US LTL / DENSITY AND CLASS
Freight class
calculator
Enter the size and weight of each pallet or piece to get its density in lb/ft³ and the estimated class on the NMFC density scale in force since July 2025.
ESTIMATED DENSITY CLASS
7.97 lb/ft³ on the density scale. An estimate, not the NMFC item for your commodity.
- Cube
- 53.33 ft³
- Cube in metric
- 1.510 m³
- Weight
- 425.00 lb · 192.78 kg
- Density
- 7.97 lb/ft³
The next band starts at 8 lb/ft³ (class 100): 1.7 lb more, or 0.2 in less height, at this size and weight. A carrier that reweighs and re-measures goes by what it finds.
Density is one of four characteristics. Commodities with handling, stowability or liability concerns can carry a different class, so confirm the NMFC item before you book.
How density becomes a class
Cube (ft³) = length × width × height in inches ÷ 1,728 × pieces
Density (lb/ft³) = total weight in lb ÷ cube
Take a 48 × 40 in pallet, 48 in high with the pallet included, weighing 425 lb. 48 × 40 × 48 ÷ 1,728 = 53.33 ft³, and 425 ÷ 53.33 = 7.97 lb/ft³. That is the band from 6 to under 8, so class 125 on the scale below. At 8 lb/ft³ it would be class 100, which at this size is 426.7 lb, only 1.7 lb away. When a figure sits this close to a line, measure and weigh again before you rely on it.
The density scale since July 2025
NMFC Docket 2025-1 took effect on 19 July 2025. It replaced the 11-band scale with 13 bands, with classes 55 and 50 for the densest freight (NMFTA). The table is as FedEx Freight publishes it. The row for your result is marked.
| Sub | Density range | Class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Less than 1 | 400 |
| 2 | 1 but less than 2 | 300 |
| 3 | 2 but less than 4 | 250 |
| 4 | 4 but less than 6 | 175 |
| 5 | 6 but less than 8 | 125 |
| 6 | 8 but less than 10 | 100 |
| 7 | 10 but less than 12 | 92.5 |
| 8 | 12 but less than 15 | 85 |
| 9 | 15 but less than 22.5 | 70 |
| 10 | 22.5 but less than 30 | 65 |
| 11 | 30 but less than 35 | 60 |
| 12 | 35 but less than 50 | 55 |
| 13 | 50 or more | 50 |
Classes such as 110 and 150 are not on this scale, so a density calculator that returns them is not using this table. FedEx Freight counts 18 classes in all, numbered 50 to 500, against the 13 on this table.
When the estimate is not the class
FedEx Freight says the actual class rests on the commodity's demonstrated characteristics: density, stowability, handling and liability. So this page answers one question, what the density scale says; the class on the bill can differ.
Items with different classes on the same pallet default to the highest of them. FedEx Freight's example: class 60 car accessories with class 100 car covers ship as class 100. With several lines, this calculator shows each line's class, the highest of them and the whole shipment's density.
Estes says it may reweigh and re-dimension freight to verify density after pickup, and asks that a palletized shipment's height include the pallet. Its cylinder calculator asks for the height or length, the weight and the greatest dimension; here, enter the greatest dimension as both length and width.