Working tool

Freight class calculator: dimensions in, class out

Type the packed dimensions and the total weight and this page returns cubic feet, density in pounds per cubic foot, and the class band that density falls into. It runs in your browser, sends nothing anywhere, and uses a density scale published by a national LTL carrier rather than a number we made up.

Runs in the browserPublished bandsThree worked examples

Jump to the calculator

Weight over volume

Class starts as one division: pounds divided by cubic feet. Everything else is refinement.

The calculator

Measure the load as it will be handed over, pallet and wrap included, and give the gross weight for all pieces together. Length times width times height divided by 1,728 gives cubic feet; weight divided by cubic feet gives density.

Length (in)

Width (in)

Height (in)

Pieces

Total weight (lb)

The bands it reads from

Thirteen density bands, published on the density calculator page of a national LTL carrier and checked 2026-07-28. Read down the table and the pattern is plain: pack more weight into the same trailer space and the class number falls with it.

Density-to-class bands published at estes-express.com, checked 2026-07-28.
Density, lb per cubic foot	Class	Typical freight in this band
50 or greater	50	Metal stock, castings, dense stone
35 but less than 50	55	Bricks, cement, hardwood flooring
30 but less than 35	60	Boxed vehicle parts
22.5 but less than 30	65	Bottled drinks, canned goods, books
15 but less than 22.5	70	Boxed hardware, small engines
12 but less than 15	85	Crated machinery, tools
10 but less than 12	92.5	Mixed cartons on a pallet
8 but less than 10	100	Boxed appliances, canvas goods
6 but less than 8	125	Small household appliances
4 but less than 6	175	Clothing, assembled furniture
2 but less than 4	250	Bulky light goods, mattresses
1 but less than 2	300	Wood cabinets, tables and chairs
Less than 1	400	Very light bulky items

The examples in the third column are the sort of goods that commonly land in each band; they are guidance for reading the table, not classifications. What governs on an invoice is the item number the classification assigns to your specific commodity.

Three worked examples

Run these through the tool above to check it against your own arithmetic. Each one uses a shipment profile we have actually quoted or measured, and the density figures are plain division from the dimensions and weights shown.

Worked density examples using shipment profiles quoted Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303 on 2026-07-28.
Shipment	Cubic feet	Density	Class band
48 x 40 x 48 in pallet, 500 lb	53.33	9.38 lb per cu ft	100
48 x 40 x 48 in pallet, 700 lb	53.33	13.13 lb per cu ft	85
30 x 24 x 24 in carton, 150 lb	10.00	15.00 lb per cu ft	70

The first two rows are the whole argument for packing tight. Same footprint, same trailer space, two hundred more pounds, and the class drops a band because the trailer is doing more work for the same volume. The third row is the shipment that our parcel calculator declined on 2026-07-28, returning no rates and opening a commercial freight review instead.

Take your class into a freight review

What density alone will not tell you

Three other characteristics are in play

Density is one of four transportation characteristics in the classification. The others are handling, stowability and liability, defined by the classification authority as how easy the freight is to move across a dock and into or out of a trailer, how effectively it can be stowed in a trailer for transport, and how likely it is to cause damage or be damaged, per nmfta.org, checked 2026-07-28. Fragile, hazardous or awkwardly shaped goods can class above what their density alone suggests.

Your commodity may have its own number

Many commodities carry a specific item number in the classification, and where one exists it governs regardless of what a density calculator says. Treat a density-derived class as the opening position in a quote, and expect the carrier to confirm it against the item that actually applies.

Carriers check the numbers themselves

Terminals reweigh and remeasure freight, and a carrier lists reweighed freight among its published charges. A shipment quoted at a class it does not merit gets corrected after the fact, which is why measuring the wrapped load rather than the bare cartons is worth the extra minute.

Where this fits with what we sell

This tool is here because knowing your class before you ask for a freight price makes the conversation shorter and the number better. We sell US domestic parcel labels directly, and we take LTL requests through a review with a person; we do not run trucks or terminals, we do not sell full truckload, and we do not handle freight leaving the country.

Read the LTL explainer Price a smaller load as a parcel instead See what else moves the price

Freight class questions

How do I calculate freight class?

Multiply length by width by height in inches, divide by 1,728 for cubic feet, then divide the total weight in pounds by that figure to get density. Read the density against the published bands: 8 to 10 lb per cubic foot is class 100, 12 to 15 is class 85, and so on down to class 50 at 50 lb per cubic foot or greater.

What class is a 500 lb pallet?

It depends on the size. A 48 x 40 x 48 in pallet is 53.33 cubic feet, so 500 lb works out at 9.38 lb per cubic foot, which sits in the 8 to 10 band at class 100. Add 200 lb without changing the footprint and density rises to 13.13, moving it to class 85.

Is density the only thing that sets freight class?

No. Handling, stowability and liability sit alongside it, and many commodities carry their own item number in the classification that governs whatever the density works out to. A density calculation is the right opening figure, not the final one.

What is an NMFC code?

It is the item number the national classification assigns to a particular commodity, which tells a carrier how that specific thing is classed. Where an item number applies it overrides a density-only estimate, so a carrier will normally confirm the code as part of quoting.