Freight Class 100
Class 100 is a mid-range class (8 to just under 10 lb/ft³ on the 2025 NMFC scale) covering covers, cases and lighter crated goods.
What is class 100 freight?
Class 100 sits in the middle of the scale. Freight rates class 100 when it weighs 8 to just under 10 pounds per cubic foot, on the NMFC scale used since July 19, 2025. Covers, canvas goods and nested empty crates often land here. The band grew in 2025 and now takes in 8–9 lb/ft³ freight that used to be class 110. On a 48 × 40 × 48 in pallet (53.3 ft³), class 100 is about 427 to 533 lb.
Class 100 — the middle of the scale
Class 100 marks the practical midpoint of the NMFC ladder: 8 to just under 10 lb/ft³ — a band that widened on July 19, 2025, when NMFC Docket 2025-1 folded the old class 110 step into it — where freight stops being weight-limited and starts being space-limited. The goods that live here — canvas covers, cased soft goods, caskets, empty wooden crates — aren't fragile or unusual; they simply carry a lot of volume for their weight. From this class upward, the freight bill is increasingly a bill for cubic feet, not pounds.
That shift changes what's worth optimizing. Below class 100, shippers win by adding weight to the same cube; at 100 and above, they win by removing cube from the same weight. Nesting, folding, knock-down construction and compression become the levers — an empty crate shipped assembled is nearly all air, and the same crate shipped flat can measure two or three classes denser.
Class 100 worked examples
Three shipments measured at their outside size. The last one shows what compressing soft goods can do.
Cartoned boat covers — class 100
A long carton of canvas boat covers, 48" × 24" × 24", 150 lb.
48 × 24 × 24 = 27,648 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 16.0 ft³. Density = 150 lb ÷ 16.0 ft³.
9.4 lb/ft³ → inside 8–10 → class 100.
Empty wooden crates, nested — class 100
Nested empty crates strapped on a 48" × 40" pallet, 60" high, 620 lb.
48 × 40 × 60 = 115,200 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 66.7 ft³. Density = 620 lb ÷ 66.7 ft³.
9.3 lb/ft³ → class 100. Assembled instead of nested, the same crates would rate far worse.
The covers, compressed and palletized — class 92.5
480 lb of the same canvas covers strapped tight on a 48" × 40" pallet, 40" high.
48 × 40 × 40 = 76,800 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 44.4 ft³. Density = 480 lb ÷ 44.4 ft³ = 10.8 lb/ft³ — over the 10 lb/ft³ line.
10.8 lb/ft³ → class 92.5. Compression moved the class.
Cutting cube at class 100
Start with whatever ships assembled that doesn't have to: crates, stands, frames and display units usually knock down to a fraction of their built volume. Then look at nesting — covers, bins and formed goods often stack inside each other, and a nested column of ten measures barely more than a column of six. Finally, check the carton spec: soft goods like canvas and covers tolerate compression well, and a vacuum-packed or tightly-strapped bale of the same product can move the unit over the 10 lb/ft³ line into class 92.5.
Quotes at this level are sensitive to small measurement differences — the band is only 2 lb/ft³ wide. An inch of extra height on a tall unit, or a rounded-up footprint, moves the number enough to matter. Measure the finished, wrapped unit at its widest points and run the exact figures through the calculator below; on a lane you ship weekly, knowing whether you're a true 9.8 or a true 10.1 is worth real money.
What ships as class 100
Goods that often measure into class 100. Your density, or a specific NMFC listing, decides the final class:
- Boat and car covers
- Canvas goods
- Wine cases
- Caskets
- Empty wooden crates
Related commodity guides:
Is your shipment class 100?
Enter the size and weight of your pallet or cartons. From 8 to just under 10 lb/ft³ is class 100.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
9
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
480
lb
8–10 lb/ft³ → Class 100
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 is freight class 100 used for?
Shipments measuring 8 to just under 10 lb/ft³ on the current NMFC density scale — typically bulky-but-normal goods like canvas covers, cased soft goods, caskets and empty crates. It's the scale's midpoint: from here up, rates are driven by the space freight occupies more than its weight.
Is freight class 100 expensive?
Mid-range. It rates well above the dense classes (50–70) but well below the light ones (125–400). On most lanes the bigger cost lever isn't negotiating the class-100 rate — it's re-packing so the shipment measures into 92.5 or 85.
How do I move freight from class 100 to a lower class?
Remove cube, not weight: knock down anything assembled, nest what stacks inside itself, and compress soft goods. Crossing 10 lb/ft³ reaches class 92.5; getting past 12 reaches class 85. The calculator on this page shows where each configuration lands.