8 - 10 pcf · NMFC density scale

Freight class 100

The rating for freight at 8 - 10 pounds per cubic foot on the current 13-band NMFC density scale. Typically cabinets, wine cases, packaged tools.

What ships at class 100

Class 100 covers 8 - 10 pcf and marks the point where freight starts being priced more for its volume than its weight. Cabinets, wine cases and packaged tools are typical. Freight around 8 - 9 pcf comes out as class 110 on the obsolete guideline still hard-coded into several free calculators; on the current scale that density is class 100.

Worked example. A standard pallet: 48 × 40 × 48 in, 480 lb. That is 53.3 cu ft and 480 lb → 9.00 pcf → class 100. Run your own numbers →

Band edges are inclusive at the bottom, exclusive at the top: exactly 8 pcf is class 100, but just below it the class gets more expensive — 7.99 pcf rates class 125. A few pounds of packaging or an inch of pallet height can move a borderline shipment across that line.

Where class 100 sits on the scale

Freight class runs from 50 (densest, cheapest per pound) to 400 on the current density scale. Class 100 is band 8 of 13.

Either side of this band: denser freight (10 - 12 pcf) rates class 92.5, which is cheaper; lighter freight (6 - 8 pcf) rates class 125, which costs more.

The full table is on the freight class chart, and the calculator works out density and class from your dimensions, including multi-pallet shipments.

Density is the default, not the whole rule. Since Docket 2025-1 most commodities class by density, but items with unusual stowability, handling or liability characteristics can class differently. Confirm the NMFC item before the BOL goes out.