Freight class
What is freight class?
Freight class is the standardized rating used in LTL pricing: a class number (from the NMFC system, 50 to 500 in practice) that describes how a shipment behaves (density, handling difficulty, stowability, value) and sets the base rate per hundredweight. Dense, easy freight classes low and cheap; light, awkward or valuable freight classes high and expensive.
What drives a class up or down
- Density: pounds per cubic foot. The single biggest lever, and the one you control by how you pack.
- Handling: fragile, hazardous or awkward freight that cannot be stacked or mixed freely.
- Stowability: can it be loaded tightly with other freight, or does it waste trailer space.
- Value and liability: higher value means higher exposure per pound.
Avoiding the reclass argument
Measure and weigh the actual pallet (not the catalog dimensions), state both on the BOL, and photograph the stack when it is built. A reclass is the carrier measuring something different from what you declared; when your measurement is documented before pickup, the conversation is about which number is right, not about who remembers what.