LTB 263/25 Royal Mail – Use of Parcel Cubes in Delivery and Collection
No. 263/25
26th November 2025
Royal Mail – Use of Parcel Cubes in Delivery and Collection
Dear Colleagues,
The purpose of this LTB is to confirm to Branches and members that Royal Mail have officially launched the availability and use of Parcel Cubes for both delivery and collections. This information will be officially issued to RM Ops on Monday, 1st December.
Branches will recall that, over a prolonged period of time, Royal Mail have undertaken several different trials covering the wider operational use of Parcel Cubes, mainly covering Dedicated Parcel Routes. They also, as far back as 2021, undertook a more bespoke trial of a Cube Trolley in the Manchester area. Whilst feedback in terms of the overall suitability and benefit of these Cubes for DPRs was mixed and Royal Mail have been reluctant to invest further in the use of these cubes over the years, the fact remains that there has been a growing use of third-party Parcel Cubes within many Delivery units, both for delivery and collections.
From a CWU perspective, we have seen the value of Parcel Cubes and have been arguing for Royal Mail to invest in them for several years. Particularly, for use of the cubes where multiple smaller parcels are delivered to a single location (i.e. mailroom or concierge desk) and for multiple occupant locations, such as student accommodations etc. Similarly, we have seen a benefit of the use of the cubes for collections where there are multiple smaller parcels to collect. Indeed, the use and benefit of the Parcel Cube is simply reflected by the number of third-party cubes which are now in use.
Accordingly, this decision by Royal Mail to now finally move forward with their own acquired Parcel Cubes is welcomed, even though we believe that the initial introduction of 2,000 cubes this side of the New Year will fall well short of applications for this equipment.
Attached to this LTB is a copy of the current SWI (Safe Working Instruction) version 2, which covers ‘usage of cubes for high-volume locations such as parcel lockers, parcel shops or central post rooms. They support safe and efficient transfer of small to medium parcels between vehicles and delivery/collection locations. Large parcels should be loaded directly into the vehicle.’
Also attached is a copy of the SHE (Safety, Health, and Environment) Huddle, which confirms that ‘non-branded cubes that are in good condition, have two handles, and meet the specified measurements may remain in use during the transition to new stock in 2026, but must be reported to your Line Manager to confirm ongoing suitability.’
As outlined above, the CWU welcomes this decision by Royal Mail to officially launch and invest in the availability and use of Parcel Cubes for both delivery and collections, for those members who wish to use them.
Any enquiries to the content of this LTB should be directed to the Outdoor Department, email address: Pharacz@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely,
Tony Bouch
Assistant Secretary
LTB 263/25 – RM Use of Parcel Cubes in Delivery and Collection