Freight Class for Flooring
Boxed flooring is dense, so a pallet usually rates freight class 50 or 55. Cartons of vinyl plank, laminate and engineered wood weigh 31 to 55 lb, and a pallet of 40 cartons of Shaw engineered hardwood carries about 2,200 lb. Built to Shaw's own 44-inch height limit on a 48 × 40 pallet, that load measures about 46 lb/ft³, class 55.
Carton and pallet weights
Flooring makers publish their carton data. A box of COREtec Originals Premium vinyl plank holds six planks, 21.39 square feet, and weighs 49.76 lb, 35 boxes to a pallet. A Mannington LVT carton of 6 × 48 inch planks weighs 45.89 lb, 42 to a pallet. Pergo's 10 mm laminate comes 22.17 square feet to a 31.4 lb carton.
Wood weighs more per carton. Shaw's Americana Hickory engineered hardwood is 55 lb per carton of 22.14 square feet, 40 cartons and 885.6 square feet to a pallet, about 2,200 lb of flooring. Bruce's solid oak Dundee comes 50 cartons to a pallet.
Worked examples
Carton weights and pallet counts come from the makers' spec sheets; the pallet footprint and height in the first example are assumptions based on Shaw's packaging limits.
Pallet of engineered hardwood — class 55
Say 40 Shaw Americana Hickory cartons (55 lb each) on a 37 lb, 48 × 40 pallet, 44 inches high: 2,237 lb.
48 × 40 × 44 = 84,480 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 48.9 ft³. Density = 2,237 lb ÷ 48.9 ft³.
45.8 lb/ft³ → class 55.
Pallet of vinyl plank — weight check
35 COREtec Originals Premium boxes at 49.76 lb each.
35 × 49.76 = 1,741.6 lb of flooring, plus the pallet.
Within Shaw's 3,000 lb unit-load cap; plan for a forklift or a liftgate rated for it.
Why flooring rates low
Planks and boards pack almost solid in their cartons. Say Shaw's 40 cartons of engineered hardwood fill a 48 × 40 pallet to 44 inches, Shaw's own height limit: with a 37 lb pallet that is 2,237 lb in 48.9 cubic feet, about 46 lb/ft³, class 55. Denser loads reach class 50.
The weight is the thing to plan for. Mannington lists 20 pallets of its LVT cartons per container at about 38,500 lb, and single pallets of 1,700 to 2,200 lb need a forklift or a strong liftgate at delivery.
What buyers require
Large buyers set their own pallet rules. Shaw's supplier packaging guide caps unit loads at 3,000 lb, 48 inches wide and 44 inches high including the pallet, and expects vinyl flooring to stack 4 high, laminate 5 and hardwood 6. Cartons over 50 lb need Shaw's approval and a two-person-lift label, and cartons over 100 lb are not allowed.
Tarkett tells installers that its luxury plank cartons must be stored flat at all times. Ask the carrier not to stand flooring cartons on end, and mark the pallet "keep flat".
Check your flooring pallet
Enter the pallet's size from the floor and its total weight. Flooring will usually show class 50 or 55.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
54.99
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
2,933
lb
50+ lb/ft³ → Class 50
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 freight class is flooring?
Usually class 50 or 55. Cartons pack almost solid, so a 44-inch pallet of engineered hardwood measures about 46 lb/ft³.
How much does a pallet of vinyl plank flooring weigh?
About 1,700 to 1,950 lb of flooring: 35 COREtec boxes at 49.76 lb, or 42 Mannington cartons at 45.89 lb, plus the pallet.
How many boxes of flooring are on a pallet?
It varies: COREtec 35 boxes, Mannington 42 cartons, Shaw engineered hardwood 40 cartons, Bruce solid oak 50 cartons, Happy Feet LVP 60 boxes.
Should flooring cartons be stored flat?
Yes. Tarkett says its luxury plank cartons must be stored flat at all times, and Shaw expects flooring pallets to be stacked only 4 to 6 high.