Concept preview prepared for RS Group. Not affiliated.

Sheet 09 / Tools Density = Weight / Volume

Calculation sheet

Freight density calculator.

Density drives LTL freight class, and class drives the price. Enter your shipment dimensions and weight to estimate pounds per cubic foot and the likely freight class, so you can quote it right the first time.

Density Worksheet RSG-CALC-01 / LxWxH in inches + weight in lb

Density
lb per cubic foot (PCF)
Estimated freight class

An estimate from density alone. The actual NMFC class can differ by commodity, stowability, handling, and liability, so treat this as a starting point and let us confirm the class on the quote.

How density sets freight class

Freight class is the standard 1-to-500 scale that LTL pricing is built on, set by the National Motor Freight Classification. Lower classes are dense and cheap to move; higher classes are light, bulky, or fragile and cost more.

For most palletized freight, density is the biggest driver of class. Density is simply weight divided by volume: take the length, width, and height in inches, multiply them, divide by 1,728 to get cubic feet, then divide the weight by that. The result is pounds per cubic foot, and it maps to a class on the guideline below.

Measure to the extremes of the shipment, including the pallet and any overhang. Carriers do, and a low guess is what triggers a reclass and a corrected invoice.

Learn how LTL freight is priced →

Quote it right the first time

A correct class up front is a quote that holds. Once you have an estimate, send us the shipment and we confirm the class, book the lane, and price it with no surprise reclasses on the invoice.

Get moving

Tell us the lane and the load.

A real dispatcher builds the quote, with no self-service pricing and no runaround. LTL, truckload, drayage, expedited, or warehousing, we move it and we answer the phone.

Get a Freight Quote Call Dispatch Primary line (678) 647-6694