Postbox forms and types

When submitting a postbox you choose one form. Pillar boxes are free-standing cylindrical (or hexagonal/oval) cast-iron boxes. Wall boxes are set into a wall with only the front visible. Lamp boxes are small boxes often mounted on a lamp post or pole. Ludlow-style wall boxes are recessed, largely wooden, common in Victorian and Edwardian times. Business boxes are large sheet steel/aluminium boxes for meter mail (from 1994). Parcel postboxes are for parcel drop-off. Coffin-style surround is a wall box design variant (a wall box in a distinctive pitched-top surround): choose Wall and subtype "Coffin-style surround". Penfold and Dual aperture are pillar design variants; choose Pillar and the appropriate subtype.

Within each form there are type patterns (e.g. Type A–P for pillars) and design variants. For example, pillar boxes include Type A through Type P, Penfold, Anonymous, Dual aperture, and Olympic Gold 2012. Wall boxes include Type A–F Wall Box and variants such as Coffin-style surround. Lamp boxes include Type A–F Lamp Box and Bantam. When adding or correcting a postbox you can optionally enter a subtype (e.g. "Type K" or "Penfold") to narrow down the design. See the Identification Guide for the full list.

The Identification Guide has photos and descriptions for each form. Use it to match what you see in the field to the correct form and optional subtype when submitting.