Freight Class Density Chart
The NMFC density bands from class 50 to class 500, and the class a 48 × 40 × 48 in pallet lands in at weights from 50 to 3,000 lb. Density is the only input for most commodities; stowability, handling and liability move a few of them.
Source data and formula checked · How we check
Freight Class Density Chart reads freight class straight off weight, for 12 values from 50 to 3000. Every row is computed from the same formula the calculator uses, not measured or copied from another table, so a value between two rows can be worked out the same way. The formula is the one published by NMFTA.
Density classes only. An NMFC item number can override this where the commodity is fragile, hazardous or hard to stow.
| Weight (lb) | Freight class | Density |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 500.0 | 0.94 lb/cu ft |
| 100 | 500.0 | 1.88 lb/cu ft |
| 200 | 300.0 | 3.75 lb/cu ft |
| 300 | 200.0 | 5.63 lb/cu ft |
| 400 | 150.0 | 7.5 lb/cu ft |
| 600 | 100.0 | 11.25 lb/cu ft |
| 800 | 70.0 | 15 lb/cu ft |
| 1000 | 70.0 | 18.75 lb/cu ft |
| 1500 | 65.0 | 28.13 lb/cu ft |
| 2000 | 55.0 | 37.5 lb/cu ft |
| 2500 | 55.0 | 46.88 lb/cu ft |
| 3000 | 50.0 | 56.25 lb/cu ft |
Questions people actually ask
- How do I read the Freight Class Density Chart?
- Find your weight in the first column and read across. At 50 lb the freight class is 500.0; at 3000 lb it is 50.0. The table runs from 50 lb to 3000 lb in 12 rows.
- Can I read between two rows?
- Not by splitting the difference. The freight class does not change by the same amount from row to row, so the midpoint of two rows is not the answer for the midpoint of two weight values. Put the exact figure into the calculator instead — it uses the same formula that produced every row here.
- What if my weight is outside the table?
- The chart covers 50 lb to 3000 lb, which is the range people actually look up. Anything above or below goes into the calculator, which takes any figure and shows each step of the working rather than only the result. Open the freight class calculator.
- Where do these numbers come from?
- Every row is computed at build time from the formula published by NMFTA, by the same code behind the calculator — not transcribed from another table, which is how a rounding error in one chart ends up in twenty.
Need a different number?
The chart covers the common values. For anything between the rows, the freight class calculator takes any figure and shows the working.
Source: NMFTA — National Motor Freight Classification, FMCSA — motor carrier regulations