How to calculate freight class in 2026 with the NMFC density scale

Summary

Freight class is a number from 50 to 500 that the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) gives a commodity shipped as US less-than-truckload (LTL) freight. To calculate freight class for a density-rated item, divide the weight in pounds by the volume in cubic feet and read the class off the NMFC density scale. Since July 19, 2025 that scale has 13 bands, from class 400 below 1 pound per cubic foot to class 50 at 50 pounds or more, and over 2,000 more items moved onto it. Items with handling, stowability or liability issues are not rated on density alone.

A lot of freight class charts online were made before the NMFTA rewrote the classification in 2025. Some stop at class 60 for dense freight, and older guides still give a fixed class per product. When the class on your bill of lading comes from an outdated chart, a carrier that remeasures the pallet bills the class its own numbers give.

The calculation needs a tape, a scale and a few minutes. Whether the class holds depends on the measurement, because the NMFTA uses the greatest dimensions of the handling unit, pallet and overhang included. In a worked example with a 48 x 40 inch pallet, 1 inch of overhang on each side moves the pallet into the next band.

What is freight class?

Freight class is a standard price tier for LTL freight in the US. The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) publishes the NMFC, and each commodity in it gets a freight class from 50 to 500. The NMFTA's rule of thumb is that freight which is denser and easier to move gets a lower class and costs less.

The class rests on four characteristics. Density is how heavy the freight is for the space it takes up. Handling is how easy it is to move across a dock and into or out of a trailer, and stowability is how well it can be stowed in a trailer for transport. Liability is how likely the freight is to be damaged or to damage something else. A pallet of square, dense cartons scores well on all four.

The NMFC item number and the freight class are two different numbers. The item number identifies the commodity and points either to a fixed class or to a density scale split into subprovisions, usually called subs. The class is the result, and both go on the bill of lading.

Freight class applies to LTL freight. Parcel carriers use dimensional weight instead, which divides the package volume by a carrier divisor and has no class at all.

What changed in the NMFC on July 19, 2025

NMFC Docket 2025-1 took effect on July 19, 2025. Ahead of the date, the NMFTA listed the changes for shippers: over 2,000 items moved to full density-based classification, the 11-sub density scale was replaced by a 13-sub scale, many generic NMFC headings were consolidated, and items with unique handling, stowability and liability considerations are now clearly marked.

Freight class chart: the NMFC density scale since July 2025

The new scale adds two classes at the dense end. The NMFTA amended the eleventh band and added two more, as set out in its disposition bulletin for Docket 2025-1. Under the old scale, everything at 30 pounds per cubic foot (pcf) or more was class 60. Now 30 to 35 pcf is class 60, 35 to 50 pcf is class 55 and 50 pcf or more is class 50.

Dense freight gains the most from the change. A pallet at 45 pcf on a density-rated item was class 60 on the old scale and is class 55 on the new one. The first ten bands did not move, so the 1.88 pcf pallet in the class 300 example is class 300 on either scale.

More products now depend on their dimensions. Once an item moves to the density scale it no longer has a single class. Its class follows how it is packed and palletized, which makes the length, width, height and weight on the bill of lading count for many more shipments than before.

The NMFTA keeps adding items to the 13-sub scale in later dockets. Docket 2026-2 proposes cancelling more groups of items and folding them into single entries on that scale, with an effective date of December 12, 2026. For the 2025 change, the NMFTA advised shippers to review their most commonly shipped LTL items.

How to calculate freight class, step by step

For an item on the density scale, freight class comes from four measurements and one lookup: length, width, height, weight, and the band they fall in. The steps follow the NMFTA's explanation of the density of a handling unit.

1. Find the NMFC item for your product, in the NMFTA's ClassIT+ tool or through your carrier, and check whether it uses the density scale or carries a fixed class.
2. Measure the handling unit, meaning the pallet, skid or crate as you hand it to the carrier, at its greatest length, width and height in inches. Include all projections, such as overhang and the pallet itself.
3. Multiply the three dimensions and divide the result by 1,728 to get cubic feet.
4. Weigh the whole unit as tendered, pallet and packaging included, and divide the weight in pounds by the cubic feet. The result is the density in pounds per cubic foot.
5. Find that density on the scale. The class next to it goes on the bill of lading with the NMFC item number.

To determine freight class for an item that is not on the density scale, the NMFC item gives the class directly and steps 2 to 5 do not change it. The dimensions and weight still go on the bill of lading.

Worked example: one pallet, two classes

The same pallet can come out in two classes depending on where the tape goes. Take a 48 x 40 inch pallet of cartons, 56 inches tall from the floor and 980 pounds with the pallet. The cartons hang over the edge by 1 inch on every side, so at its widest the load measures 50 x 42 inches.

