Freight Density Calculator
Enter one pallet or crate. Get its density in pounds per cubic foot and the NMFC class it maps to — the same math carriers use to rate the line. Current through Docket 2026-1.
Density
How freight density works
Density is weight divided by the space it takes up. Multiply length, width, and height in inches, divide by 1,728 to get cubic feet, then divide the weight by that volume. The result is your density in pounds per cubic foot (PCF).
That single number decides the class. Denser freight earns a lower class and ships cheaper; light, bulky freight earns a higher class and costs more. The density guideline runs across 13 subs, from Class 50 at the dense end to Class 400 at the light end — the structure set by Docket 2025-1 on July 19, 2025 and unchanged through Docket 2026-1 (effective May 23, 2026).
Classes 77.5, 110, 150, 200 and 500 still exist, but they are no longer density bands. They apply only to specific NMFC commodity listings where handling, stowability or liability set the class — so a density calculation will never return one.
Class isn’t a guess — it’s arithmetic. If you know the density, you know the class.
Where a single pallet isn’t the whole story
This tool classes one handling unit. But a real shipment with several different pallets on one BOL line isn’t rated pallet-by-pallet, and carriers don’t average the classes. They rate the line by its aggregate density — total weight of every unit divided by total volume, calculated once. Class each pallet on its own and you’ll get a number that doesn’t match the bill.