🧮 Free tool
Enter your shipment's dimensions and weight; we compute the density and the NMFC density-based freight class, the number LTL carriers use to price your pallet. Free, no signup.
Try the example: a 48 × 48 in pallet, 40 in tall, 500 lbs.
Density-based estimate; commodities with a fixed NMFC listing keep their listed class.
Freight class (NMFC) runs from 50 to 500 and mostly follows density: pounds per cubic foot. Dense freight like bricks classes low (50-60) and ships cheap per pound; light, bulky freight like foam or empty totes classes high (300-500) because it fills the trailer without filling the scale. Some commodities carry a fixed class regardless of density (their NMFC listing overrides the table), but the density method below is the standard starting point and what most carriers apply to general freight.
| Density (lbs per cubic ft) | Freight class |
|---|---|
| 50 or more | 50 |
| 35 to 50 | 55 |
| 30 to 35 | 60 |
| 22.5 to 30 | 65 |
| 15 to 22.5 | 70 |
| 13.5 to 15 | 77.5 |
| 12 to 13.5 | 85 |
| 10.5 to 12 | 92.5 |
| 9 to 10.5 | 100 |
| 8 to 9 | 110 |
| 7 to 8 | 125 |
| 6 to 7 | 150 |
| 5 to 6 | 175 |
| 4 to 5 | 200 |
| 3 to 4 | 250 |
| 2 to 3 | 300 |
| 1 to 2 | 400 |
| Under 1 | 500 |
A worked example. A standard 40" x 48" pallet, 48" tall, weighing 425 lbs, is 53.3 cubic feet at 7.97 lbs per cubic foot: class 125. Add just 1.7 lbs without growing the footprint and it becomes class 110, which most tariffs price meaningfully cheaper. Class boundaries are cliffs, and knowing where you stand before you book is free money.
Reclassification is the expensive surprise. When the class on a quote does not match what the carrier measures at the dock, they rebill at the corrected class and usually add an inspection fee. The shippers who never see those invoices are the ones who measured first. That is the whole reason this page exists.
Use it anywhere. This calculator is free for any shipment on any carrier or pallet program, no account needed. Bookmark it, share it with your warehouse team, put the number on every BOL you write.
Packing tips from the dock. Use the smallest pallet that safely fits your items, because the math starts at length times width times height and empty footprint raises your class. Stacking more onto one skid usually beats splitting into two, since each extra pallet adds its own 6 to 8 inches of height. And if nothing may be stacked on top, use do-not-stack labels or cones and note it; some carriers count cone height in the density, so ask first.
Freight class is a number from 50 to 500 that LTL carriers use to price shipments, published in the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC). Lower classes are denser, easier freight and cost less per pound; higher classes are light, bulky or delicate freight that fills a trailer without filling the scale.
For most general freight, class follows density: total weight in pounds divided by total cubic feet. Cubic feet is length x width x height in inches, divided by 1,728, times the number of pieces. The result maps to a class on the standard density table, for example 7 to 8 lbs per cubic foot is class 125.
Yes, it is completely free and needs no signup. Use it for any pallet, crate or shipment on any carrier or pallet system, whether or not you ship with LoadLoom.
Class drives your LTL rate. Getting it wrong triggers a reclassification: the carrier reweighs and remeasures at the dock, rebills you at the correct class, and often adds an inspection fee. Quoting with the right class up front is the difference between the price you expected and a surprise invoice.
Some commodities carry a permanent class in the NMFC regardless of density, for example certain machinery or auto parts. For those items the listed class wins. This calculator gives the density-based estimate that applies to most general freight; when in doubt, ask us and we will look at your commodity.
Increase density: use the smallest pallet that safely fits, cube out the height by stacking one skid rather than splitting into two, and avoid empty footprint. The calculator's analysis tells you exactly how many pounds or inches separate you from the next better class.
LoadLoom prices LTL from your real dimensions and weight, so you never argue about a reclassification bill. The class number still matters when comparing quotes elsewhere, and your BOL should carry the right class either way.
LoadLoom prices LTL from your real dimensions and weight, so you never argue with a reclassification bill. Quote your pallet in 60 seconds, locked for 30 days.
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