What the 13-tier scale is and what Docket 2025-1 changed
The National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) is published by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA). It assigns every commodity moving by LTL a freight class, and the class drives the base rate the carrier applies before your discount. For decades most commodities had their own item with their own class, set by a mix of density, stowability, handling and liability. Over the last several dockets the NMFTA has moved a large share of those items onto a single density scale, so the class follows pounds per cubic foot (PCF) rather than what the product is called.
Docket 2025-1, which took effect in 2025, did two things that matter on the dock. First, it extended the general density scale from 11 subprovisions to 13. The old scale stopped at class 60 for anything 30 PCF or heavier. The new scale keeps class 60 for 30 to under 35 PCF, then adds class 55 for 35 to under 50 PCF and class 50 for 50 PCF and up. Second, it moved many more commodity items onto density-based classing, which means more shippers now need a real measurement and a real weight on every bill of lading instead of a class number copied from an old routing guide.
The low end of the scale did not get softer. Freight under 1 PCF is still class 400, and the 2 to 4 PCF band is still class 250. Those are the tiers where carrier dimensioners find the most money, because a few inches of unrecorded height or overhang can push a pallet one tier lower in density and one tier higher in class.
The complete 13-tier density scale
Each subprovision covers a density range that includes its lower bound and stops just under its upper bound. A shipment at exactly 6.00 PCF is class 125, not class 175. A shipment at 5.99 PCF is class 175. That hard edge is why we tell shippers to plan with a buffer of at least a few tenths of a pound per cubic foot above a boundary.
| Sub | Density (PCF) | NMFC class | Typical commodities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub 1 | Less than 1 | 400 | Assembled kayaks, expanded polystyrene, lampshades |
| Sub 2 | 1 to under 2 | 300 | Fiberglass insulation batts, assembled wicker furniture, empty plastic tanks |
| Sub 3 | 2 to under 4 | 250 | Mattresses, HVAC spiral ductwork, upholstered seating |
| Sub 4 | 4 to under 6 | 175 | Assembled office cabinets, medical carts, refrigeration shells |
| Sub 5 | 6 to under 8 | 125 | Crated small pumps, vending machines, range hoods |
| Sub 6 | 8 to under 10 | 100 | Wine and beverage cases, auto body panels, boxed electronics |
| Sub 7 | 10 to under 12 | 92.5 | Commercial kitchen appliances, crated motors, boxed hardware |
| Sub 8 | 12 to under 15 | 85 | Machine parts, boxed tools, compressors, transmissions |
| Sub 9 | 15 to under 22.5 | 70 | Palletized canned goods, machinery components, cable reels |
| Sub 10 | 22.5 to under 30 | 65 | Bottled beverages, ceramic tile, boxed fasteners, dry chemicals |
| Sub 11New | 30 to under 35 | 60 | Sheet steel, bagged cement and mortar, lead-acid batteries |
| Sub 12New | 35 to under 50 | 55 | Bricks, hardwood flooring bundles, bar stock, brass fittings |
| Sub 13New | 50 or more | 50 | Steel coils, castings, bulk fasteners in kegs, granite slabs |
NMFC 13-subprovision density scale (NMFTA Docket 2025-1). Density = total weight including pallet ÷ total cubic feet. Commodity-specific NMFC items can still override density for some articles.
Three things to read out of the table before you use it:
- The steps are uneven. The bands are 1 PCF wide at the bottom (under 1, 1 to 2), 2 PCF wide through the middle (2 to 4, 4 to 6, 6 to 8, 8 to 10, 10 to 12), then widen to 3, 7.5, 7.5, 5 and 15 PCF at the top. A small weight change matters a lot at low density and very little at high density.
- Five classes are not on the scale. The NMFC uses 18 classes in total. Classes 77.5, 110, 150, 200 and 500 do not appear on the density scale, but they still exist on commodity-specific items. If your bill shows class 150, the class came from a commodity item or a pricing agreement, not from the density chart.
- The class number is not a price. It selects a column in the carrier's base rate table. The dollar gap between two adjacent classes depends on the carrier, the lane and the weight break, which is why we show indicative ranges, never fixed savings.
The two formulas, and how to measure for them
Density classing needs two numbers: total cubic feet and total weight. Both must describe the handling unit exactly as it will cross the carrier's dock.
The 1,728 is simply 12 × 12 × 12, the number of cubic inches in a cubic foot. Measure each dimension at its extreme point: the longest edge of the pallet or of the freight, whichever sticks out further, and the height from the floor to the highest point of the load, pallet deck included. If cartons overhang the pallet by an inch on each side, the 48 × 40 footprint becomes 50 × 42 for rating purposes. If a strap buckle or a corner board rises above the top tier, that is your height.
Weight is gross: product, cartons, stretch wrap, corner boards and the pallet itself. A standard wood GMA pallet runs roughly 35 to 50 lbs, a plastic pallet anywhere from 15 to 60 lbs. Leaving the pallet off the bill makes your density look lower than it is, which costs you, and leaving it off the weight while including it in the height is the most common BOL mismatch carriers flag.
When a bill of lading lists several handling units of the same commodity on one line, the density for that line is the line's total weight divided by its total cube. Different commodities on separate lines are classed separately; carriers do not average a dense line with a light one to give you a better class.
