Freight Class 150
Class 150 is typical for auto sheet metal, bookcases and assembled furniture (6–7 lb/ft³).
What is freight class 150?
Freight class 150 is one of the 18 classes in the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC). It applies to LTL shipments whose density falls between 6 to under 7 lb/ft³. Density is weight ÷ volume, so a shipment lands in class 150 when it weighs that much for the space it occupies. Lower classes (denser freight) cost less to ship; higher classes (lighter, bulkier freight) cost more, because they use more trailer space per pound.
Class 150 freight description
Class 150 is the large-and-flat class. At 6 to just under 7 lb/ft³ its typical residents — auto body panels, flat-packed bookcases, truck caps, cased furniture — are wide, thin things: real material spread over a big footprint rather than air trapped inside a box. That geometry is the whole story of shipping this band. A hood or a boxed bookcase is only a few inches thick, so how it's oriented, stacked and cased decides whether the measured cube is honest or inflated.
Flat freight rewards flat thinking. Panels cased upright in an A-frame measure tall and mostly empty; the same panels layered flat in a stack measure exactly what they are. Truck caps are the exception that proves it — they can't nest, can't stack, and must ship in their finished curved shape, which is why a 420-pound cap still books at class 150 while a heavier crate of flat panels can beat it by a class or two.
Class 150 worked examples
Density is weight ÷ volume (cubic feet = L × W × H in inches ÷ 1,728). Here is how real shipments land in — and fall out of — class 150:
Pickup truck cap — class 150
A fiberglass truck cap on a frame, 78" × 65" × 22", 420 lb crated.
78 × 65 × 22 = 111,540 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 64.5 ft³. Density = 420 lb ÷ 64.5 ft³.
6.5 lb/ft³ → inside 6–7 → class 150.
Flat-packed bookcases on a pallet — class 150
Boxed knock-down bookcases stacked 45" high on a 48" × 40" pallet, 330 lb.
48 × 40 × 45 = 86,400 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 50.0 ft³. Density = 330 lb ÷ 50.0 ft³.
6.6 lb/ft³ → class 150.
The same stack plus one more carton — class 125
The identical 50 ft³ pallet with one more flat-packed unit, 360 lb total, same height.
Density = 360 lb ÷ 50.0 ft³ = 7.2 lb/ft³ — over the 7 lb/ft³ line.
7.2 lb/ft³ → class 125. Flat goods stack tight, so added weight buys the cheaper class.
Orientation, stacking, and the cheap direction
The cheap direction from class 150 is down through 125 by adding real weight to the same cube — one more flat-packed unit in the stack, one more layer of panels — because flat goods stack with almost no added air. That's the reverse of the light classes above 200, where the win comes from cutting cube; here the cube is already tight, so filling it out pays. If your standard pallet ships at 6.5 lb/ft³, check what one more carton does: it often tips the unit past 7 and into class 125.
Guard the fragile side of flatness, too. Wide thin goods flex, and a warped case measured at its bowed corners bills bigger than its contents. Rigid casing, corner boards and banding keep the measured dimensions at the design dimensions — and on a case that's 70 inches wide, one bowed inch of height is real money over a season of shipments.
Typical class 150 commodities
Goods that are commonly rated freight class 150 include:
- Auto sheet metal parts
- Bookcases
- Assembled wood furniture
- Pickup truck caps
These are typical examples. The exact class of any item depends on its NMFC item number and measured density — always confirm with your carrier or broker.
Commodity guides that overlap class 150:
Check if your shipment is class 150
Enter your dimensions and weight — if the density lands in 6 to under 7 lb/ft³, you’re in class 150.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
6.51
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
347
lb
6–7 lb/ft³ → Class 150
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 is freight class 150?
Freight class 150 is the NMFC class for shipments with a density of 6 to under 7 lb/ft³. Typical examples include auto sheet metal parts, bookcases, assembled wood furniture.
What products are freight class 150?
Goods commonly rated class 150 include auto sheet metal parts, bookcases, assembled wood furniture, pickup truck caps. The actual class depends on the item's density and NMFC item number, so verify with your carrier.
How is freight class 150 determined?
Divide the shipment weight in pounds by its volume in cubic feet. A density of 6 to under 7 lb/ft³ maps to class 150 on the NMFC density scale. Use the calculator above to check your shipment.
What density is freight class 150?
6 to just under 7 pounds per cubic foot, measured on the finished handling unit at its extreme points. Divide total weight by cubic feet (L × W × H in inches ÷ 1,728) — the calculator on this page does it for you.
Is class 150 freight expensive?
Upper-middle. It rates above the midpoint classes (92.5–125) and below the genuinely light bands (175–500). For flat-packed goods the cheapest fix is usually stacking one more unit onto the same footprint to cross into class 125.
Why does my flat-packed furniture rate class 150 instead of lower?
Flat-pack helps enormously — assembled, the same furniture often rates 250–300 — but the cartons still contain hardware voids and protective layers. If the pallet measures just under 7 lb/ft³, denser stacking or one added carton typically reaches class 125.