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Enter pallet or carton dimensions and weight; get the current NMFC freight class, the density it comes from, and how far you are from the next cheaper class. Free, no signup.
Outer dimensions as loaded — include the pallet and all packaging. Carriers measure this way, so your class has to be calculated this way too.
This is the standard scale adopted by the Freight Classification Development Council in Docket 2025-1 and effective 19 July 2025, verified against the NMFTA disposition bulletin on 2026-09-28. Density is pounds per cubic foot of the outer shipment volume.
| Sub | Class | Density (lb/ft³) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | 50 | ≥ 50 |
| 12 | 55 | 35 – 50 |
| 11 | 60 | 30 – 35 |
| 10 | 65 | 22.5 – 30 |
| 9 | 70 | 15 – 22.5 |
| 8 | 85 | 12 – 15 |
| 7 | 92.5 | 10 – 12 |
| 6 | 100 | 8 – 10 |
| 5 | 125 | 6 – 8 |
| 4 | 175 | 4 – 6 |
| 3 | 250 | 2 – 4 |
| 2 | 300 | 1 – 2 |
| 1 | 400 | 0 – 1 |
Each band is inclusive at the bottom and exclusive at the top — the NMFC wording is “but less than”. A shipment at exactly 15.0 PCF is Class 70, not Class 85.
If the chart you are comparing against runs from Class 50 up to Class 500 with 18 rows, it describes the arrangement before 19 July 2025. That is the single most common error in freight class calculators today, and it is not a rounding difference — it puts shipments in classes that no longer exist on the density scale.
This tool applies the standard density scale only. It does not look up commodity-specific NMFC item numbers, and it is not a rate quote.
Class is what the carrier multiplies against your hundredweight. The gap between adjacent classes is not linear: the difference between a declared Class 70 and a corrected Class 150 can move the rate on a lane by fifty percent or more, and reclassification is applied after the fact, on an invoice you did not quote against. Getting the class right at booking is cheaper than disputing it after delivery.
Everything computes locally in your browser. No upload, no account — the density scale is a published rule, not a rate card.
Freight class for LTL shipments is determined primarily by density, measured in pounds per cubic foot. Density equals total weight in pounds divided by total volume in cubic feet, using the outer dimensions of the shipment including pallet and packaging. The current NMFC density scale has 13 subprovisions, effective 19 July 2025 under Docket 2025-1.
No. Charts listing 18 classes from 50 to 500 describe the pre-2025 arrangement. Since 19 July 2025 the standard NMFC density scale uses 13 subprovisions and tops out at Class 400. Classes 77.5, 110, 150, 200 and 500 remain valid in the NMFC but can no longer be reached through the density scale; they are assigned only for handling, stowability or liability reasons.
Yes. Carriers measure the outer dimensions of the shipment as loaded, so the pallet and all packaging must be included. Forgetting the pallet in the height measurement is the most common error and it raises density, which produces a class that is too low and leads to reclassification charges.
Each band is inclusive at the bottom and exclusive at the top, following the NMFC wording but less than. A shipment at exactly 15.0 PCF falls in Sub 9 and is Class 70, not Class 85.
Class 50, the bottom of the density scale, reached at 50 pounds per cubic foot or more. Getting there is a packing problem rather than a paperwork one: class falls as density rises, so a smaller carton or a fuller pallet does more for your rate than anything you can write on the bill of lading.
Because the class you declare is not the class you are finally billed on. The carrier measures and weighs the shipment at the terminal, and if the density or the commodity differs from what you declared the freight is reclassified, the bill is adjusted, and an extra fee is sometimes added. Declaring conservative outer dimensions, pallet and wrap included, is the cheapest insurance available.
No. Freight class is a United States domestic LTL concept built on the NMFC. International air and sea freight do not use it: air and express bill on chargeable weight in kilograms, and sea bills on revenue tons, the greater of cubic metres and metric tonnes. Importing into the United States, class only starts to matter once the shipment is broken up for inland LTL delivery.