Measured on the base, the pallet is class 70. Measured the way the NMFTA describes, it is class 85. The overhang adds less than 10% to the volume, yet it pushes the density under 15 pcf, the line between the two bands. A carrier that remeasures this pallet bills class 85, and often adds a fee on top, as our guide to weight and inspection surcharges explains.

Our guide on how to measure a pallet covers where the tape goes for overhang, stretch wrap and height.

Freight class 55 and freight class 300 in numbers

Class 55 is dense freight, from 35 to under 50 pounds per cubic foot. A 48 x 40 x 30 inch pallet weighing 1,500 pounds is 33.33 cubic feet and 45 pcf, so it is class 55. Before July 19, 2025 the same pallet on a density-rated item would have been class 60, because the old scale stopped there.

Class 300 sits at the light end, from 1 to under 2 pounds per cubic foot. A 48 x 40 x 72 inch pallet weighing 150 pounds is 80 cubic feet and 1.88 pcf, which puts it in class 300. Only freight under 1 pcf rates higher, at class 400.

When freight class depends on more than density

Density decides the class only for items the NMFC puts on a density scale. Items with handling, stowability or liability concerns are marked in the NMFC and are not rated on density alone. A product that is fragile, awkward to load or easy to damage can sit in a higher class than its weight per cubic foot would give.

The NMFC is a voluntary standard. The NMFTA describes it as the standard for carriers, 3PLs and shippers to use when they assign a class, but your carrier's tariff and your contract decide how that class becomes a price.

Some carriers price LTL freight without a class. TForce Freight sells density-based rating, which prices a shipment on its dimensions and weight and, in the carrier's words, eliminates the need for freight classification. With density rating the measurement goes straight into the price, so it has to be right.

Mixed pallets follow their own rules. When one handling unit holds several commodities, the NMFC sets out how to classify it, and Docket 2026-2 proposes new rules for mixed shipments under Item 640.

UPS freight class: how UPS and TForce Freight use it

UPS asks for a freight class on its UPS Ground with Freight Pricing service. UPS describes the service as an LTL shipping solution for multi-package shipments over 150 pounds. The shipment totals 150 to 1,000 pounds, with at least four packages of 10 to 50 pounds each, and it does not need a pallet.

When you set up the shipment, UPS asks for your freight class number. UPS lists shipment weight, dimensions, density and handling requirements as the factors that determine it, and its FAQ says the classification is applied automatically during setup. The weight and dimensions you enter drive that class, so they have to be right.

UPS's former LTL carrier now runs as TForce Freight. UPS sold UPS Freight to TFI International in 2021, and the business operates under the TForce Freight name. Its density calculator works the same way as the NMFTA method. You measure the handling unit in inches at its greatest distance, the pallet dimensions count when the pallet is larger than the freight, and the weight includes packaging and pallet.

Getting the dimensions right at the dock

Every step of the freight class calculation depends on two figures taken at the dock: the dimensions and the weight. A carrier that remeasures the freight bills on its own numbers, and our article on the consequences of incorrect freight measurements covers the delays and fees that follow.

Many measuring errors start between the tape and the system. Someone writes the dimensions on paper and types them in later. Length gets swapped with width, the overhang gets left off, and afterwards nobody can tell which pallet the numbers belonged to.

Flux measures a pallet with a phone or tablet and stores the dimensions with photos of the load. It runs on an iPhone 13 Pro or newer Pro model, or an iPad Pro from 2020 or later, using the LiDAR sensor. In pallet mode the operator scans from at least two sides to capture the full stack height, and with a preset for a standard base only the height needs measuring. You can watch how Flux measures pallet dimensions with and without a preset.

A stacked pallet on the floor takes one short scan. The operator scans the pallet barcode, aims the device at the shortest edge, and Flux captures the footprint and load height live. After a confirm and a photo, the pallet record is done. Our knowledge base article on how Flux measures a stacked pallet on the floor goes through each step, and this video shows the scan.

Flux captures the dimensions, and the weight can go into the same record. Flux reads the weight off the scale display with the camera, so dimensions, weight and photos sit together and can be exported or sent to your WMS, TMS or ERP. With the measurements and the weight in one record, density is a single division and the class a lookup on the NMFC density scale, all from data you can show a carrier.

One US shipper keeps proof of pallet dimensions with Flux. When a carrier questions a pallet, the measurement and the photos are already on file. Flux is not certified for legal-for-trade measurement, so lanes that require certified equipment still need it. For a comparison of tape, static dimensioners and mobile devices on pallets, see our guide to mobile pallet dimensioning.