Freight Class Calculator

Freight class is a standardized number — one of 18 classes from 50 to 500 — that LTL (less-than-truckload) carriers use to price shipments consistently. It comes from the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC), maintained by the NMFTA. Lower classes (50–85) are dense, durable, easy-to-handle freight and cost the least per pound to ship; higher classes (250–500) are light, bulky, fragile, or high-value freight and cost the most. Since July 19, 2025, class is determined primarily by density — the weight of your shipment divided by the cubic feet it occupies — for most commodities.

Measure each handling unit (pallet, crate, or carton) at its longest, widest, and tallest points in inches — including the pallet and any overhang. Multiply length × width × height and divide by 1,728 to get cubic feet. Divide total weight in pounds by total cubic feet to get density in pounds per cubic foot (pcf). Then find that density on the NMFC 13-sub scale: for example, 8 to under 10 pcf is class 100, and 10 to under 12 pcf is class 92.5. The calculator on this page does all of it instantly.

An NMFC code (or item number) is a commodity identifier in the National Motor Freight Classification — for example, NMFC 156600 covers certain plastic articles. Every commodity that moves LTL has an NMFC item, and that item defines how its class is assigned: since the 2025 changes, most items point to the standard density scale, but some retain condition-based classes because of handling, stowability, or liability issues. Your NMFC code goes on the bill of lading alongside the class; carriers use it to verify you classified the shipment correctly.

The authoritative source is the NMFTA's ClassIT tool, which is subscription-based. In practice, most shippers get their NMFC code from their carrier rep, their freight broker, or their 3PL — any of them can look up the exact item number for your commodity. Getting the real item number matters: a density calculator tells you the density-based class, but only the NMFC item tells you whether your specific commodity carries different provisions.

Class 70 covers freight with a density of 15 to under 22.5 pounds per cubic foot on the NMFC density scale (sub 9). Typical class 70 freight: packaged food, engines, machinery on skids, and paper products in cartons. It is one of the most common classes for dense, well-packaged consumer goods.

Class 85 covers freight with a density of 12 to under 15 pounds per cubic foot (sub 8 on the NMFC density scale). Typical examples include crated machinery, cast-iron products, transmissions, and doors.

Class 100 covers freight with a density of 8 to under 10 pounds per cubic foot (sub 6). Typical examples: cased wine, canvas goods, boat covers, and smaller furniture. A standard 48×40 pallet stacked 48 inches tall weighing about 430–530 lb lands in this range.

Class 125 covers freight with a density of 6 to under 8 pounds per cubic foot (sub 5). Typical examples: small household appliances, vending machines, and exhibit displays — goods that are moderately light for the space they take up.

On July 19, 2025, the NMFTA's Docket 2025-1 took effect — the biggest restructuring of the NMFC in decades. Around 2,000 commodity listings moved from commodity-based classes to density-based classification, and the standard density scale expanded from 11 to 13 subprovisions, adding new breaks at 35 and 50 pcf that assign classes 55 and 50 to very dense freight. Commodities with meaningful handling, stowability, or liability issues kept condition-based classes. The practical effect: for most freight, accurate dimensions and weight now determine your class — and your price.

When a carrier inspects your shipment — increasingly with automated laser dimensioners at the dock — and finds the density or NMFC item doesn't match what's on the bill of lading, they rebill the shipment at the correct class and add an inspection or reweigh fee. The rebill can raise the linehaul charge substantially, since a jump of even one class band raises your rate. Repeated misclassification can also flag your account for automatic inspections. Measuring honestly up front is cheaper than being corrected.

Lower is cheaper. Class 50 gets the lowest rate per hundredweight (CWT); class 500 gets the highest. That's because low-class freight is dense — a carrier can fit more billable weight into the same trailer space. If your freight is light and bulky, you pay a high class because you're effectively buying trailer cube, not hauling weight.

No. Density is the primary factor for most commodities since the 2025 changes, but the NMFC classifies freight on four characteristics: density, stowability, handling, and liability. Commodities that are hazardous, fragile, high-value, oddly shaped, or hard to stow can carry a class different from what their density suggests, defined by their specific NMFC item. That's why this tool gives you the density-based class and tells you to confirm the NMFC item for your commodity — pretending density is the whole story is how shipments get rebilled.

Yes — free, no account, no email. Enter your handling units, get your density, sub, and estimated class instantly, and copy a shareable link to the result. It uses the current NMFC 13-sub density scale in effect since July 19, 2025.