect your total cost per parcel independently.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I qualify for Royal Mail 24/48 pricing? The published threshold is sending more than 1,000 parcels and/or Large Letters per site per year — if your volume is close to or above that, it's worth contacting Royal Mail directly to confirm and switch pricing structures rather than assuming you're automatically moved across.
Is Royal Mail 48 available for items over 2kg? No — Royal Mail 48's parcel pricing caps at a 2kg maximum weight; heavier items need Royal Mail 24 or a different service such as Royal Mail Tracked.
Can 2nd Class Account Mail be used for parcels over 1kg? No — the July 2026 price guide explicitly notes that items heavier than 1,000g cannot be sent 2nd Class under the Account Mail structure, so heavier parcels need to go 1st Class or via a different service entirely.
One label, whichever tier you're on
Our 100 × 150mm direct thermal labels work identically whether you're posting via Royal Mail 24/48 or standard Account Mail.
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