Freight Class 125
Class 125 covers small household appliances and similar goods (6–8 lb/ft³ on the current NMFC scale) that are bulkier relative to their weight.
What is class 125 freight?
Class 125 covers freight that weighs 6 to just under 8 pounds per cubic foot on the NMFC scale used since July 19, 2025. It is typical for small appliances in retail boxes, such as microwaves and vacuums, where foam and air take up much of each carton. The band doubled in 2025: it now also takes in 6–7 lb/ft³ freight that used to rate class 150. On a 48 × 40 × 48 in pallet (53.3 ft³), class 125 means about 320 to 427 lb.
What lands in class 125 — the boxed-air problem
Class 125 covers 6 to just under 8 lb/ft³. Until July 19, 2025 it was only the 7–8 slice; NMFC Docket 2025-1 widened it to take in 6–7 lb/ft³ freight that used to rate class 150. Its signature freight is the small appliance in retail packaging: microwaves, vacuum cleaners, space heaters, countertop kitchen equipment. The products themselves aren't especially light — a microwave is mostly steel and glass — but retail cartons are engineered for shelf presentation and drop protection, not freight density. Molded foam, corner blocks and box-in-box packaging mean a large share of every carton is air, and the NMFC scale prices that air.
This makes class 125 one of the most packaging-sensitive classes on the scale. The same product in bulk brown-box packaging, or several units consolidated into one master carton, can measure a class or two denser than the retail-boxed version. Shippers moving repeated volume through this band usually save more by revisiting the packaging spec than by negotiating the rate.
Class 125 worked examples
Three pallets measured at their outside size. The last one shows what a layer of trapped air costs.
Palletized microwaves — class 125
Retail-boxed microwaves stacked 60" high on a 48" × 40" pallet, 500 lb.
48 × 40 × 60 = 115,200 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 66.7 ft³. Density = 500 lb ÷ 66.7 ft³.
7.5 lb/ft³ → inside 6–8 → class 125.
Vacuum cleaners in retail cartons — class 125
A 48" × 40" pallet of boxed vacuums, 48" high, 400 lb.
48 × 40 × 48 = 92,160 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 53.3 ft³. Density = 400 lb ÷ 53.3 ft³.
7.5 lb/ft³ → class 125.
The same microwave pallet, packed one layer denser — class 100
The identical 500 lb of microwaves, restacked with rotated layers to 54" high.
48 × 40 × 54 = 103,680 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 60.0 ft³. Density = 500 lb ÷ 60.0 ft³ = 8.3 lb/ft³ — over the 8 lb/ft³ line.
8.3 lb/ft³ → class 100 (8 to under 10 on the current scale). Six inches of trapped air was the whole class difference.
How to ship class 125 freight for less
Palletize tight and cube the layers. Retail cartons stack with gaps when their footprint doesn't divide evenly into 48" × 40" — rotating alternate layers or switching to a carton count that tiles the pallet removes trapped air between boxes, and every removed inch of dead space pushes density up toward class 100 (8 to under 10 lb/ft³), the next cheaper band on the current scale.
Watch the top of the stack, too. Carriers dimension to the highest point of the unit, so a single carton perched on an otherwise flat top layer bills the whole pallet as if that empty height were full. Level layers, even if it means leaving two cartons for the next shipment, routinely beat a taller uneven stack on price. The calculator below shows exactly which side of the 6 and 8 lb/ft³ lines any configuration lands on.
What ships as class 125
Goods that often measure into class 125 in their retail packaging. Your density, or a specific NMFC listing, decides the final class:
- Small household appliances
- Vacuum cleaners
- Portable heaters
- Microwave ovens
Related commodity guides:
Is your shipment class 125?
Enter the pallet or carton size and the total weight. From 6 to just under 8 lb/ft³ is class 125; from 8 up it is class 100.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
6.99
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
373
lb
6–8 lb/ft³ → Class 125
NMFC density scale (Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025)
Pre-July-2025 table: class 150. Use it only if your carrier contract still prices on the old table.
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 125?
The NMFC class for shipments measuring 6 to just under 8 pounds per cubic foot on the current NMFC scale (Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025) — typically small household appliances and similar goods in protective retail packaging. It sits in the upper-middle of the scale, so it rates noticeably above the dense classes.
How do I get a lower class than 125?
Increase the handling unit's density past 8 lb/ft³: consolidate units into master cartons, tile cartons to the pallet footprint without gaps, and keep layers level. The same goods at 8 to under 10 lb/ft³ rate class 100.
Does the retail box really change my freight class?
Yes. Class is measured on shipped dimensions, and retail packaging with molded foam can be a third air by volume. Bulk-packed or master-cartoned versions of the same product regularly measure into a cheaper class.