What is freight class? The NMFC class chart and how to determine yours
Freight class sets the base price of every LTL shipment, and it is the number shippers get wrong most often. This guide covers the current density chart, how to work out your class step by step, the commodities that don’t follow the chart, and what happens when a carrier disagrees with you.
Freight class in one paragraph
Freight class is a standardized rating from the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC), the tariff published by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA). It groups commodities into classes between 50 and 500 so every less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier can price them on the same basis. Low classes are dense, sturdy and cheap to move. High classes are light, bulky, fragile or valuable, and they cost more per pound because they fill trailer space without using its weight capacity.
Truckload freight doesn’t use class, because you are buying the whole trailer. LTL does, because you share the trailer with other shippers and the carrier needs a fair way to charge each one for the space and risk it uses. If you are deciding between the two modes, see LTL vs. truckload.
The four things that set a class
The NMFC weighs four transportation characteristics for each commodity:
- Density. Pounds per cubic foot. For most palletized freight this is the deciding factor, and for items rated on the standardized density scale it is the whole story.
- Stowability. How easily the freight loads alongside other freight. Excessive length, odd shapes, freight that can’t be stacked on, and regulated hazardous materials all stow poorly.
- Handling. How much care the freight needs on the dock. Fragile goods and awkward items that need special equipment score worse.
- Liability. Value per pound and how prone the freight is to theft or damage, including damage it could cause to freight around it.
Density gets most of the attention because it is the one factor you can measure yourself with a tape and a scale. The other three are built into the NMFC item for your commodity.
The freight class chart (density scale effective July 19, 2025)
In 2025 the NMFTA moved density-rated commodities onto one standardized 13-tier density scale. The older 18-tier table still posted on many websites, with sub-classes such as 77.5 and 110, no longer applies to those items. This is the current scale:
| Density (lb per cubic foot) | Estimated class |
|---|---|
| 50 and over | Class 50 |
| 35 – under 50 | Class 55 |
| 30 – under 35 | Class 60 |
| 22.5 – under 30 | Class 65 |
| 15 – under 22.5 | Class 70 |
| 12 – under 15 | Class 85 |
| 10 – under 12 | Class 92.5 |
| 8 – under 10 | Class 100 |
| 6 – under 8 | Class 125 |
| 4 – under 6 | Class 175 |
| 2 – under 4 | Class 250 |
| 1 – under 2 | Class 300 |
| Less than 1 | Class 400 |
Read it from the top: the first row whose minimum density your freight meets is its class. Freight at 11 lb per cubic foot doesn’t reach 12 but does reach 10, so it is class 92.5. Freight at exactly 15 is class 70, not 85. The boundaries matter, because a fraction of a pound per cubic foot can move you a full class.
How to determine your freight class, step by step
- Measure every handling unit as it will ship. Include the pallet or skid, packaging and any overhang, at the longest, widest and tallest points. Carriers measure the same way, and most round fractions of an inch up.
- Calculate cubic feet. Length × width × height in inches, divided by 1,728 (the cubic inches in a cubic foot). Repeat for each unit and add them together.
- Weigh the shipment. Use the total weight including pallets and packaging. A scale reading beats a number from a product spec sheet.
- Divide weight by cubic feet. The result is density in pounds per cubic foot.
- Find the density on the chart to get the estimated density-based freight class.
- Check the commodity. Confirm your product is rated by density and not by its own NMFC item with a fixed class (next section). If you aren’t sure, ask before you book.
The freight density calculator does steps 2 through 5 for you, including multi-pallet shipments.
Worked example: one pallet, three builds
Take a standard 48″ × 40″ pallet of boxed product weighing 600 lb, stacked 48″ tall including the pallet.
- Cubic inches: 48 × 40 × 48 = 92,160
- Cubic feet: 92,160 ÷ 1,728 = 53.33
- Density: 600 ÷ 53.33 = 11.25 lb per cubic foot
- Class: 11.25 reaches the 10 minimum but not 12, so class 92.5
Now stack the same 600 lb of product loosely to 60″ tall. Cubic feet become 48 × 40 × 60 ÷ 1,728 = 66.67, density drops to 600 ÷ 66.67 = 9.0, and the class rises to class 100. Nothing about the product changed, only how it was built on the pallet.
Go the other way and cube the product tighter to 40″ tall: 48 × 40 × 40 ÷ 1,728 = 44.44 cubic feet, and 600 ÷ 44.44 = 13.5 lb per cubic foot, which is class 85. That is two class steps away from the loose build on identical freight. Building tight, square pallets is one of the cheapest ways to lower your LTL cost.
Multiple pallets on one shipment
When every piece is the same commodity, add up total weight and total cubic feet and compute one density for the shipment. When a shipment mixes different commodities, each line on the bill of lading is classified on its own, so each needs its own weight, piece count and class. The bill of lading guide shows how to list multiple line items.
Commodity exceptions: when the chart doesn’t apply
The density chart only applies to commodities whose NMFC item says they are rated by density. Many others have an item with a fixed class, or a class that depends on value or packaging, because density alone doesn’t capture how hard they are to move. Situations where the chart can mislead you:
- Fragile or high-value goods. Items with high liability can carry a class well above what their density suggests.
- Freight that can’t be stacked or stowed normally. Long, irregular or crush-sensitive freight may be classed for stowability rather than weight.
- Commodities with their own NMFC item. Some products keep specific classifications that the 2025 changes left in place.
- Hazardous materials. These carry extra handling and paperwork requirements, and some are classed on their own terms.
That is why any class worked out from dimensions and weight is an estimate. The NMFC item for your commodity, which your carrier or broker can look up, decides the final class. When you request a quote on GetLTLRates, an Armstrong specialist verifies the final class before anything ships.
