What does CWT mean in freight, and how do you calculate it?

CWT stands for hundredweight — 100 pounds. LTL carriers quote rates per CWT, so a rate of $18.50 per CWT means $18.50 for every 100 lb of billable weight. To calculate the freight cost, divide the shipment weight by 100 to get the number of hundredweight, then multiply by the rate per CWT. For example, 2,400 lb ÷ 100 = 24 CWT, and 24 × $18.50 = $444.00.

What is the absolute minimum charge (AMC) on an LTL shipment?

The absolute minimum charge is the least a carrier will bill for a shipment, no matter how light. When the per-CWT math comes out below the minimum charge, the minimum governs and you pay the floor instead. A 300 lb shipment at $22 per CWT calculates to $66, but with a $125 minimum charge the shipment bills at $125 — an effective rate of about $41.67 per CWT.

Does the CWT calculator work in kilograms?

Yes. Switch to metric to enter the weight in kilograms. Because a hundredweight is defined as 100 pounds, the weight is converted to pounds before the CWT math, so the rate stays per CWT and the answer matches the pounds-based figure for the same real weight.

CWT (Hundredweight) Freight Cost Calculator

LTL carriers price by the hundredweight — CWT, or 100 lb. Enter your shipment weight and your rate per CWT and this gives the freight cost, then applies the carrier’s absolute minimum charge so a light shipment bills at the floor, not below it. Pounds or kilograms.

Shipment weight (lb)

Total billable weight of the shipment.

Rate per CWT (per 100 lb)

Your quoted hundredweight rate from the carrier or tariff.

Absolute minimum charge — optional

The least the carrier will bill for this shipment. If the CWT math comes in lower, the shipment bills at this floor instead. Leave blank to skip it.

Freight cost

on 0 CWT

Bills CWT charge — weight ÷ 100 × rate

Bills Minimum charge — the tariff floor

Billable weight —

Hundredweight — CWT (100 lb units)

Effective rate — per CWT

How hundredweight (CWT) pricing works

CWT is short for hundredweight — 100 pounds. It’s the unit LTL carriers price against, because it keeps rates readable across a huge weight range: instead of quoting a rate per pound, a tariff quotes a rate per CWT. A rate of $18.50 per CWT simply means $18.50 for every 100 lb of billable weight. The cost is two steps: divide the weight by 100 to get the number of hundredweight, then multiply by the rate.

The billable weight here is the number the carrier actually rates — which on a light, bulky shipment may be a dimensional or class-based weight rather than the scale weight. Get that number right first (the dimensional weight and freight class tools handle that), then bring it here to turn it into a cost.

The absolute minimum charge

Every LTL tariff sets an absolute minimum charge (AMC) — the least the carrier will bill for a shipment, no matter how light. When the per-CWT math comes out below that floor, the minimum charge governs and you pay the floor instead. Enter your minimum and this tool shows both numbers side by side and flags which one bills, along with the effective rate per CWT you end up paying — a quick read on whether a shipment is light enough that it’s stuck at the minimum.

The minimum charge is where light freight quietly gets expensive per pound. When a shipment bills at the floor, adding weight can cost nothing extra until the CWT math climbs back above it.

Worked examples

A 2,400 lb shipment at $18.50 per CWT is 24 CWT × $18.50 = $444.00. With a $125 minimum charge, the CWT math wins easily, so the shipment bills at $444.00.

Now a 300 lb shipment at the same $22 per CWT is only 3 CWT × $22 = $66 — below a $125 minimum charge. The minimum governs, so the shipment bills at $125, an effective $41.67 per CWT. That gap is the classic signal to consolidate light shipments or look at a weight break.

Weight breaks and “bump” weights

Real LTL tariffs don’t use one flat rate — they use weight breaks, where the rate per CWT drops as the shipment gets heavier (500 lb, 1,000 lb, 2,000 lb, 5,000 lb, and so on). Sometimes it’s actually cheaper to declare a shipment at the next break’s minimum weight — the bump or deficit weight — because the lower rate more than makes up for the added weight. This free calculator uses a single rate you enter; the multi-break rate shopping and automatic bump detection is built into the Weight-Break & Bump Optimizer.

Where this stops being enough

This turns a weight and a rate into a cost — it is not a rating engine. It doesn’t look up your carrier’s tariff, apply FAK or negotiated discounts, add fuel surcharge, or model accessorials. Enter the rate your agreement actually uses, confirm the billable weight the carrier will rate, and treat the result as the linehaul before surcharges.