Freight Class Calculator

LTL carriers price freight by class: lower classes generally have lower base rates, although minimum charges and contracts also matter. For a growing number of commodities the class is set by density — how many pounds the shipment weighs per cubic foot. This calculator measures the density of a pallet or crate and looks it up on the 13-step density scale the NMFC has used since July 2025, then shows how much heavier or shorter the load would need to be to drop a class.

How to use this tool

1. Choose inches and pounds or centimetres and kilograms.
2. Enter the outside length, width and height of one handling unit, including the pallet.
3. Enter the weight of one unit, pallet included, and the number of identical units.
4. Read the density and class, and the change needed to reach the next lower class.

Formula

Cubic feet = L × W × H (in) ÷ 1,728

Density = Weight (lb) ÷ Cubic feet

Class = the band on the density scale that the density falls into

The scale runs from class 400 for freight under 1 lb/ft³ down to class 50 at 50 lb/ft³ or more. Each band includes its lower limit, so exactly 15 lb/ft³ is class 70 while 14.9 lb/ft³ is class 85.

Example

A standard 48 × 40 in pallet stacked to 48 in high takes up 92,160 cubic inches, or 53.33 cubic feet. At 500 lb its density is 500 ÷ 53.33 = 9.38 lb/ft³, which falls in the 8-to-under-10 band: class 100. Reaching 10 lb/ft³ (class 92.5) would take about 33 lb more, or cutting the height to 45 in.