Freight Class for Cabinets
Cabinets typically ship at freight class 100 to 150 — assembled units are bulky, flat-pack is denser.
What is the freight class for cabinets?
Assembled kitchen and bathroom cabinets trap air and rate higher; ready-to-assemble (RTA) flat-pack cabinets ship much denser and rate lower. Fragility of finished surfaces adds a handling consideration.
Because freight class is density-driven, there isn’t a single fixed number for cabinets — class 100–150 is the common range. Run your actual dimensions and weight below to pin it down.
Assembled vs. flat-pack: the biggest lever in the category
A cabinet is a box built around storage space, which makes assembled cabinets classic light-and-bulky freight — a run of finished kitchen cabinets is mostly the air inside them, rating class 100 to 150. Ready-to-assemble (RTA) flat-pack changes the physics completely: the same cabinet shipped as flat panels of dense particleboard or plywood measures several classes denser, because the enclosed air is gone until it's built on site. The gap between the two is the single biggest cost decision in the category.
That's why RTA dominates the cabinet supply chain — flat-pack cartons stack into tight, uniform pallets and rate down toward class 70, while the identical assembled cabinets rate class 100–125. If your product can ship RTA at all, the freight math almost always favors it, even accounting for the assembly labor that moves to the destination.
Cabinets freight class: worked examples
Density is weight ÷ volume (cubic feet = L × W × H in inches ÷ 1,728). Here is how typical cabinets shipments measure out:
Assembled kitchen cabinets — class 100
Finished cabinets wrapped on a 48" × 40" pallet, 65" high, 700 lb.
48 × 40 × 65 = 124,800 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 72.2 ft³. Density = 700 lb ÷ 72.2 ft³.
9.7 lb/ft³ → inside 9–10.5 → class 100 — assembled cabinets are mostly enclosed air.
The same cabinets, RTA flat-pack — class 70
The identical cabinets as flat particleboard cartons, 48" × 40" × 40", 700 lb.
48 × 40 × 40 = 76,800 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 44.4 ft³. Density = 700 lb ÷ 44.4 ft³ = 15.8 lb/ft³.
15.8 lb/ft³ → class 70 — flat-pack removes the air and drops several classes.
Assembled bathroom vanity — class 125
A single boxed vanity, 40" × 24" × 36", 140 lb.
40 × 24 × 36 = 34,560 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 20.0 ft³. Density = 140 lb ÷ 20.0 ft³.
7.0 lb/ft³ → class 125 — a small assembled unit with lots of void rates mid-range.
Protecting the finish without buying cube
When cabinets must ship assembled — display units, custom finishes, semi-custom lines that can't knock down — the challenge shifts to protecting finished surfaces without inflating the measured size. Corner protection, face-panel covers and snug palletization protect the finish; oversized crates with clearance around every door and drawer protect it too, but bill the extra cube. Match the protection to the lane's handling, not to worst-case fear.
For RTA, the job is simply tight, square, weight-rated pallets — flat cabinet cartons are dense and stack well, so a solid block measures close to what the material is. Keep hardware and fittings packed inside the cartons rather than as separate light boxes, and don't blend a few assembled display units onto an RTA pallet, where their bulk drags the whole unit's density down.
What affects cabinets freight class
- Assembled vs. RTA flat-pack
- Finish fragility
- Palletization
- Cabinet size
Common cabinets shipments include kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, rta flat-pack cabinets, storage cabinets.
Class guides covering the 100–150 range:
Calculate the freight class for your cabinets
Enter dimensions and weight to get the density-based class for your exact shipment.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
9.75
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
520
lb
9–10.5 lb/ft³ → Class 100
Free PDF includes a watermark. Pro removes it & adds your brand.
Estimates only — verify freight class/NMFC and chargeable weight with your carrier.
How freight class is calculated (density scale)
Freight class is set by density = weight (lb) ÷ volume (ft³). Higher density → lower class → typically lower cost. Volume here is L × W × H × quantity.
| Density (lb/ft³) | Class |
|---|---|
| 50+ | 50 |
| 35 – 50 | 55 |
| 30 – 35 | 60 |
| 22.5 – 30 | 65 |
| 15 – 22.5 | 70 |
| 13.5 – 15 | 77.5 |
| 12 – 13.5 | 85 |
| 10.5 – 12 | 92.5 |
| 9 – 10.5 | 100 |
| 8 – 9 | 110 |
| 7 – 8 | 125 |
| 6 – 7 | 150 |
| 5 – 6 | 175 |
| 4 – 5 | 200 |
| 3 – 4 | 250 |
| 2 – 3 | 300 |
| 1 – 2 | 400 |
| 0 – 1 | 500 |
Frequently asked questions
What freight class is cabinets?
Cabinets typically ships at freight class 100–150. The exact class is set by density — weight divided by volume — so packaging and dimensions can move it within that range.
What affects the freight class of cabinets?
The main factors are assembled vs. rta flat-pack, finish fragility, palletization, cabinet size. Denser, tightly packed loads rate a lower class and cost less to ship.
How do I find the exact freight class for cabinets?
Measure your shipment and divide weight by volume to get density, then match it to the NMFC scale — the calculator above does this. Confirm the final class and NMFC item number with your carrier before booking.
What freight class are cabinets?
Assembled kitchen and bathroom cabinets measure 7–10 lb/ft³ → class 100–125; bulky single units rate up to class 150. RTA flat-pack cabinets are far denser (14–16 lb/ft³) → class 70–85. Assembled vs. flat-pack is the whole story.
Is it cheaper to ship RTA or assembled cabinets?
RTA, by a wide margin. Flat-pack particleboard cartons ship dense (class 70–85), while the same cabinets assembled trap air and rate class 100–150. Unless the product genuinely can't knock down, RTA wins the freight math even with destination assembly.
How do I protect cabinet finishes in transit?
Corner protection, face-panel covers and snug, weight-rated palletization guard the finish without much added cube. Reserve full crating for high-value custom units — and don't mix assembled display pieces onto an RTA pallet, where their bulk raises the whole unit's class.