This is a density-based estimate. The final NMFC code also depends on stowability, handling, and liability — we confirm it on your quote.

Simplify your shipping process

Freight class is the one number that confuses shippers most and costs them most when it’s wrong. This tool turns the inputs you already have — your shipment’s dimensions and weight — into an estimated class in seconds, so you can quote with confidence and head off the dreaded carrier reweigh-and-reclass. Below, here’s what freight classes are, how to identify the right one, and why they matter so much to your LTL bill.

What are NMFC freight codes?

The National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) is the standardized system North American LTL carriers use to classify every commodity they haul. Each commodity has an NMFC item number and an assigned freight class — one of 18 classes from 50 (dense, durable, easy to handle) up to 500 (light, bulky, fragile, or high-value). The NMFC, published by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, gives shippers and carriers a common language so a given shipment is priced consistently from one carrier to the next.

What are freight classes?

A freight class is a rating of how difficult and how space-consuming a shipment is to transport, based on four characteristics: density (weight per cubic foot), stowability (how well it loads with other freight), handling (how much care it needs), and liability (its value and its risk of damage, theft, or causing damage). Density is the dominant factor and the only one a calculator can compute — which is why this estimator, and the carriers’ own density-based provisions, start there. Higher density means a lower class; lower density means a higher class.

Identifying the correct freight class

Start with density: run your dimensions and weight through the estimator above to land in a density band. For many commodities that density-based class is the class you ship at. But some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class regardless of density, and stowability, handling, and liability can move the class up. That’s why this tool is an estimate — a fast, accurate starting point, not the final item code. Measure to the outermost points of the freight (pallet and overhang included), weigh it accurately, and when in doubt, give us the commodity and we’ll classify it against the NMFC for you.

The importance of freight class in LTL pricing

Class is a primary input to every LTL quote, alongside weight, the origin and destination ZIP codes, and any accessorials. Get it right and your quoted rate is the rate you pay. Get it wrong — undersize the dimensions, guess low on the class — and the carrier reweighs and reclasses your freight in transit, then bills the difference, often with an inspection fee on top. An accurate class up front protects your budget and your margins. Estimate it here, learn how density drives it, and when you’re ready, send us the lane for a real LTL quote we stand behind.

Reference

The 18 density-based freight class bands

Class	Density range
Class 50	50 lb/ft³ and above
Class 55	35 – 49.99 lb/ft³
Class 60	30 – 34.99 lb/ft³
Class 65	22.5 – 29.99 lb/ft³
Class 70	15 – 22.49 lb/ft³
Class 77.5	13.5 – 14.99 lb/ft³
Class 85	12 – 13.49 lb/ft³
Class 92.5	10.5 – 11.99 lb/ft³
Class 100	9 – 10.49 lb/ft³
Class 110	8 – 8.99 lb/ft³
Class 125	7 – 7.99 lb/ft³
Class 150	6 – 6.99 lb/ft³
Class 175	5 – 5.99 lb/ft³
Class 200	4 – 4.99 lb/ft³
Class 250	3 – 3.99 lb/ft³
Class 300	2 – 2.99 lb/ft³
Class 400	1 – 1.99 lb/ft³
Class 500	Less than 1 lb/ft³

Got your class? Let’s price the lane.

Send us the dimensions, weight, commodity, and where it’s going — a real person confirms the NMFC class, prices it against 34,000+ carriers, and follows the load to the dock.

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Freight class lookup