Freight class 125
Enter length, width, height, and weight to see the density and the density-based class.
Freight class
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- Volume
- — ft³
- Density
- — lb/ft³
- Subprovision
- —
This is a density-based estimate using the 13-subprovision density scale from NMFC Docket NMFC-2025-1. Actual classification is also affected by handling, stowability, and liability characteristics, and the density scale applies only when those issues are absent. Your carrier makes the final call.
| Sub | Density (lb/ft³), as published | Class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Less than 1 | 400 |
| 2 | 1 but less than 2 | 300 |
| 3 | 2 but less than 4 | 250 |
| 4 | 4 but less than 6 | 175 |
| 5 | 6 but less than 8 | 125 |
| 6 | 8 but less than 10 | 100 |
| 7 | 10 but less than 12 | 92.5 |
| 8 | 12 but less than 15 | 85 |
| 9 | 15 but less than 22.5 | 70 |
| 10 | 22.5 but less than 30 | 65 |
| 11 | 30 but less than 35 | 60 |
| 12 | 35 but less than 50 | 55 |
| 13 | 50 or greater | 50 |
Class 125 covers freight from 6 lb/ft³ up to but not including 8 lb/ft³. This is the band the site's own worked example lands in: a handling unit measuring 40 by 48 by 48 inches holds about 53.33 cubic feet, and 425 pounds in that space gives 7.97 lb/ft³, which is class 125.
Class 125 by the numbers
Class 125 is subprovision 5 of 13 in the current scale, and NMFTA's published wording for it is "6 but less than 8".
The band one step lighter is class 175 (4.00 ≤ density < 6.00 lb/ft³). The band one step denser is class 100 (8.00 ≤ density < 10.00 lb/ft³).
It spans 2.00 lb/ft³, wider than 1 of the other 10 bounded bands in the scale.
In a handling unit measuring 40 × 48 × 48 in — about 53.33 ft³, an illustrative size rather than a standard pallet specification — class 125 covers shipments weighing 320.00 lb or more but less than 426.67 lb.
The 6-to-8 band, worked through
Because the example on the calculator page lands here, this is the band the boundary hints describe most often. Below its lower bound the class rises to 175 and above its upper bound the class falls to 100, so a shipment near either edge has a specific weight it would need to reach — the result panel gives that number rather than leaving it to arithmetic.
Two shipments can share a class while looking nothing alike. Six pounds per cubic foot is reached by dense cargo in a small carton and by moderately heavy cargo in a large one, and the scale does not distinguish them. Density is a ratio, so the shape of a shipment matters only through the volume it occupies.
Frequently asked
Why does adding weight sometimes lower the freight class?
Because density is weight divided by volume. At a fixed volume, adding weight raises density, and a higher density sits in a lower class number on this scale. Whether that produces a lower price depends on the carrier's tariff.
My shipment is exactly 8.00 lb/ft³. Which class applies?
Class 100. Each band includes its lower density and excludes its upper density, so 8.00 lb/ft³ is the first density in the 8-to-10 band rather than the last density in this one.