Freight Class for Pet Food
Pet food ships at roughly freight class 70 to 100 — canned is dense and low-class, bagged kibble is lighter.
What is the freight class for pet food?
Canned wet food is heavy and rates low, while large bags of dry kibble are bulkier for their weight and rate higher. Full pallets of cased product keep density up.
Because freight class is density-driven, there isn’t a single fixed number for pet food — class 70–100 is the common range. Run your actual dimensions and weight below to pin it down.
Two physically opposite products, one commodity
Pet food splits harder than almost any food category, because canned wet food and bagged dry kibble are physical opposites sold under one name. A case of wet food is water and protein in steel — extremely dense, denser even than most canned human food, rating comfortably at the bottom of the range. A bag of kibble is baked, extruded pellets with air baked into every piece and more air settling between them in the bag; palletized, it measures light and rates a full class or two higher. Same brand, same aisle, opposite freight.
The consequence is that a mixed pet-food shipment's class depends entirely on the wet-to-dry ratio by volume, and that ratio is rarely obvious from the order sheet. Distributors who assume a single "pet food" class routinely misquote — the cans could have shipped cheaper alone, or the kibble's bulk quietly dragged the whole pallet up. Both are checkable in a minute against the real load.
Pet Food freight class: worked examples
Density is weight ÷ volume (cubic feet = L × W × H in inches ÷ 1,728). Here is how typical pet food shipments measure out:
Cased canned pet food — class 70
Cases of canned wet food on a 48" × 40" pallet, 42" high, 1,000 lb.
48 × 40 × 42 = 80,640 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 46.7 ft³. Density = 1,000 lb ÷ 46.7 ft³.
21.4 lb/ft³ → class 70 — wet food is dense, steel-and-water freight.
Bagged dry kibble, palletized flat — class 100
Kibble bags layered flat, 60" high on a 48" × 40" pallet, 650 lb.
48 × 40 × 60 = 115,200 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 66.7 ft³. Density = 650 lb ÷ 66.7 ft³.
9.7 lb/ft³ → class 100 — kibble's baked-in air rates it a full range above the cans.
The same kibble stood upright with gaps — class 125
The identical 650 lb of bags stood on end with air between them, measuring 72" high.
48 × 40 × 72 = 138,240 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 80.0 ft³. Density = 650 lb ÷ 80.0 ft³ = 8.1 lb/ft³.
8.1 lb/ft³ → class 125. Laying the bags flat to compress the air is worth a class.
Kibble settles, cans don't move
Cans need only what canned goods always need: a full, weight-rated pallet and no overbuilding past what the bottom layer can bear. Kibble is where the attention goes. Bags of dry food carry a lot of built-in air, and how they're stacked decides the class — bags laid flat and layered compress the air out and pack denser than bags stood upright with gaps between them. A palletized kibble load also settles in transit, so a bag stacked to a bulging height measures worse than the same bags stacked flat and square.
Large-format bulk bags and bagged feed follow the kibble rules but reward palletizing even more, since a loose stack of 40-pound bags is nearly all gaps. And treats and supplements — small, dense, valuable — behave like the cans: pack them tight, and where value per pound is high, confirm whether the NMFC item and coverage matter alongside the density figure.
What affects pet food freight class
- Canned (dense) vs. bagged kibble
- Bag size and air content
- Palletization
- Net weight per case
Common pet food shipments include canned pet food, dry kibble in bags, treats and supplements, bulk feed.
Class guides covering the 70–100 range:
Calculate the freight class for your pet food
Enter dimensions and weight to get the density-based class for your exact shipment.
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
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 freight class is pet food?
Pet Food typically ships at freight class 70–100. The exact class is set by density — weight divided by volume — so packaging and dimensions can move it within that range.
What affects the freight class of pet food?
The main factors are canned (dense) vs. bagged kibble, bag size and air content, palletization, net weight per case. Denser, tightly packed loads rate a lower class and cost less to ship.
How do I find the exact freight class for pet food?
Measure your shipment and divide weight by volume to get density, then match it to the NMFC scale — the calculator above does this. Confirm the final class and NMFC item number with your carrier before booking.
What freight class is pet food?
Canned wet food is dense, measuring around 20–25 lb/ft³ → class 65–70. Bagged dry kibble is much lighter at 8–10 lb/ft³ → class 100–125. A mixed pallet lands between, set by the wet-to-dry ratio — run the actual load.
Why does dry pet food ship at a higher class than canned?
Kibble is extruded with air baked into each pellet, and more air settles between pellets in the bag. That makes bagged dry food far less dense than canned wet food, so it rates a class or two higher despite being the same commodity.
How do I lower the freight class on bagged pet food?
Lay the bags flat and layer them to compress the built-in air, palletize full and square, and avoid standing bags upright with gaps between them. Flat-stacked kibble can measure a full class denser than the same bags stood on end.