Freight Class 60
Class 60 applies to dense, durable goods such as auto parts and packaged hardware (30–35 lb/ft³). They handle and stow easily, so they remain inexpensive to ship LTL.
Class 60 at a glance
Freight class 60 covers freight that weighs at least 30 pounds per cubic foot but under 35. Carrier class charts list car parts and accessories in this band. That is 1,600 to 1,866 pounds on a 48 by 40 inch pallet stacked 48 inches high.
Density range 30 to under 35 lb/ft³
- Density band — 30 up to just under 35 lb/ft³. Class 55 starts at 35, class 65 at 22.5.
- Four factors, not one — density is one of four NMFC factors. The others are stowability, handling and liability.
- Tall pallets get cubed — many carriers treat a unit 75 inches or taller as 96 inches.
- Know your dimensions? Check your shipment in the calculator.
What is class 60 freight?
Class 60 is for dense, sturdy freight that weighs 30 to just under 35 pounds per cubic foot: boxed auto parts, bottled drinks in trays, die castings. The band is only 5 lb/ft³ wide, so an ordinary change to a load can move it. On a 48 × 40 × 48 in pallet (53.3 ft³), class 60 means about 1,600 to 1,867 lb. Heavier than that is class 55; lighter is class 65.
Class 60 freight description
Class 60 describes freight in the 30 to just-under-35 lb/ft³ band — dense industrial and packaged goods that still carry some real packaging around them. Where class 50 and 55 belong to raw material (brick, bar stock, bundled flooring), class 60 is where boxed density lives: cases of auto parts, coiled steel cable, die castings in cartons, bottled beverages in trays. The product is heavy; the cartons, dividers and tray gaps are what keep it out of the lower classes.
It's still firmly in the cheap third of the NMFC scale. A carrier can load class-60 freight to the trailer's weight limit long before running out of floor space, and the tariff rewards that. For a shipper, the difference between booking class 60 and drifting up to 65 or 70 is usually not the product at all — it's how much air ships inside each handling unit.
Class 60 worked examples
Three pallets measured at their outside size, pallet included. The last one shows how removing one layer changes the class.
Palletized auto parts — class 60
Cases of auto parts on a 48" × 40" pallet, 42" high, 1,500 lb.
48 × 40 × 42 = 80,640 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 46.7 ft³. Density = 1,500 lb ÷ 46.7 ft³.
32.1 lb/ft³ → inside 30–35 → class 60.
Bottled beverages in trays — class 60
Trays of bottled drinks stacked 54" high on a 48" × 40" pallet, 1,850 lb.
48 × 40 × 54 = 103,680 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 60.0 ft³. Density = 1,850 lb ÷ 60.0 ft³.
30.8 lb/ft³ → class 60, near the floor — worth re-checking after any change.
The same parts pallet, 120 lb lighter — class 65
The identical 46.7 ft³ pallet of parts, loaded to 1,380 lb.
Density = 1,380 lb ÷ 46.7 ft³ = 29.6 lb/ft³ — just under the 30 lb/ft³ floor.
29.6 lb/ft³ → class 65. One removed layer of cases moved the class.
Working the class 55–65 boundaries
Class 60's band is only 5 lb/ft³ wide, with a cheaper class touching each edge — and unusually, both directions pay. Load the pallet heavier and tighter and you cross 35 lb/ft³ into class 55; that's the direction consolidation pushes. Cases of dense parts stacked one layer higher, or two half-pallets combined into one, often tip the unit over the line and cut the rate.
The risk edge is at 30 lb/ft³. A blended pallet — dense parts on the bottom, a few light cartons of filters or trim on top — dilutes the unit's density and can drop the whole thing under 30, rebilling it at class 65 or 70. When your density check lands between 29 and 31 lb/ft³, split the light freight onto its own unit or leave it off entirely; the calculator below makes it a thirty-second check per configuration.
What ships as class 60
Goods that often measure into class 60. Your density, or a specific NMFC listing, decides the final class:
- Car parts and accessories
- Steel cable and wire
- Used auto tires
- Bottled beverages
- Die castings
Related commodity guides:
Is your shipment class 60?
Enter the pallet size and its full weight. A result from 30 to just under 35 lb/ft³ is class 60.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
32.49
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
1,733
lb
30–35 lb/ft³ → Class 60
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 goods are class 60?
Boxed car parts, bottled drinks in trays, steel cable and die castings often measure 30 to 35 lb/ft³. In the examples above, a pallet of auto parts measured 32.1 lb/ft³ and a pallet of bottled drinks 30.8 lb/ft³.
Is class 60 freight cheap to ship?
Yes — it's the third-lowest class of 18, so it prices well below the mid classes. Only classes 50 and 55 rate lower for the same lane and weight.
What density do I need for freight class 60?
30 to just under 35 pounds per cubic foot, measured on the full handling unit including the pallet. Weight in pounds divided by cubic feet (L × W × H in inches ÷ 1,728) tells you immediately.
Can I get class 55 instead of 60?
If you can push the unit's density to 35 lb/ft³ or higher — usually by stacking dense cases higher on the same footprint or consolidating two light pallets into one — the density-based class drops to 55 and the rate drops with it.