Freight Class 70
Class 70 is one of the most common LTL classes, covering food items, auto engines and machinery parts at 15–22.5 lb/ft³.
Class 70 at a glance
Class 70 is the freight class for shipments that measure 15 to just under 22.5 pounds per cubic foot. Engines and cased food on a pallet often land in this band. Carriers re-measure at the dock, so measure the loaded pallet, not the cartons inside it.
Density range 15 to under 22.5 lb/ft³
- Density band — 15 up to just under 22.5 lb/ft³. At 22.5 it rates class 65, which costs less.
- Standard pallet — 48 by 40 by 48 inches is 53.3 ft³. Class 70 runs 800 to 1,200 lb.
- Class follows density — it comes from the density you measure, not from the product name.
- Know your dimensions? Check your shipment in the calculator.
What is class 70 freight?
Class 70 is where dense, everyday freight lands: canned and bottled food, engines on skids, boxed machinery parts. A shipment rates class 70 when it weighs 15 to just under 22.5 pounds for every cubic foot it fills, on the NMFC scale in force since July 19, 2025. A standard 48 × 40 × 48 in pallet is 53.3 cubic feet, so it rates class 70 at about 800 to 1,200 lb. Heavier than that, it drops to class 65; lighter, it rises to class 85.
Class 70 freight description
Class 70 sits at the sweet spot of the NMFC scale: dense enough to be cheap, common enough that most general-freight shippers touch it weekly. Freight lands here when it weighs 15 to just under 22.5 pounds for every cubic foot it occupies — think goods that are genuinely heavy but ship inside real packaging: cases of canned food on a pallet, an automobile engine bolted to a skid, machine components boxed with dunnage. The raw materials below it (steel bar, tile, brick) pack tighter and rate class 50–65; the consumer goods above it (appliances, electronics) trap more air and rate class 85 and up.
In practice, a well-stacked standard pallet is the class-70 signature. A 48" × 40" pallet loaded 48" high holds about 53 cubic feet, so anywhere from roughly 800 to 1,200 pounds on that footprint puts you in the class-70 density band. Under-fill the pallet or leave air in the cartons and the same goods drift up a class — and up in price.
Class 70 worked examples
Three real pallets, measured at their outside size with the pallet included. The last one shows how little it takes to leave class 70.
Palletized canned food — solid class 70
A 48" × 40" pallet stacked 48" high with cases of canned goods, 1,000 lb total.
48 × 40 × 48 = 92,160 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 53.3 ft³. Density = 1,000 lb ÷ 53.3 ft³.
18.75 lb/ft³ → squarely inside 15–22.5 → class 70.
Engine on a skid — class 70
A rebuilt engine strapped to a 42" × 36" skid, 30" high overall, 450 lb.
42 × 36 × 30 = 45,360 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 26.25 ft³. Density = 450 lb ÷ 26.25 ft³.
17.1 lb/ft³ → class 70.
The same pallet, 220 lb lighter — class 85
The identical 48" × 40" × 48" pallet, but loaded to only 780 lb.
Volume is still 53.3 ft³. Density = 780 lb ÷ 53.3 ft³ = 14.6 lb/ft³ — just under the 15 lb/ft³ floor.
14.6 lb/ft³ → class 85 on the current NMFC scale (the pre-2025 table said 77.5). One missing layer of cases moved the whole shipment up a full class step.
What class 70 means for your rate
Freight class is one of the main inputs in every LTL tariff: the lower the class, the less you pay per hundred pounds (CWT). Class 70 is in the cheaper third of the 18-class scale, so it prices well below the classes light freight falls into — the same lane and weight rated class 125 or 175 can cost half again as much or more, simply because lighter freight uses more trailer space per pound.
The practical risk near class 70 is the band's bottom edge at 15 lb/ft³. Carriers reweigh and re-measure freight at the dock, and a shipment billed as class 70 that inspects at 14.6 lb/ft³ gets rebilled at class 85 — plus, with most carriers, an inspection fee. Since the July 19, 2025 NMFC density scale (Docket 2025-1) there is no class 77.5 step between them, so slipping under 15 lb/ft³ now costs a full class jump. If your density is hovering just under the line, consolidating cartons, shortening the pallet, or adding a second layer of product usually costs nothing and locks in the lower class. The calculator below shows exactly where your load sits.
What ships as class 70
Goods that often measure into class 70 when packed normally. Your own density, or a specific NMFC listing, decides the final class:
- Automobile engines
- Food items (non-perishable)
- Machinery parts
- Caskets
- Newspapers in bulk
Related commodity guides:
Is your shipment class 70?
Enter the size and weight of your pallet or crate. If the density comes out between 15 and just under 22.5 lb/ft³, it is class 70.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
18.75
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
1,000
lb
15–22.5 lb/ft³ → Class 70
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 70?
Canned and bottled food on pallets, engines on skids and boxed machinery parts often measure 15 to 22.5 lb/ft³. In the examples above, a pallet of canned food measured 18.75 lb/ft³ and an engine on a skid 17.1 lb/ft³. For some items a specific NMFC listing sets the class instead of density.
Is class 70 cheaper than class 85 or 92.5?
Yes. LTL rates rise with class, so class 70 prices below 85 and 92.5 for the same lane and weight. That's why it pays to check whether tighter packing or palletizing lifts your density above 15 lb/ft³.
What density do I need for freight class 70?
15 to just under 22.5 pounds per cubic foot. Divide total weight (lb) by total cubic feet (L × W × H ÷ 1,728, including the pallet) — if the result is in that band, the density-based class is 70.
Can my class-70 shipment get reclassified?
Yes — carriers reweigh and re-measure at the terminal. If the inspected density falls below 15 lb/ft³, the shipment is rebilled at class 85 or higher, usually with an inspection fee added. Measure honestly, include the pallet in the height, and keep the paperwork.