NMFC item numbers

Freight class codes, plainly.

Two different numbers get called a “code” on a bill of lading, and mixing them up is what triggers reclass fees. Here is what each one is and which one your carrier actually needs.

Two numbers, two jobs

A bill of lading normally carries both:

  • The NMFC item number — up to six digits, often with a sub-number, like 156600-4. It identifies what the commodity is within the National Motor Freight Classification.
  • The freight class — one of the rating numbers between 50 and 500. It is what the item number resolves to, and it is what the rate is built on.

The item number is the address. The class is the price band that address points at. A carrier can accept a shipment with only a class on the BOL, but if the item number disagrees with the class you declared, the class the carrier applies is the one from the item number.

How sub-numbers work

The sub-number after the hyphen is not decoration. Under a single item, sub-numbers usually split by packaging or by density band — for example, the same commodity loose, palletised, or in a crate can each carry a different sub and therefore a different class. Since Docket 2025-1 moved around 2,000 listings onto density, many items now have their subs organised as density ranges that map straight onto the 13-band scale.

Density alone will not give you an item number. Our calculator tells you which density band your shipment falls in, which is the right answer for commodities that classify by density. It cannot tell you the NMFC item, because that depends on what the thing actually is.

Where to get the real one

The classification is published and maintained by NMFTA, and access is licensed through its ClassIT service. The full item list is copyrighted, which is why you will not find a legitimate free database of every NMFC code online — anything claiming to be one is either partial, stale, or copied without a licence.

Practical routes to a correct item number, in order of how much they cost you:

  • Ask your carrier or broker. They hold a subscription and will look it up. This is free and it is the answer that will actually be applied to your freight.
  • Check a past BOL. If you have shipped the same commodity in the same packaging before and it was not reclassed, that item number is already validated in practice.
  • Subscribe to ClassIT. Worth it if you tender varied commodities regularly and want to classify without a phone call.

Getting the code wrong costs money twice

An incorrect item number does not just move the class. Carriers dimension and weigh at the terminal now, and a correction comes back as a reclass or reweigh charge on top of the recalculated rate. On a shipment that reclasses two bands up, the fee is usually the smaller half of the bill.

What to put on the BOL

  • A specific commodity description, not “freight all kinds” or “parts”.
  • The NMFC item number with its sub, if you have it.
  • The class.
  • Actual gross weight and outside dimensions of each handling unit.

Work out your density and class first →