Freight Class for Carpet and Rugs
Carpet tile packs dense: a Mohawk Group carton of 24 planks, 12 × 36 inches and 29.1 lb, measures about 24 lb/ft³, class 65. Rolls are different. Carpet cushion at 8 lb per cubic foot rates about class 125 once the roll is billed as a box, and broadloom is made 12 feet wide, so every roll passes the carriers' length-charge lines: $925 at XPO and $775 at FedEx Freight.
Carpet tile cartons
Mohawk Group lists its 12 × 36 inch Metallic Path carpet planks at 24 pieces and 29.1 lb per carton, 1.2 lb per piece, and 44 cartons per pallet. Mohawk's environmental product declaration for its EcoFlex Matrix tile backing gives a total thickness of 5.08 mm and a weight of 1,927 g per square meter, which matches that 1.2 lb per plank.
Using that thickness, 24 planks stack about 4.8 inches high, so the carton is at least 36 × 12 × 4.8 inches: about 24 lb/ft³, class 65. Greatmats lists another commercial tile at 20 tiles and 37 lb per carton, 32 cartons per pallet.
Worked examples
Carton weights come from Mohawk Group's product data, tile thickness from its product declaration, and cushion density from Future Foam.
Carton of carpet planks — class 65
Mohawk Group, 24 planks of 12 × 36 in, 29.1 lb; tiles 5.08 mm thick, so the stack is about 4.8 in.
36 × 12 × 4.8 = 2,074 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 1.2 ft³. Density = 29.1 lb ÷ 1.2 ft³.
24.3 lb/ft³ → class 65; the real carton is a little larger.
Roll of carpet cushion — class 125
Future Foam cushion: 6 × 45 ft, 7/16 in thick, 8 lb/ft³ foam: about 9.8 ft³ and 79 lb.
A round roll fills about 79% of the square box around it, so the billed density ≈ 8 × 0.785.
About 6.3 lb/ft³ → class 125.
Broadloom and cushion rolls
Broadloom carpet is made 12 feet wide; Mohawk Group's guides and Engineered Floors' product declaration both give that width, and Engineered Floors lists one carpet at a total weight of 1.893 kg per square meter, about 3.5 lb per square yard. A roll is therefore 12 feet long when it ships, which falls in XPO's 11 to under 16 foot length band ($925) and FedEx Freight's 12 to under 15 foot band ($775), and FedEx may refuse it.
Cushion is lighter. Future Foam lists a premium carpet cushion at 8 lb per cubic foot, sold in 6 × 45 foot rolls 7/16 inch thick. That roll holds about 9.8 cubic feet of foam, about 79 lb, and a round roll billed as the square around it measures about 6.3 lb/ft³, class 125.
Storing and handling rolls
Industry storage guidance based on the Carpet and Rug Institute's installation standard says rolls should be stored face-out around a tube on a flat surface, that heavy objects must not be stacked on rolls, and that long-stored rolls should be turned every six weeks to avoid roll crush, where the carpet's weight flattens bands of pile.
Milliken tells installers to keep modular carpet in its original packing in a clean, warm, dry, ventilated place, and Mohawk wants carpet held at 65 to 85 °F and 30 to 65% humidity before installation. Do not leave rolls on a cold dock or in a wet trailer.
Check your carpet shipment
Enter the carton, roll or pallet size and the weight. For rolls, use the roll's diameter as both the width and the height.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
26.25
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
1,400
lb
22.5–30 lb/ft³ → Class 65
NMFC density scale (Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025)
Free PDF includes a watermark. Pro removes it & adds your brand.
Estimates only — verify freight class/NMFC and chargeable weight with your carrier.
Uses the 13-tier NMFC density scale (Docket 2025-1). See the full freight class chart.
Frequently asked questions
What freight class is carpet?
Carpet tile cartons rate about class 65 (about 24 lb/ft³). Cushion rolls rate about class 125, and broadloom rolls vary with their length and thickness.
Why is broadloom carpet expensive to ship LTL?
Because it is made 12 feet wide, so each roll is 12 feet long. That adds $925 at XPO or $775 at FedEx Freight, and FedEx may refuse pieces 12 feet or longer.
How much does a carton of carpet tiles weigh?
Mohawk Group lists 29.1 lb for 24 planks of 12 × 36 inches; Greatmats lists 37 lb for 20 tiles of 19.7 inches square.
How should carpet rolls be stored?
Flat, face-out around a tube, with nothing heavy on top, and turned every six weeks if stored long, to avoid roll crush.