Calculating Freight Density

Among the most important items needed to get an instant LTL quote, shippers must provide a freight class. Numbered 50-500, the freight class is based on different commodities set by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA). In many ways, the freight class plays a pivotal role in the rate. There are 18 different freight classes. A major factor that determines the freight class is the freight density. This is the weight of freight per each cubic foot. Sometimes, a new shipper may not know how to determine the freight density of their shipment, but really the math involved is rather simple. The minimum freight density is 50, and that is for the freight class of 50. A freight density of less than 1 gets placed in freight class 500.

After measuring the freight, the shipper should know the height, length and width of a shipment. By multiplying the height by the length and by the width, the shipper can easily attain the cubic inches. The next step involved is dividing the cubic inches by 1,728, which is the amount of cubic inches per a cubic foot. After dividing this, the total cubic feet will be determined. The final step occurs by dividing the total weight by the cubic feet. The result of this is the freight density.

Shippers should make that their measurements are accurate. An inaccurate freight density could result in a different freight class, which in turn might be a different price to pay. New shippers should consult a trusted freight forwarder to find out more information about calculating freight density.