What classes actually ship
Most freight lives in a narrow band of the scale. Here is the class mix across the 97,351 LTL shipments Armstrong arranged from September 2025 – August 2026:
| Freight class | Share of shipments |
|---|---|
| Class 70 | 12% |
| Class 125 | 12% |
| Class 175 | 11% |
| Class 100 | 11% |
| Class 65 | 7% |
| Class 60 | 7% |
| Class 92.5 | 7% |
| Class 250 | 7% |
| All other classes | 26% |
Source: Armstrong Transport Group LTL shipments, September 2025 – August 2026. Class as billed; shares rounded.
Two things stand out. First, general palletized freight clusters in the middle of the scale. Second, a real share ships at the light end, 175 and 250, which is bulky freight such as furniture, fixtures, and foam or plastic products. Those shippers feel class the most, because every step up the ladder raises the rate per pound.
How much class moves your price
Class sets the base rate a carrier starts from, before discounts, fuel and accessorials. To see what that looks like on real invoices, here are all-in rates Armstrong customers paid for shipments of 500 to 999 lb, grouped by class. They include fuel and any accessorials and show the middle 50% of shipments, so treat them as a reference point, not a quote.
| Class group (500–999 lb) | Middle 50% paid | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Class 50–65 (dense) | $215–$405 | $285 |
| Class 70–92.5 | $250–$485 | $350 |
| Class 100–125 | $285–$655 | $400 |
| Class 150+ (light, bulky) | $430–$855 | $610 |
Source: Armstrong Transport Group LTL shipments, September 2025 – August 2026. All lanes and distances combined.
Same weight range, very different money: the lightest, bulkiest group’s median is about double the densest group’s. For how class combines with weight breaks and discounts, read how LTL rates are calculated. For pallet-level ranges, see what it costs to ship a pallet, and for specific corridors browse the lane pages.
When the class is wrong: reweighs and reclasses
LTL carriers run freight across scales and dimensioning equipment at their terminals. When the measured weight or density doesn’t match the bill of lading, the carrier issues a weight and inspection (W&I) correction. The shipment is rebilled at the corrected weight and class, and many carriers add an inspection fee on top. The corrected invoice often arrives after the freight has delivered.
What a reclass typically costs you:
- The difference between the rate for the class you declared and the class the carrier found.
- Fuel surcharge on that difference, because fuel is a percentage of the freight charge.
- An inspection or correction fee, depending on the carrier’s tariff.
- Your time, if the carrier’s measurement is wrong and you have to dispute it.
How to prevent a reclass
- Measure and weigh after the pallet is built and wrapped, not from product specs.
- Use the correct NMFC item for your commodity, not a class that “always worked”.
- Build square, stackable pallets with no overhang. Overhang adds cubic feet you pay for.
- Photograph each pallet next to a tape measure. Photos are your best evidence in a dispute.
How to dispute one
Ask the carrier for the W&I certificate or dimensioner record, compare it with your own measurements and photos, and file within the carrier’s time limit. If the product has a specific NMFC item the carrier ignored, cite it. The accessorial charges guide covers reweigh and inspection fees alongside the other charges that change an invoice after the fact, and the free invoice audit tool flags them for you.
Freight class vs. FAK pricing
If you ship many different products, you may be offered FAK (freight all kinds) pricing, where a carrier agrees to rate a range of classes as one class. A shipper whose freight runs from class 70 to class 125 might negotiate an FAK of class 85 for that range, so the higher-class items are priced as if they were denser. The freight still has its real NMFC class, and that class still goes on the bill of lading. Only the rate changes. The rates guide shows how that plays out on an invoice.
Where density-based pricing is heading
The 2025 NMFC changes moved more commodities onto density, and many carriers already price some freight on the space it takes, with cubic capacity or linear-foot rules for shipments that use a lot of trailer. The practical takeaway is the same either way: accurate dimensions now matter as much as accurate weight. Capture both on every shipment.
Frequently asked questions
What is freight class in simple terms?
Freight class is a number from the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) that tells an LTL carrier how costly your freight is to move. Dense, sturdy, low-value freight gets a low class and a lower rate per pound. Light, bulky, fragile or high-value freight gets a high class and a higher rate per pound.
How many freight classes are there?
The NMFC class ladder runs from class 50 to class 500. For density-based items, the standardized scale that took effect July 19, 2025 uses 13 classes, from 50 at the dense end to 400 at the light end. Some commodities keep their own item-specific class outside that density scale.
How do I determine my freight class?
Measure each handling unit at its longest, widest and tallest points including the pallet, multiply length by width by height in inches and divide by 1,728 to get cubic feet. Divide total weight by total cubic feet to get density in pounds per cubic foot, then find that density on the class chart. Finally, confirm your commodity is actually rated by density and not by its own NMFC item.
What is the most common freight class?
There is no single standard, but in the 97,351 LTL shipments Armstrong arranged from September 2025 – August 2026, the most common were class 70 (12% of shipments), class 125 (12%), class 175 (11%) and class 100 (11%). General palletized goods usually land in the middle of the scale.
What happens if I put the wrong freight class on my bill of lading?
The carrier can inspect the shipment, measure and weigh it, and bill it at the correct class. You pay the difference in freight charges and often an inspection or correction fee on top. The corrected invoice can arrive days or weeks after delivery, which is why it surprises people.
Does a lower freight class always mean a cheaper rate?
Per pound, yes. A lower class carries a lower base rate on the carrier's tariff. But your final price also depends on your discount, the weight break, the lane, fuel and accessorials, so class is one lever among several.
Is freight class the same as FAK?
No. Freight class is set by the NMFC for the commodity. FAK (freight all kinds) is a pricing agreement in which a carrier rates a range of classes as if they were one class. The freight still has its real class on the bill of lading; the FAK only changes the rate applied.
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