Freight Class Calculator
With length 48 inch, width 40 inch, height 48 inch, weight 600 lb and 1 more field, freight class comes to 100.0 — freight class. It is reached in 5 steps, the last of which is class_for_density, and each one is printed on the page with its numbers filled in. The formula is the one published by NMFTA, not an approximation fitted to it.
Freight density in pounds per cubic foot and the NMFC class band it falls in, which is what an LTL quote is priced from.
Formula and sources checked · How we check
Length 48 inch, Width 40 inch, Height 48 inch, Weight 600 lb
100.0
Freight class for the example below. Editing a field recomputes the calculator below; this figure holds the answer the page was loaded with.
It is written into the HTML rather than drawn by a script, so a search engine reading this page without running JavaScript still finds an answer.
- Volume
(92160 / 1728) * 153.333 cu ft- Total weight
600 * 1600 lb- Density
600 / 53.33333311.25 lb/cu ft- NMFC density class
100 class- Dimensional weight at 250 lb/cu yd
53.333333 * 9.26493.867 lb
Ask about this in the chatFreight Class Density Chart
Worked example
A 48 × 40 × 48 in pallet is 53.33 cubic feet. At 600 lb that is 11.25 lb per cubic foot, which falls in the 10.5–12 band: class 100. Adding 120 lb without changing the pallet takes it to exactly 13.5 lb/cu ft and class 85 — two bands cheaper for a heavier shipment, which is the part that surprises people.
How to work it out yourself
- 1.Measure the pallet at its largest, including overhang and the pallet itself. Carriers measure what has to fit on the trailer, not what is on the invoice.
- 2.Multiply the three dimensions in inches and divide by 1,728 for cubic feet.
- 3.Divide the total weight, pallet included, by that volume. The answer is pounds per cubic foot.
- 4.Read the class off the density bands — 50 lb/cu ft or denser is class 50, under 1 lb/cu ft is class 500.
Class for a 48 × 40 × 48 in pallet by weight
| Weight (lb) | Freight class | Density |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 500.0 | 1.88 lb/cu ft |
| 300 | 200.0 | 5.63 lb/cu ft |
| 600 | 100.0 | 11.25 lb/cu ft |
| 1200 | 65.0 | 22.5 lb/cu ft |
| 2000 | 55.0 | 37.5 lb/cu ft |
| 3000 | 50.0 | 56.25 lb/cu ft |
Weight in pounds on a fixed 53.33 cu ft pallet. Denser freight travels in a lower class, and a lower class costs less per pound.
The formula
- Volume
(92160 / 1728) * 1 - Total weight
600 * 1 - Density
600 / 53.333333 - NMFC density class
- Dimensional weight at 250 lb/cu yd
53.333333 * 9.26
Source: NMFTA — National Motor Freight Classification, FMCSA — motor carrier regulations
Questions people actually ask
- How do you calculate freight class?
- Density decides it for most commodities: total weight divided by total cubic feet, then read off the NMFC bands. 50 lb per cubic foot or more is class 50; under 1 lb per cubic foot is class 500. Eighteen bands sit between them, and each step up roughly raises the rate.
- Why does a heavier pallet sometimes cost less?
- Because the trailer sells space, not weight. A carrier fitting 26 pallets in a trailer earns whatever those 26 pay — so light bulky freight, which fills the trailer without paying much, is priced into a higher class. Adding weight to the same pallet raises the density, lowers the class and can genuinely lower the bill.
- Is density the only thing that sets the class?
- No. The NMFC weighs four characteristics: density, stowability, handling and liability. Density governs the majority of items, which is what this calculates, but a fragile, hazardous or awkwardly shaped commodity carries an assigned NMFC item number that overrides the density band. Check the item number for anything unusual.
- Do I measure the pallet or the goods?
- The pallet, at its largest point, including overhang and the pallet itself, and floor to top for the height. Carriers re-measure at the terminal and reclass on what they find. A shipment that overhangs by two inches on each side is measured at the overhang, and the reclass charge usually exceeds what the honest quote would have been.
Related
- CBM CalculatorCubic meters of a shipment, and the chargeable weight that follows from it — the larger of actual and volumetric, which is what you pay on.
- Material Weight CalculatorWhat a volume of gravel, sand, topsoil or mulch weighs, and what a weight takes up, so tons quoted by a supplier can be checked against yards measured on site.
- Salary CalculatorPay converted between every period — hourly, daily, weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly and annual — with unpaid holidays and days off taken out.
- Tip CalculatorTip and total from a bill, and what each person owes once it is split — including the rounding that makes the split come out even.
- Fuel Cost CalculatorWhat a trip costs in fuel, from its distance, the mileage the vehicle really gets and the pump price — with the cost per mile to compare on.
- Gas Mileage CalculatorMiles per gallon from a tank of fuel and the miles it covered, with the liters-per-100-km figure and the cost per mile it works out to.
Put this calculator on your site
Free, no attribution required beyond the link.
<iframe src="https://rulecalculators.com/embed/freight-class" width="100%" height="420" style="border:1px solid #e7e4de;border-radius:12px" title="Freight Class Calculator"></iframe>