LoadClass Get a quote

Free LTL tool · updated for the 2025 NMFC rules

Freight Class Calculator

Type your pallet dimensions and weight — get density, NMFC freight class and dimensional weight instantly, with a live 3D view of your load. Multi-pallet ready. No signup.

NMFC 13-tier scale (July 2025) Multi-pallet pooling Live 3D load view Free, no account

Your handling units

Advanced: dimensional weight divisor

Parcel carriers commonly use 139; international air freight commonly 166 in³/lb (6,000 cm³/kg). LTL volume pricing varies — check your carrier's tariff.

Estimated freight class

Class —
NMFC 2025 (13-tier)
Density (lb/ft³)—
Total cube—
Total weight—
DIM weight—
Get a freight quote

Live 3D load view

Drag to rotate · scroll to zoom · drawn to scale

The 60-second explainer

What is freight class?

Freight class is the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) category that LTL carriers use to price your shipment. Classes run from 50 (dense, cheap to move — think steel bar) to 400 (light and bulky — think ping-pong balls). Lower class, lower rate. Since July 2025, most commodities are classified purely by density — pounds per cubic foot — using the NMFTA's standardized 13-tier scale below. Commodities with special handling, stowability or liability characteristics keep their own NMFC item rules.

The freight class density chart (NMFC 2025)

Density (lb/ft³)Freight class
Less than 1400
1 but less than 2300
2 but less than 4250
4 but less than 6175
6 but less than 8125
8 but less than 10100
10 but less than 1292.5
12 but less than 1585
15 but less than 22.570
22.5 but less than 3065
30 but less than 3560
35 but less than 5055
50 or greater50
Show the legacy 18-class table (pre-July 2025 tariffs)
Density (lb/ft³)ClassDensity (lb/ft³)Class
50 and up508 to under 9110
35 to under 50557 to under 8125
30 to under 35606 to under 7150
22.5 to under 30655 to under 6175
15 to under 22.5704 to under 5200
13.5 to under 1577.53 to under 4250
12 to under 13.5852 to under 3300
10.5 to under 1292.51 to under 2400
9 to under 10.5100Under 1500

Some carrier tariffs and commodity-specific NMFC items still reference the older breakpoints. If your carrier quotes class 77.5, 110, 150, 175 (at 5–6 pcf), 200 or 500, they're rating from this legacy guideline.

Full chart with examples per class: the freight class chart, explained.

How to measure a pallet for freight class

  1. Length & width: measure the footprint at the widest points — if cargo overhangs the pallet, measure the cargo, not the wood.
  2. Height: floor to the tallest point, pallet included.
  3. Weight: the whole handling unit as it ships — cargo, packaging and pallet.
  4. Repeat per pallet and let the calculator pool the totals; carriers rate on combined density, not per-pallet averages.
The boundary trick: class changes at hard density lines (8, 10, 12, 15 lb/ft³…). If the calculator tells you you're 0.3 lb/ft³ from the next class down, shaving two inches of packaging height or consolidating cartons can genuinely cut the rate. That nudge appears automatically under your result.

Why the class matters on your invoice

Class multiplies through your entire LTL rate: base rates are published per class per lane, so a shipment rated 125 instead of 85 can cost 30–50% more before discounts. Misdeclared class is also the #1 cause of reweigh and reclassification fees. Our guide to how class drives LTL pricing shows worked examples — and the 2025 NMFC changes explain why quotes made with old tables now come out wrong.

Questions shippers actually ask

Freight class FAQ

How do I calculate freight class?
Measure each handling unit at its extreme points — length × width × height in inches, including the pallet and any overhang — and multiply the three numbers to get cubic inches. Divide by 1,728 to get cubic feet. Then divide the total weight in pounds by the total cubic feet: that's your density in lb/ft³. Finally, look the density up in the NMFC density table. Example: a 48 × 40 × 48 in pallet is 92,160 in³ = 53.3 ft³; at 500 lb that's 9.38 lb/ft³ → class 100. The calculator above does all of this as you type.
How do I calculate freight class for multiple pallets?
Pool the shipment: add up the cubic feet of every handling unit, add up all the weight, and divide once — total weight ÷ total cubic feet. Don't calculate a class per pallet and average them; carriers rate the shipment on its combined density. Add a row per pallet size above and the calculator pools the math automatically.
What's the difference between freight class and freight density?
Density is the physical measurement — pounds per cubic foot. Freight class is the pricing category (50 through 400 on the current scale) that your density maps to under the NMFC, subject to the commodity's handling, stowability and liability characteristics. Density is the input; class is the output that appears on your bill of lading and drives your LTL rate.
What changed with the NMFC in July 2025?
NMFTA Docket 2025-1 (effective July 19, 2025) moved most commodities without special handling, stowability or liability issues onto a standard 13-tier density scale and simplified item numbering. Classes 500, 200, 150, 110 and 77.5 disappeared from the density scale, and several breakpoints moved — a shipment that rated class 77.5 in June 2025 may rate 85 or 70 today. See our plain-English guide to the 2025 changes.
Is the class from this calculator official?
It's a density-based estimate — the same first-pass math carriers use, but not a tariff ruling. Your commodity's NMFC item number and your carrier's tariff govern the final rated class, and carriers can inspect and reclass shipments. Use the calculator to fill out BOLs sanely and catch misquotes before they become reweigh fees.
Does freight class include the pallet?
Yes. Measure and weigh the handling unit exactly as it ships: pallet, packaging, crating, and any overhang included. If you measured just the cargo, tick “Add pallet to each unit” above and the calculator adds a standard 48 × 40 pallet's 5.5 inches and 40 lb for you.
What freight class is 10 lb/ft³?
Class 92.5 on the current NMFC 2025 scale (10 but less than 12 lb/ft³). Under the legacy 18-class guideline the same density was class 100 — boundary shifts like this are exactly why quotes made with pre-2025 tables come out wrong.

Free quote request

Ship it: get an LTL quote with your numbers attached

Your shipment summary rides along automatically — class, density, cube and weight — so you get an accurate quote the first time, without re-measuring anything.

  • Your calculated class & density are attached to the request
  • One email, no account, no spam — we reply within one business day
  • Works for single pallets through multi-pallet LTL shipments