NMFC freight class

NMFC (National Motor Freight Classification) freight class is a 1-to-500 scale used to price LTL shipments, based on density, stowability, handling, and liability. Lower class = denser, easier to handle = cheaper.

There are 18 NMFC classes from 50 to 500. Most everyday freight falls in the 60-150 range. Density is the dominant factor for most commodities — a 50-lb item the size of a shoebox classes lower than a 50-lb item the size of a refrigerator.

Other classification factors: stowability (does it stack and ride well in a trailer?), handling (does it need special equipment?), and liability (is it fragile, hazardous, or high-value?). Together these produce the assigned class.

Carriers reweigh and reclass freight at terminals. A shipment booked as class 70 that actually measures class 100 gets reclassified — and a 'reclass charge' on top of the new rate. Reclass charges are a real source of unexpected freight cost.

Related terms

LTL vs. FTL (less than truckload vs. full truckload)FTL means a shipper has booked an entire truck for their cargo. LTL means the cargo shares a truck with other shippers' cargo, picked up and dropped off via terminal hubs. LTL is the trucking analogue of LCL.

Tired of looking these up by hand?

PaperFlo builds custom document automation that extracts these fields cleanly from supplier PDFs, so your team can stop typing them in.

Book a discovery call