Freight class 50
Enter length, width, height, and weight to see the density and the density-based class.
Freight class
—
- 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 50 covers freight at 50 lb/ft³ and above, with no upper bound at all. It is the densest band in the 13-subprovision scale and the lowest class the scale can produce, and like the first band at the other end it never closes: NMFTA's published wording is 50 or greater, with no upper bound.
Class 50 by the numbers
Class 50 is subprovision 13 of 13 in the current scale, and NMFTA's published wording for it is "50 or greater".
There is no denser band: this is the last subprovision, and its upper bound is open. The band one step lighter is class 55 (35.00 ≤ density < 50.00 lb/ft³).
The band is open at the top, so it has no upper density limit and no width to compare.
In a handling unit measuring 40 × 48 × 48 in — about 53.33 ft³, an illustrative size rather than a standard pallet specification — class 50 covers shipments weighing 2666.67 lb or more.
The top of the scale, which has no top
Because the band is open, there is no density too high to classify. A shipment of solid steel plate will produce a density far above 50 lb/ft³ and still be class 50, and the calculator reports it without complaint. There is nothing above this band to move into.
Fifty is the floor of the density scale rather than the floor of NMFC class numbering, which also starts at 50. The two coincide at the bottom and diverge at the top: class 500 exists as a category, but no density reaches it on this scale.
Frequently asked
What happens if the density is far above 50 lb/ft³?
It is still class 50. The band is open at the top by design, so there is no upper bound to exceed and no class below 50 to fall into.
Is there a maximum useful density?
Not for classification. Once a shipment is above 50 lb/ft³ the density scale has nothing further to say, and the only remaining question is whether the density scale applies to the shipment at all.