In theory, it seems like you’ll effortlessly breeze through the job of buying business envelopes. But in reality, the task requires a lot more knowledge of envelope sizes and why they matter.
Envelopes look plain and simple…until you realize the abundance of varieties and their uses in every industry. Whether you’re a clerk responsible for restocking office supplies or a student submitting your college application, you need to make sure your envelope size fits the purpose of your sending.
Sure, after working in the industry for considerably long, you can begin to intuitively tell which size will suit your needs best. But for novices, this blog will serve as a great help.
Size Guide – Business Envelopes
The size of the envelope you choose is primarily important for two reasons:
- For conveying the intent of mailing
- For fitting the size of the contents
You may have noticed how official documents of the smallest size are delivered to you in the standard official envelop. That’s not because they lack sufficient stationery supplies but rather aim to maintain official etiquette.
Then there are other factors to consider like the cost of mailing and whether the documents stored can be folded or not. Preferably, identity documents and pay checks shouldn’t be folded, so the business envelope storing them must be sized appropriately.
Document Sizes and Envelope Sizes
A good tip is to substitute the size of your document e.g. A2, A3, A4, etc with a corresponding envelope size in C-range e.g. C2, C3, C4, etc. Here’s a guide for envelope sizes:
| Envelope sizes | mm | cm | inches |
| C0 | 917 X 1297 | 91.7 x 129.7 | 36.1 x 51.5 |
| C1 | 648 x 917 | 64.8 x 91.7 | 25.5 x 36.1 |
| C2 | 458 x 648 | 45.8 x 64.8 | 18 x 25.5 |
| C3 | 324 x 458 | 32.4 x 45.8 | 12.8 x 18 |
| C4 | 229 x 324 | 22.9 x 32.4 | 9 x 12.8 |
| C5 | 162 x 229 | 16.2 x 22.9 | 6.4 x 9 |
| C6 | 114 x 162 | 11.4 x 16.2 | 4.5 x 6.4 |
| C7 | 81 x 114 | 81 x 11.4 | 3.2 x 4.5 |
| C8 | 77 x 81 | 77 x 8.1 | 2.2 x 3.2 |
| C9 | 40 x 57 | 40 x 5.7 | 1.6 x 2.2 |
| C10 | 28 x 40 | 28 x 4.0 | 1.1 x 1.6 |
| DL | 110 x 220 | 11 x 22 | 4.33 x 8.66 |
Extra Envelope Tips
If you really want to acquaint yourself with the industrial jargon, know that you always mention the height of the envelope before stating the width. So a particular size a x b means ‘a’ is the height and ‘b’ is the length.
We offer a large collection of invitation and business envelopes in a variety of sizes. Check them out right here!