Network Distribution Center
A large USPS facility that serves as a regional hub for sorting and transferring mail between Sectional Center Facilities across multiple states.
Network Distribution Centers (NDCs, formerly Bulk Mail Centers) are the highest level in the USPS processing hierarchy. There are 21 NDCs across the country, each serving a multi-state region. They primarily handle parcels, periodicals, and standard mail, sorting them for dispatch to SCFs within their region or to other NDCs for cross-country routing.
NDCs are equipped with large-scale automated sorting equipment capable of processing hundreds of thousands of pieces per hour. They operate around the clock, with most inter-NDC transportation handled by highway contract routes (trucks) and air transportation for distant NDCs.
Bulk mailers can earn the deepest postage discounts by entering pre-sorted mail directly at the destination NDC, avoiding the origin processing chain entirely.