Understanding postal abbreviations from the United States Postal Service (USPS) can help ensure your mail gets where it needs to go. From building abbreviations to street abbreviations, you can learn the proper way to abbreviate almost any mailing label element by following official USPS abbreviations.
Building Abbreviations From the Post Office
Common place abbreviations on letters and packages include specific terms for different parts of buildings. The USPS building abbreviations list features approved abbreviations for things like suites and apartments, which are typically followed by a number or letter designation.
- Apartment - APT
- Basement - BSMT
- Building - BLDG
- Department - DEPT
- Floor - FL
- Hanger - HNGR
- Lobby - LBBY
- Lower - LOWR
- Office - OFC
- Penthouse - PH
- Room - RM
- Suite - STE
- Trailer - TRLR
- Unit - UNIT
- Upper - UPPR
Street Abbreviations From the Post Office
Postal abbreviations for streets and street types range from the common “street” to the more obscure “dale.” This USPS street suffix abbreviations list includes shorthand you might see on street signs and mail.
Most Common Street Abbreviations
These are the USPS abbreviations for the types of streets and roads you’re most likely to use on a regular basis.
- Alley - ALY
- Avenue - AVE
- Boulevard - BLVD
- Causeway - CSWY
- Center - CTR
- Circle - CIR
- Court - CT
- Cove - CV
- Crossing - XING
- Drive - DR
- Expressway - EXPY
- Extension - EXT
- Freeway - FWY
- Grove - GRV
- Highway - HWY
- Hollow - HOLW
- Junction - JCT
- Lane - LN
- Motorway - MTWY
- Overpass - OPAS
- Park - PARK
- Parkway - PKWY
- Place - PL
- Plaza - PLZ
- Point - PT
- Road - RD
- Route - RTE
- Skyway - SKWY
- Square - SQ
- Street - ST
- Terrace - TER
- Trail - TRL
- Way - WAY
Unique Street Abbreviations
Some areas feature unique road names based on distinct geographical features or local dialects.
- Annex - ANX
- Arcade - ARC
- Bayou - BYU
- Beach - BCH
- Bend - BND
- Bluff - BLF
- Bottom - BTM
- Branch - BR
- Bridge - BRG
- Brook - BRK
- Burg - BG
- Bypass - BYP
- Camp - CP
- Canyon - CYN
- Cape - CPE
- Cliff - CLF
- Club - CLB
- Commons - CMNS
- Corner - CNR
- Corners - CORS
- Course - CRSE
- Creek - CRK
- Crescent - CRES
- Dale - DL
- Estate - EST
- Falls - FLS
- Field - FLD
- Flats - FLTS
- Ford - FRD
- Forge - FRG
- Gateway - GTWY
- Glen - GLN
- Haven - HVN
- Heights - HTS
- Ridge - RDG
- Station - STA
USPS Approved Abbreviations
If you’re getting ready to mail out a letter or package, you’ll also need to reference a list of all 50 state abbreviations and a list of country abbreviations. Have you been labeling your mail correctly?