Subprovision
A subprovision is one numbered row of the density scale: a single density interval together with the class attached to it. The scale in use since NMFC Docket 2025-1 has 13 subprovisions, expanded from 11. Subprovision, sometimes shortened to sub, is the official term, and it is the unit the published table is counted in.
How the density scale is counted
The current density scale has 13 subprovisions. NMFTA's own wording is that the 11-sub density scale would be expanded to 13 subprovisions.
The expansion added rows rather than replacing them: the two new subprovisions sit above 35 lb/ft³, where the previous table had a single closing band.
Subprovision 7 carries class 92.5, the only non-integer class in the scale, which is why class values here are treated as text rather than as numbers.
Frequently asked
Is a subprovision the same thing as a freight class?
No. A subprovision is a numbered row of the density scale, and the class is the value attached to that row. The two are read together: subprovision 7 carries class 92.5, the only class value in the scale that is not a whole number.
Why did the scale change from 11 subprovisions to 13?
NMFTA expanded the scale rather than replacing it. The 11-sub density scale was expanded to 13 subprovisions, and the two new rows sit above 35 lb/ft³, where the previous table ended in a single closing band.