Class any load on the 13-tier scale
- Safe — tariff cube, density and linear feet stay under the carrier's cube and linear-foot rules.
- Tier 1 — 350 cu ft or more under 3 PCF (XPO, Saia, ABF, Estes): synthetic weight of 6 lbs per tariff cubic foot.
- Re-bill — 750 cu ft or more under 6 PCF, or linear feet at the carrier's rule: book volume LTL or direct partial truckload.
Weight bands for one 48 × 40 × 48 inch pallet
A 48 × 40 pallet built to 48 inches tall holds 48 × 40 × 48 ÷ 1,728 = 53.33 cubic feet. Multiply each tier boundary by 53.33 and you get the gross weight window for every class. Keep this table at the shipping desk; it answers most class questions without a calculator.
| Sub | Class | Density band (PCF) | Gross weight on a 48×40×48 pallet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 400 | under 1 | 53 lbs or less |
| 2 | 300 | 1 to under 2 | 54 to 106 lbs |
| 3 | 250 | 2 to under 4 | 107 to 213 lbs |
| 4 | 175 | 4 to under 6 | 214 to 319 lbs |
| 5 | 125 | 6 to under 8 | 320 to 426 lbs |
| 6 | 100 | 8 to under 10 | 427 to 533 lbs |
| 7 | 92.5 | 10 to under 12 | 534 to 639 lbs |
| 8 | 85 | 12 to under 15 | 640 to 799 lbs |
| 9 | 70 | 15 to under 22.5 | 800 to 1,199 lbs |
| 10 | 65 | 22.5 to under 30 | 1,200 to 1,599 lbs |
| 11 | 60 | 30 to under 35 | 1,600 to 1,866 lbs |
| 12 | 55 | 35 to under 50 | 1,867 to 2,666 lbs |
| 13 | 50 | 50 and up | 2,667 lbs and up |
Change the height and the bands move. The same footprint at 60 inches holds 66.67 cubic feet, so class 125 starts at 400 lbs instead of 320. At 72 inches it holds 80 cubic feet and class 125 starts at 480 lbs. Tall, light pallets climb the class scale fast, and anything over 60 inches also invites the carrier to impute a 96-inch height under its cubic capacity rule, which we cover on the 96-inch rule page.
Worked example: four 52-inch pallets of boxed fixtures
A lighting distributor ships four stackable 48 × 40 pallets of boxed fixtures, each built to 52 inches and weighing 380 lbs with the pallet.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Cube per pallet | 48 × 40 × 52 ÷ 1,728 | 57.78 cu ft |
| Total cube | 57.78 × 4 | 231.1 cu ft |
| Total weight | 380 × 4 | 1,520 lbs |
| Density | 1,520 ÷ 231.1 | 6.58 PCF |
| Class | 6 to under 8 PCF = Sub 5 | 125 |
| Linear feet | 2 rows of 2 across × 48 in ÷ 12 | 8 LF |
To reach class 100 the load needs 8 PCF. At 231.1 cubic feet that means 1,849 lbs, so either 329 lbs more product on the same four pallets, or a cube reduction of 41.1 cubic feet, which is about 9.3 inches off each pallet (down to roughly 42.75 inches). Adding product is rarely realistic, so the practical lever is cube: fixture cartons with oversized void fill, or a top tier that only half-covers the pallet, are where those inches usually hide.
At 231 cubic feet and 6.58 PCF the shipment sits well clear of the 350 cubic foot and 750 cubic foot cube triggers, and 8 linear feet is under the 12-foot linear rules most carriers publish. It is a clean class-rated LTL shipment. Load it into the calculator above and push the height to 62 inches to watch what happens when the pallets can no longer be double-stacked.
When density does not decide the class
The chart is the default, not the last word. Four situations override it:
- A specific NMFC item. Some commodities keep a fixed class or their own density breaks because of fragility, liability or handling. Check the item before you assume the general scale applies.
- A carrier cubic capacity rule. Once a shipment reaches about 350 cubic feet under 3 PCF or 750 cubic feet under 6 PCF (thresholds vary by carrier), the carrier's rules tariff can replace your class with a synthetic weight of 6 lbs per cubic foot and a minimum charge. The comparison sits on the carrier cube rules guide.
- A pricing agreement. An FAK (freight all kinds) clause can rate a range of actual classes as one class. It changes what you pay, not what the freight is, and most FAK clauses carry exceptions for low density. See why FAK discounts get voided.
- Hazardous materials, oversize and special handling. These add accessorial charges or require their own items even when the density is ordinary.
Using the chart to choose a mode, not just a class
Class matters most on small shipments. Once freight passes roughly 300 cubic feet or 8 linear feet, the question shifts from which class to which mode. A shipment of eight 250-class pallets is not a class problem: it is a space problem that LTL tariffs price badly. That is where a spot volume LTL quote or a direct partial truckload rated on linear feet and weight, not class, usually beats the class-rated bill.
Our rule of thumb on the desk: under 6 PCF and over 350 cubic feet, price it both ways before you tender. Over 10 PCF and under 12 linear feet, class-rated LTL with a clean BOL is usually the cheapest door. In between, run the numbers in the cubic feet calculator and send the result to rates@cubictransport.com if you want a second set of eyes.
