30 - 35 pcf · NMFC density scale

Freight class 60

The rating for freight at 30 - 35 pounds per cubic foot on the current 13-band NMFC density scale. Typically books, hardwood flooring, lead-acid batteries.

What ships at class 60

Under the previous 11-sub scale, class 60 was the best rating density alone could earn: sub 11 applied to anything 30 pcf or greater. Docket 2025-1 narrowed sub 11 to 30 - 35 pcf and put two cheaper classes below it, so dense freight that has been quoted at 60 for years is worth re-measuring. At 30 - 35 pcf you are still in solidly cheap territory: think full pallets of books, flooring, or lead-acid batteries.

Worked example. A standard pallet: 48 × 40 × 36 in, 1290 lb. That is 40.0 cu ft and 1290 lb → 32.25 pcf → class 60. Run your own numbers →

Band edges are inclusive at the bottom, exclusive at the top: exactly 30 pcf is class 60, but just below it the class gets more expensive — 29.99 pcf rates class 65. A few pounds of packaging or an inch of pallet height can move a borderline shipment across that line.

Where class 60 sits on the scale

Freight class runs from 50 (densest, cheapest per pound) to 400 on the current density scale. Class 60 is band 3 of 13.

Either side of this band: denser freight (35 - 50 pcf) rates class 55, which is cheaper; lighter freight (22.5 - 30 pcf) rates class 65, 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.