What is the format of a Canadian postal code?

The Canadian Postal Code is a six-character code that contains a mixture of alphabet characters and numeric characters. The first, third and fifth characters are alphabet characters, and the second, fourth and sixth are numeric characters. For example, M6L 1L8. The code is divided into two major sortation code segments.

The first segment of three characters in the Canadian Postal Code indicates the "forward sortation area," which is the major area in Canada that the mail is forwarded to for initial sorting. The second segment of three characters indicates the "local delivery unit," which is the specific area in which the mail must travel within the major sortation area indicated by the first segment.