Freight Class for Snack Foods
Bagged chips and snacks usually rate freight class 250, because the bags and cases are mostly air. A case of twelve 7.5 oz Kettle Brand bags weighs 7.29 lb in about 2 cubic feet, 3.6 lb/ft³. Shelf life matters too: Kettle Brand lists 182 days and a 55 to 90 °F storage range, so every day in transit counts.
Snacks are the lightest food freight
Campbell's Foodservice lists a case of twelve 7.5 oz Kettle Brand chip bags at 19.5 × 15.56 × 11.63 inches and 7.29 lb, which is about 3.6 lb/ft³, class 250. A case of nine 14 oz Cape Cod bags is about 3.8 lb/ft³, also class 250. Bags are filled with gas to protect the chips, and that space is billed like product.
Small bags are no denser. A Dieffenbach's case of forty 1 oz bags is 12 × 16 × 11.5 inches and 4.15 lb, about 3.2 lb/ft³. Good's packs its 1 oz chips 24 to a case and 72 cases to a pallet, 9 per layer and 8 layers high.
Worked examples
Case sizes and weights come from Campbell's Foodservice and distributor product pages.
Case of kettle chips — class 250
Kettle Brand, 12 × 7.5 oz bags: 19.5 × 15.56 × 11.63 in, 7.29 lb.
19.5 × 15.56 × 11.63 = 3,529 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 2.04 ft³. Density = 7.29 lb ÷ 2.04 ft³.
3.6 lb/ft³ → class 250.
Case of 1 oz bags — class 250
Dieffenbach's, 40 × 1 oz bags: 12 × 16 × 11.5 in, 4.15 lb.
12 × 16 × 11.5 = 2,208 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 1.28 ft³. Density = 4.15 lb ÷ 1.28 ft³.
3.2 lb/ft³ → class 250.
Shelf life and temperature
Snacks have short shelf lives. Kettle Brand lists 182 days for its 7.5 oz bags and a 55 to 90 °F storage range; Cape Cod's 14 oz bags list 154 days and a narrower 60 to 70 °F range.
Days spent in transit and in a warehouse come out of that shelf life, and a hot trailer in summer can push past the top of the range. Ship snacks in a steady, quick flow rather than holding them.
Keeping a light pallet stable
Snack cases are light and tall, so a pallet of them rarely reaches the weight a carrier's dock is built for, but it can shift and crush. Stack the cases square, wrap the pallet firmly and avoid top loads.
Because snacks are so light, a carrier may apply its light-freight rules to a large shipment. XPO, for example, bills shipments of 750 cubic feet or more under 6 lb/ft³ at a 6 lb/ft³ minimum. Check the cube on big snack orders.
Check your snack shipment
Enter the case or pallet size and the total weight. Snacks will usually show class 250; large shipments may also meet a carrier's light-freight minimum.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
3
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
160
lb
2–4 lb/ft³ → Class 250
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 are chips and snacks?
Usually class 250. A case of kettle chips measures about 3.6 lb/ft³, and a case of 1 oz bags about 3.2 lb/ft³.
How many cases of chips fit on a pallet?
It depends on the case. Good's packs 72 cases of 1 oz chips per pallet (9 per layer, 8 high); Dieffenbach's lists 70 cases of 40 × 1 oz bags.
What temperature should chips be shipped at?
Follow the maker's range: Kettle Brand lists 55 to 90 °F and Cape Cod 60 to 70 °F for their bagged chips.
Do big snack shipments cost extra?
They can. XPO bills shipments of 750 cubic feet or more under 6 lb/ft³ as if they weighed 6 lb per cubic foot, at class 125.