Know your freight class, density & truck fit — in ten seconds.
Most shippers guess their freight class and their deck space, then get burned by reclass fees or a wrong truck. Enter the pallets and get the real NMFC density class, how much deck they eat once they pair up and stack, whether it's LTL or full-truckload territory, and which ocean container it fills — the same math the desk runs on every quote.
Your freight
inches & lb
Order = load sequence, nose → door. Drag ⠿ to change it.
Loaded · 53-ft dry van
The read
Est. freight class—
Density— lb/ft³
Volume fill— %
Total weight— lb
Deck space— lin ft
Enter dimensions to see how they load.
Enter freight
Pick your equipment above, then enter the pallets.
Real rate from a BC-based specialist · 20 years on Canada-US lanes · No commitment
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Freight class & truck fit, answered
The questions shippers ask most about NMFC class, density and LTL vs FTL — answered plainly by a BC-based cross-border freight specialist.
What is freight class, and why does it matter?
Freight class is a standardized code from the NMFC (National Motor Freight Classification) system, ranging from class 50 (dense, cheap to ship) to class 500 (light and bulky, expensive). It’s the single biggest driver of an LTL price: a carrier prices the space and handling risk your freight represents, and class is how that’s expressed. Get the class wrong on a bill of lading and you risk a re-class charge after the fact.
How is freight class calculated from my pallet?
For most commodities, class comes from density — weight divided by cubic feet. Cubic feet per piece is length × width × height ÷ 1,728 (that’s cubic inches to cubic feet). Divide total weight by total cubic feet to get pounds per cubic foot, then read the class off the density scale. Higher density means a lower class and a lower cost. This calculator does that math for you and shows the class instantly.
Can you give a worked density example?
Say six pallets, each 48×40×48 inches, 4,800 lb total. Each pallet is 48×40×48 ÷ 1,728 = 53.3 ft³, so six pallets is 320 ft³. Density is 4,800 ÷ 320 = 15 lb/ft³, which lands at class 70. Six standard skids also fill roughly six deck positions — an easy LTL move unless you’re stacking.
What’s the difference between LTL and FTL — and when does FTL win?
LTL (less-than-truckload) shares a trailer with other shipments; you pay for the space and weight you use, ideal for roughly 1–6 pallets or under ~15,000 lb. FTL (full truckload) dedicates a whole trailer: faster, handled once, no class needed, and usually better value once you’re filling most of a 53-ft trailer (about 12+ pallets on the floor) or the freight is fragile, high-value or time-sensitive.
Is this calculator’s freight class official?
It’s a fast, accurate density-based estimate — the right number for most palletized freight and plenty to quote from. But it’s not a tariff: some commodities carry a fixed class regardless of density, and a few price on dimensions or handling. When that matters, it’s a quick conversation, not a guess — send us the freight and we’ll confirm the class on the rate.
How much deck space will my freight take?
Deck space is measured in linear feet of trailer floor. Standard 40–48 inch pallets pair two-abreast across a 98-inch dry van, so each pair of skids is about 4 linear feet; a 53-ft van holds roughly 26 floor positions (13 pairs). Stackable freight doubles that. This tool draws your load top-down so you can see the fit before you book — get a rate once it looks right.
Show the NMFC density → class table
How the load math works. Skids pair across the container or trailer's usable width (a 40–48″ pallet fits two abreast in a 98″ van; an ocean box is ~90–92″; a flatbed's 102″ is roomier). Max stack sets how high a skid stacks on its own kind (2-high keeps 16-ft skids stable); Bears load lets smaller skids nest on top of it — but only when all four corners are supported, the stack clears the ceiling (interior − ~3″ top clearance), and it's under the floor's weight-per-ft². The Stack allowance adds bearers/dunnage — plus the pallet base if it isn't already in your height — between every layer. Turnable freight rotates to whichever orientation eats the least floor, if it fits the usable width. Enter weight as the total for all pieces of that type. All three views show the same container 1. It's a conservative planner, not a booked load plan. It stacks in a sensible default order (heaviest/longest first) and won't tile different lengths nose-to-tail or pinwheel a mixed load, so it errs toward one more container, never one fewer; the count packs whole stacks into whole boxes. A specialist confirms the final sequence and the rate. Some commodities also carry a fixed freight class regardless of density — that's a conversation, not a calculator.