If you ship LTL, freight class is the single biggest lever on your rate — and the single most common source of surprise charges. Get the class right and your quotes hold. Get it wrong and the carrier reclassifies your shipment, the invoice jumps, and you’re disputing a bill instead of running your business.
Here’s how freight class works, a working chart of the 18 classes, and what changed now that the NMFC system has gone density-first.
What Is Freight Class?
Freight class is a standardized rating from the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) system that tells LTL carriers how difficult — and how expensive — your freight is to handle. Classes run from 50 to 500: the lower the class, the denser and easier the freight, and the cheaper it is to move per hundred pounds.
Historically, class was set by four characteristics: density, stowability, handling, and liability. Following the NMFTA’s 2025 reclassification overhaul, most commodities are now classed primarily on density alone, with the other three factors applied only when freight has special handling, stowability, or liability issues. For most shippers, that means one thing: measure and weigh accurately, because density is now almost everything.
Freight Class Chart (Density-Based)
Density = weight (lbs) ÷ cubic feet (L × W × H in inches ÷ 1,728). Include the pallet in both numbers. The current density scale maps roughly as follows:
- Class 50 — 50+ lbs/cu ft (dense machinery, bagged grain)
- Class 55 — 35–50 (bricks, cement, hardwood flooring)
- Class 60 — 30–35 (car parts, bottled beverages)
- Class 65 — 22.5–30 (boxed books, canned goods)
- Class 70 — 15–22.5 (food items, auto engines)
- Class 77.5 — 13.5–15 (tires, bathroom fixtures)
- Class 85 — 12–13.5 (crated machinery, cast iron)
- Class 92.5 — 10.5–12 (computers, refrigerators)
- Class 100 — 9–10.5 (boat covers, wine cases)
- Class 110 — 8–9 (cabinets, framed art)
- Class 125 — 7–8 (small appliances)
- Class 150 — 6–7 (ATVs, bookcases)
- Class 175 — 5–6 (clothing, couches)
- Class 200 — 4–5 (mattresses, aluminum tables)
- Class 250 — 3–4 (TVs, plasma screens)
- Class 300 — 2–3 (wood cabinets, chairs)
- Class 400 — 1–2 (deer antlers, very light bulky goods)
- Class 500 — under 1 (ping pong balls, bags of chips)
Ranges are approximate — always confirm the specific NMFC item number for your commodity, since special handling, stowability, or liability rules can still override pure density.
Why Freight Class Matters So Much
Class multiplies directly into your rate. The same 1,000-lb shipment quoted at class 70 versus class 175 can differ by 50% or more. And carriers verify: modern LTL terminals run shipments across dimensioners that measure and weigh every pallet automatically. If your BOL says class 70 and the dimensioner says class 125, you get a reclassification — billed at the higher class, often with an inspection fee on top.
Five Ways Shippers Get Freight Class Wrong
- Guessing dimensions. Rounding 49 inches down to 48 changes cube, density, and possibly class. Measure the finished pallet, overhang included.
- Forgetting pallet weight. A 40-lb pallet is part of the shipment’s weight and height.
- Using an old class after the 2025 changes. Thousands of NMFC items moved to density scales. The class you’ve used for years may no longer exist.
- Copying a competitor’s class. Their packaging density isn’t yours.
- Not re-checking after packaging changes. New box sizes or lighter dunnage change density — and your class.
Freight Class vs. FCL/LCL and Full Truckload
Freight class applies to LTL, where your pallets share a trailer with other shippers’ freight. Full truckload pricing ignores class entirely, and ocean freight uses different logic altogether — if you’re weighing container options, see our breakdown of FCL vs. LCL shipping in 2026. Sometimes the right answer to a freight class headache is consolidating LTL into truckload — a good partner will run that math with you, and our checklist on questions to ask before hiring a freight carrier covers how to pressure-test that advice.
The Bottom Line
Freight class is density math with consequences. Weigh and measure every pallet, verify the NMFC item after the 2025 density overhaul, and put accurate numbers on the BOL — dimensioners will check your work either way. Do that consistently and reclassification fees disappear from your invoices.
Want more shipper-side freight education without the jargon? Subscribe to The Freight Guru podcast. And if you need LTL, warehousing, or drayage in South Florida, our family at Go Freight quotes it straight.
