Freight Class Calculator

How this freight class calculator works

LTL carriers price on freight class, and for a large and growing share of the National Motor Freight Classification that class comes straight from density: pounds per cubic foot of the shipment as you hand it over. This tool does that arithmetic the way a carrier's dimensioner and dock inspector will.

1. Measure each handling unit at its greatest length, width and height, including the pallet or skid and anything that sticks out. A pallet is a handling unit; so is a crate or a loose drum.
2. Cube it. Length × width × height in inches, divided by 1,728, gives cubic feet. Metric entries are converted to inches first.
3. Divide weight by cube to get density in lb/ft³ (pcf). The shipment figure is total weight over total cube.
4. Look the density up on the 13-step scale below. The result is the class that density earns on the standard scale.

Each line also shows its own density and class, because carriers often class each pallet separately when the pallets are different. If the shipment average and the per-pallet classes disagree, the NMFC item for your commodity says which one applies.

The figure is an estimate. Many commodities still have a fixed class or their own density scale written into their NMFC item, and only that item and the carrier's tariff decide the class on the freight bill. Use this to plan packaging and sanity-check a quote, and look up your item number before you print the bill of lading.

The 2025 NMFC density scale

NMFTA's Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025, expanded the standard density scale from 11 subprovisions to 13 and moved roughly two thousand items onto density-based classes. The bottom ten steps did not change. What changed is the dense end: everything at 30 pcf or more used to be class 60, and it is now split three ways.

The row for your shipment is highlighted as you type. Classes 77.5, 110, 150, 200 and 500 still exist; they are simply not on the standard scale, so an item can only reach them through its own provisions.

Formula and a worked example

Take the example already loaded above: two pallets of boxed parts at 48 × 40 × 52 inches and 610 lb each, plus a short pallet at 48 × 40 × 30 inches and 260 lb.

• Tall pallets: 48 × 40 × 52 = 99,840 in³ = 57.78 ft³ each, 115.56 ft³ for the pair, at 10.56 pcf (class 92.5).
• Short pallet: 48 × 40 × 30 = 57,600 in³ = 33.33 ft³ at 7.80 pcf (class 125).
• Shipment: 1,480 lb ÷ 148.89 ft³ = 9.94 pcf, class 100.

That shipment is 0.06 pcf short of the 10 pcf break. Take one inch off the short pallet (48 × 40 × 29) and the cube drops to 147.78 ft³, density rises to 10.02 pcf and the shipment rates at class 92.5. On a long LTL lane a class step is commonly worth several percent of the line-haul charge, which is why brokers ask for honest heights.

Mistakes that cost shippers money

• Measuring the cartons, not the unit. The carrier measures the pallet with everything on it. A 46 × 38 inch stack on a 48 × 40 pallet is billed at 48 × 40.
• Ignoring overhang. One carton hanging two inches off the edge adds two inches to the whole footprint. Keep loads inside the deck.
• Leaving the pallet off the bill. A GMA pallet adds 5 to 6 inches and roughly 35–50 lb. Quote without it and you have understated both cube and weight; the dimensioner and the reweigh will not make the same mistake.
• Sitting right on a break. Dock dimensioners and scales read within a tolerance, and a load built to exactly 15.0 pcf can read 14.9 at the terminal. NMFTA's own guidance is to design several percent above a threshold. The calculator shows your cushion.
• Using last year's class from habit. Items that moved to density in 2025 no longer have the class printed on old bills of lading. A reclass comes with an inspection fee and a corrected invoice.
• Pyramids and odd shapes. A load that tapers is still measured at its widest and tallest points. Square it off or consolidate.