An A4 envelope is one of the most common envelope sizes. But knowing just what will fit in an A4 envelope can be a little tricky.
Learning more about the envelope’s size can help you determine what will fit in it and what your potential postage costs might be.
Length, Width, and Height of an A4 Envelope
An A4 envelope, also sometimes called a C4 envelope, is 8.3 inches long and 11.7 inches tall. This is just slightly larger than the A4 paper that it’s designed to hold. The envelope’s length is equal to 21.082 centimeters or 210.82 millimeters. The height is equal to 29.718 centimeters or 297.18 millimeters.
The width, or thickness, of an A4 envelope, depends on the envelope’s brand and what type of paper it’s made of.
Most envelopes are 0.25 inches thick, which is equal to 0.635 centimeters or 6.35 millimeters.
This is generally thick enough to hold several sheets of paper, and since A4 envelopes are designed to hold paper that hasn’t been folded, they can often hold more sheets than the average envelope.
If the paper of the envelope itself is more heavy-duty, however, the envelope might be a bit thicker.
A thicker envelope sometimes holds less paper inside.
An A4 Envelope’s Weight
Like its width, the weight of any envelope depends on what it’s made of. If it’s made out of thicker paper, it’ll be heavier. Some envelopes also have small metal fasteners at the top.
Although they’re tiny, these fasteners can actually add a good deal of weight to the envelope.
In general, A4 envelopes can weigh between 6.75 and 50 grams. This is equal to between about 0.238 and 1.764 ounces. Most A4 envelopes weigh around 20 grams or about 0.71 ounces.
A sheet of paper weighs about 4.5 grams or about 0.1587 ounces, so you can easily estimate how much a full envelope weighs simply by counting how many pages are inside and multiplying by 4.5 or 0.1587.
When is it a good idea to use an A4 envelope?
A4 envelopes are designed to be used with A4 paper, which is the standard size of printer or copy paper in the United States.
These envelopes are often used for mailing or carrying files or documents that cannot be folded or are more legible when they’re not folded.
They’re also a good option for files and documents that contain many pages. Documents containing more than a few pages don’t fold easily, so it’s much simpler and saves space to put them in an A4 envelope.
Because they’re not meant to be folded or bent, A4 envelopes are also a good choice for smaller documents, such as magazines, certificates, and printed or thick documents, that shouldn’t be folded.
It also always helps to write ‘Do not bend’ on any envelope that contains something that should not be folded or bent in order to fit in a mailbox.
A4 envelopes can also be used to mail certain items. These envelopes are usually relatively strong so, as long as the item does not require too much padding, an envelope of this size is perfect as a lightweight wrapping.
Using an A4 envelope as a package can help keep the weight of the package down, saving you money on postage.
If you’re using an A4 envelope as packaging for an item, you may want to fold the envelope farther down over the item, ensuring that the item can’t move around too much.
Use tape to help secure the envelope flap. It’s also important to ensure that the delivery and return addresses can be read clearly on the package.
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