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Freight Density Calculator

Calculate billable freight weight, NMFC class, and LTL shipping cost from shipment dimensions and weight.

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Applications

Used by warehouse staff, shipping coordinators, and 3PL operators to determine LTL freight class and estimate shipping costs. Helpful when packaging shipments, comparing carrier rates, deciding pallet configuration, and verifying invoices from carriers like FedEx Freight, XPO, Old Dominion, and Saia.

How it works

Computes dimensional (DIM) weight as (L × W × H) / dim_factor, where dim_factor is 139 for standard LTL, 166 for USPS/UPS, or user-defined. The billable weight is the greater of actual weight and DIM weight. Freight class (NMFC 50–500) is assigned by density in pounds per cubic foot: <1 = Class 500, 1–2 = 400, 2–4 = 300, 4–6 = 250, 6–8 = 200, 8–10 = 150, 10–12 = 125, 12–15 = 100, 15–22.5 = 92.5, 22.5–30 = 85, 30–35 = 70, 35–50 = 65, 50–60 = 60, 60–85 = 55, 85–100 = 50.

Fun Fact: The NMFC (National Motor Freight Classification) system was developed by the NMFTA in the 1960s. Class 500 is famously 'ping pong balls' — the lowest-density, highest-class item, and the reason a truck full of ping pong balls costs more to ship than the same truck full of steel.

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