On July 19, 2025 the National Motor Freight Traffic Association completed the largest restructuring of the National Motor Freight Classification in decades. The short version: most commodities now class on density alone, on a single 13-tier scale, and a great many fixed class listings no longer exist.
If you ship LTL and you have not revisited your NMFC items since then, there is a reasonable chance your rate sheet describes a classification system that no longer applies to your freight.
What actually changed
Before the change, the NMFC was a mixture of two approaches. Some commodities carried a fixed class regardless of how they were packed. Others already used density scales, but the scales themselves varied between items, with some running 11 tiers and others 6 or 7.
The 2025 restructure did three things. It consolidated the density-based items onto one standard 13-tier scale. It converted a large number of fixed-class items to that same scale. And it folded many sub-provisions, which previously split a commodity into several listings by packaging, into the parent item.
The intent was to make classification more predictable and more closely tied to the thing carriers actually care about, which is how much trailer space your freight consumes per pound.
The density scale
This is the scale the calculators on this site use. Bands are lower-inclusive and upper-exclusive, so a shipment at exactly 10.00 pounds per cubic foot is class 92.5, not class 100.
| DENSITY (LB/FT³) | CLASS |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 400 |
| 1 – under 2 | 300 |
| 2 – under 4 | 250 |
| 4 – under 6 | 175 |
| 6 – under 8 | 125 |
| 8 – under 10 | 100 |
| 10 – under 12 | 92.5 |
| 12 – under 15 | 85 |
| 15 – under 22.5 | 70 |
| 22.5 – under 30 | 65 |
| 30 – under 35 | 60 |
| 35 – under 50 | 55 |
| 50 and over | 50 |
The practical consequence is that class is no longer a property of what you ship. It is a property of how you ship it. The same product, loosely stacked on a tall pallet or packed tightly on a short one, can differ by three classes and a meaningful share of the invoice.
How to work out your class now
Measure the handling unit as it sits on the dock, pallet included, at its greatest length, width and height. Weigh it the same way, with all packaging. Then:
Cubic feet = L × W × H (inches) ÷ 1,728 Density = weight (lb) ÷ cubic feet Class = the band that density falls in
The freight class calculator does this and highlights the matching row. For mixed shipments, the freight density calculator combines several pieces into one density, which is what most carriers rate on.
What this means for your rates
For dense freight, the change is usually good news. Items that previously carried a fixed class in the 85 to 100 range and ship at 20 or 30 pounds per cubic foot now class lower, which means cheaper.
For light and bulky freight, it is the opposite. A product that used to sit at a comfortable fixed class and ships at 4 pounds per cubic foot now classes at 175, and at 1.5 pounds per cubic foot it classes at 300. Foam, plastics, empty containers, furniture and anything shipped with a lot of protective void fill are the categories most affected.
There is a second-order effect worth planning for. Because class now depends on packing, reducing the height of a pallet is a rate reduction. Dropping a 60 inch stack to 48 inches on the same weight raises density by 25 percent, which is often a full class.
What to do about it
- Re-density your top items. Take your 20 highest-volume SKUs, measure and weigh a real palletized unit of each, and calculate the class. Compare against what you are currently declaring.
- Fix your bill of lading defaults. Most reclass charges come from a saved BOL template carrying a class that was correct in 2024.
- Look at packaging before you look at carriers. A packaging change that raises density a tier is usually worth more than a rate negotiation, and it is entirely within your control.
- Expect inspections. Carriers have invested heavily in dimensioners. Assume every pallet is measured and priced on what the scanner says, not what the BOL says.
- Check your NMFC item numbers still exist. Where sub-provisions were folded into a parent item, the number you have been quoting may have been retired.
What a class is worth in money
Class is a multiplier on the base rate, so moving a band is not a rounding difference. The exact numbers depend on your tariff and your discount, but the shape is consistent: each step down the scale takes a meaningful percentage off, and the steps at the light end are the steepest.
Consider the same 600 pound pallet packed three ways. At 60 inches tall it is 10.8 lb/ft³ and class 92.5. Compress it to 48 inches and it becomes 13.5 lb/ft³, which is class 85. Get it to 40 inches and it is 16.2 lb/ft³, which is class 70. Nothing about the goods changed — only the air you paid to ship.
This is why packaging engineering now pays for itself faster than rate negotiation for most small shippers. A rate negotiation gets you a percentage off a number; packing tighter changes which number you are getting a percentage off.
A short re-classing routine
If you have not touched your classifications since the change, this is a half day of work with a real payback.
- Pull your last quarter of shipments and sort by spend. The top twenty lanes or SKUs will cover most of the money.
- For each one, measure and weigh a real palletised unit as it leaves the dock. Not the spec sheet, not the carton dimensions — the actual handling unit.
- Run the density and compare the class against what your bills of lading currently declare.
- Where they differ, work out whether the fix is the declaration or the packaging. Often it is both.
- Update the saved BOL templates. Most repeat reclass charges come from a template nobody has looked at since 2024.
Common questions
Does this apply to every commodity? No. A number of items keep fixed classes, typically where handling, stowability or liability rather than density drive the cost — hazardous materials and certain fragile or high-value goods among them. Check the current NMFC listing for your specific item.
Is density the only factor now? Density decides the class for most items, but the four classification characteristics — density, stowability, handling and liability — all still exist. The restructure changed which items are rated on density, not the framework itself.
What if my carrier disagrees with my class? They will reweigh and remeasure, reclass the shipment, and invoice the difference, usually with an inspection fee. Disputing it means producing your own measurements, which is far easier if you took them before shipping.
Rules last checked: Sep 24, 2026
Estimate only. Confirm with your carrier before booking.