Easy Guide to Freight Class

What is Freight Class?

The National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) is a classification system developed by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) to compare freight goods to standardize less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping rates. Before freight classification, carriers would price freight however they saw fit. The rates would vary drastically if you had gotten quotes from three different carriers! However, after the trucking industry was deregulated in 1980 with the Motor Carrier Act, carriers needed consistent, industry-wide standards for freight pricing.

This is where the NMFC system came in. By introducing a classification system, all carriers throughout the country (and beyond) had a way of knowing how heavy, dense, valuable, and portable an LTL shipment was. The freight class ensures that freight is identified and labeled correctly so carriers know what to expect while transporting the goods while also doing so safely and efficiently.

For example, say you have a large curio cabinet you want to ship to the other side of the country. The large and heavy cabinet contains a glass front and shelves, making it more fragile than other types of cabinets. While freight class does consider heaviness, the primary concern is its density and fragility; therefore, the glass parts, while not as heavy as the rest of the cabinet, will call for a higher freight class number. However, If the cabinet were made entirely of wood, the freight class number would be lower since it is more sturdy and handles transport better than a glass cabinet.

So the reasons why freight class is important are three-fold:

• Freight class ensures goods are transported safely. Carriers will know how delicate a shipment is and treat it properly during transport.
• Shipping rates are consistent with other carriers, ensuring a smooth LTL shipping experience.
• Shippers are not overcharged for incorrectly labeling their LTL shipments, which could lead to extra shipping fees if not corrected.

How Freight Class Works

The system created 18 freight classifications (freight classes for short) to standardize freight rates, with number codes ranging from 50 to 500. Again, the shipment’s regular weight does not entirely factor into how small or big the freight class number is; what matters more is how sturdy or fragile the freight good is. Specifically, there are four factors in determining your freight class:

• Density (the weight per cubic foot or how dense a good is compared to its dimensions)
• Stowability (how easy is it to stow a good onto a trailer without causing issues with other transported goods)
• Handling (how difficult is it to package and move a good during loading and unloading)
• Liability (how likely is it for a good to be damaged, stolen, or lost during transport)

Generally, low-numbered freight-class goods equal lower shipping costs, while high-numbered freight-class goods mean higher shipping costs. This doesn’t account for all goods; some goods may seem like the freight class will be lower, but some characteristics in their design or dimensions may mean the freight class is higher. Think of that curio cabinet: while the rest of the item may be wood or steel or another sturdy material, the glass parts mean the item is more dense, fragile, and valuable than an all-wood or all-steel cabinet.

Density is considered the most critical factor in determining freight class and requires extra math. Freight density is calculated using the following formula:

Freight Density (lbs/ft³) = Weight of Shipment (lbs) / Total Cubic Feet of Shipment

You need to multiply a shipment’s length, width, and height (in inches) and then divide the results by 1728 (the # of cubic inches in a cubic foot) to convert it to total cubic feet. Then, divide the shipment’s total weight by the total cubic feet to get the total pounds per cubic foot, which is the shipment’s density.

Too much math for you? Don’t worry; you don’t have to do it all yourself. You can use a freight density calculator to get the freight density. FreightCenter has a freight density calculator that does the calculations, so you can present it to a carrier or broker during booking to determine your freight class.

You also may not even need to do any calculations! Some websites like FreightCenter have online quote tools that define an initial freight class based on your shipment’s dimensions, weight, destination, and other factors. Later, when you speak to a freight agent, they will go into more depth about your shipment and determine a final freight class.