6 Commercial Mailbox Terms You Should Know

Mailboxes may seem like simple devices…and let’s be honest, they are. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t interesting. Mailboxes are part of a system of people, parts, and devices that ensure your mail arrives safely and intact. Now’s the time if you haven’t wondered about your mailbox before! Here are six commercial mailbox terms you should know.

Cluster Mailboxes

Cluster mailboxes refer to the fact that these mailboxes share a cabinet with individual compartments for various customers’ mail. Most often, serving apartment complexes, office spaces, and condos, and standing in a specific place on the property on a pedestal is this mailbox’s intention. The “clustering” reflects the compartments’ concentration in a single area.

Freestanding Mailboxes

Freestanding mailboxes are like cluster mailboxes except they lack pedestals and look more like filing cabinets. Few differences exist between the two since they both feature multiple compartments, but freestanding mailboxes may look a bit more modern.

Vertical Mailboxes

These mailboxes might be the most familiar to apartment owners. You can usually find these in apartment building lobbies, embedded in or mounted to the wall near the door or a similar spot. They are indeed vertical, meaning they’re longer and taller than they are wide. Unfortunately, mail can get stuck and even damaged inside one, and they don’t leave much room for larger envelopes and packages. While they may have a cool nostalgic look, they don’t get much use these days and the United States Postal Service (USPS™) is steadily replacing them.

Horizontal Mailboxes

Horizontal mailboxes are the solution if vertical ones are the problem. Wide, horizontal slots and boxes traditionally provide safer, flatter spaces to place mail. More modern apartment complexes are implementing horizontal mailboxes to protect resident’s mail.

Rear Access

Not so much a type of mailbox as a means for tenants to access their mail. Rare access mailboxes allow the carrier to deliver mail in front while the resident can access it from the other side, usually in the comfort of their home.

Collection Box

This mailbox is a classic, freestanding, dark blue USPS™ box you can often find on corners, busy streets, and elsewhere. They wait diligently to collect your mail for distribution by the USPS™!

Those are six commercial mailbox terms you should know. Contact us today if you have other questions about mailboxes and the various community mailboxes we offer for sale!