Freight Class for Medical Equipment
Mobility equipment is light for its size: a Drive ZooMe folding scooter, 37 × 17 × 33 inches and 60 lb, measures about 5 lb/ft³, class 175. The batteries matter more than the class. Under 49 CFR 173.220, battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids ship by highway under a hazmat exception if the batteries are secured and protected, and Pride says to ship power chair batteries in separate boxes.
Sizes and weights
Drive Medical lists its ZooMe Auto-Flex folding scooter at 37 × 17 × 33 inches and 60 lb. Measured at that size, before any carton, it comes to about 5 lb/ft³, class 175. Pride's Jazzy Elite ES power chair breaks down into pieces: the heaviest is 69 lb, the seat 50.2 lb, and each of its two batteries 25 lb.
Larger equipment ships heavier but in several cartons. Drive lists a full-electric home care bed in two cartons with a shipping weight of 182 lb, and a battery-powered patient lift at 122 lb.
Worked examples
Sizes and weights come from Drive Medical's and Pride Mobility's product data.
Folding mobility scooter — class 175
Drive ZooMe Auto-Flex at its listed size, 37 × 17 × 33 in, 60 lb.
37 × 17 × 33 = 20,757 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 12.0 ft³. Density = 60 lb ÷ 12.0 ft³.
5.0 lb/ft³ → class 175, before any carton is added.
Batteries in mobility equipment
Under 49 CFR 173.220, battery-powered wheelchairs and mobility aids moving by highway, rail or vessel are excepted from the rest of the hazmat rules, apart from § 173.21, if the batteries are secured, the terminals protected against short circuits, and wet batteries kept upright. The emergency response guide lists "Wheelchair, electric, with batteries" under UN3171, the battery-powered vehicle entry.
If a lithium battery is removed and packed in the same box as the device, § 173.220 says the package must be shipped as UN3481, lithium ion batteries packed with equipment, under the lithium battery rules in § 173.185.
Follow the maker's packing
Pride's owner's manual says that to ship a power chair by freight, it should be repacked in its original shipping container, with the batteries in separate boxes. Keeping the original packaging is the simplest way to ship mobility equipment safely.
Multi-carton items such as beds should be labeled "1 of 2" and "2 of 2", and counted at delivery. A bed missing its second carton cannot be assembled.
Check your equipment shipment
Enter each carton's size and weight, or the pallet's size and total weight. Count every carton of a multi-carton item.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
5.01
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
267
lb
4–6 lb/ft³ → Class 175
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 medical equipment?
It depends on the device. A folding mobility scooter measures about 5 lb/ft³, class 175; denser equipment rates lower. Measure each carton.
How do you ship a power wheelchair?
In its original shipping container, with the batteries in separate boxes, as Pride's manual says. By highway, 49 CFR 173.220 excepts battery-powered wheelchairs from most hazmat rules if the batteries are secured and protected.
Are wheelchair batteries hazmat?
They can be. A wheelchair with batteries is listed under UN3171; a lithium battery removed and packed with the device ships as UN3481 under 49 CFR 173.185.
How much does a hospital bed weigh to ship?
Drive lists 182 lb, in two cartons, for its Delta Ultra-Light full-electric home care bed.