Are STD-4C Mailboxes Secure? Here's What You Should Know

The United States Postal Service (USPS) delivers over 150 billion pieces of mail each year in the United States -- a number that's expected to increase in 2020 and the years to follow. If you're developing a neighborhood or residential community, you should choose highly secure mailboxes to protect against mail theft. While conventional curbside mailboxes are always an option, STD-4C mailboxes may offer an even higher level of security.

What Are STD-4C Mailboxes?

As shown above, STD-4C mailboxes are a form of centralized mail delivery system consisting of multiple individually locked compartments. They are the successor to the USPS's earlier STD-4B and STD-4B+ standard. Because of their ability to streamline the delivery, as well as reception, of mail, the USPS requires STD-4C mailboxes for all multi-unit buildings -- apartments, condos, etc. -- with building plans submitted after Oct. 6, 2006.

Heavy-Duty Construction

With STD-4C mailboxes, you can rest assured knowing that residents are protected against mail theft. Among other things, STD-4B mailboxes are designed with stronger, heavier materials than their STD-4B and STD-4B+ counterparts. The old 4B standards had less-stringent requirements regarding the strength and weight of their materials. The USPS recognized this flaw as a contributing factor to mail theft, so it responded by releasing the STD-4C standard, which requires the centralized mailboxes to feature stronger and heavier materials.

Improved Lock Design

In addition to a heavy-duty construction, STD-4C mailboxes feature a new and improved lock design. According to the USPS, the individual mail compartments in STD-4C mailboxes must be designed to withstand at least 100-foot pounds of rotational torque. As a result, it's nearly impossible to forcefully open a locked compartment without the appropriate key.

Key Can Only Be Removed in Locked Position

Another security feature of STD-4C mailboxes lies in their method of key removal. To remove the key from an individual mail compartment, the resident must turn it into the "locked" position. A key cannot be removed if it's in the "unlocked" position.

Parcel Lockers

STD-4C mailboxes don't just protect against mail theft; they protect against package theft as well. The USPS's next-generation standard for centralized mail delivery requires at least one parcel locker per 10 individual mail compartments. Rather than leaving packages at the front office of an apartment, for example, mail couriers can leave them in parcel locker.

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