Freight Class for Toys
Toys have no single freight class. Heavy, flat-packed playsets are dense: Backyard Discovery's five-box Slate Ridge swing set weighs 674.6 lb and measures 12.4 lb/ft³, class 85. Hollow plastic toys are light: a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe in its carton measures 4.3 lb/ft³, class 175. Toys also need a children's product certificate with each shipment.
Heavy playsets, light ride-ons
Backyard Discovery lists the five boxes of its Slate Ridge swing set: four long boxes of 141 to 165 lb and a fifth of 62 lb, 674.6 lb in all. Together they take up 54.5 cubic feet, so the set measures 12.4 lb/ft³, class 85. Wood is heavy, and flat-packed beams leave little empty space.
A molded plastic toy is the opposite. Little Tikes ships the Cozy Coupe in a carton 29¼ × 16¾ × 15½ inches that weighs 19 lb, which is only 4.3 lb/ft³, class 175. Hollow plastic toys are light for their size, even packed down.
Worked examples
Box sizes and weights come from the makers' product pages. The swing set adds up the volume of all five boxes.
Wooden swing set, five boxes — class 85
Backyard Discovery Slate Ridge: five boxes, about 92 inches long, 674.6 lb in total.
Box volumes add up to 94,128 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 54.5 ft³. Density = 674.6 lb ÷ 54.5 ft³.
12.4 lb/ft³ → class 85.
Plastic ride-on car — class 175
Little Tikes Cozy Coupe in its carton: 29¼ × 16¾ × 15½ in, 19 lb.
29.25 × 16.75 × 15.5 = 7,594 in³ ÷ 1,728 = 4.4 ft³. Density = 19 lb ÷ 4.4 ft³.
4.3 lb/ft³ → class 175.
Long boxes and length charges
The swing set's boxes are about 92 inches long. That is just under the 8-foot (96-inch) point where XPO and FedEx Freight start adding a charge for long pieces, so the boxes ship without one. A playset with 10-foot beams would pay $460 at XPO or $375 at FedEx Freight on top of the rate.
Battery ride-ons add one more check. A Peg Perego John Deere Gator ride-on weighs 61 lb. If a ride-on's lead-acid battery qualifies as non-spillable, 49 CFR 173.159a requires the battery and its outer package to be marked "NON-SPILLABLE", unless the battery is installed in equipment shipped unpackaged.
Children's product rules
Under 16 CFR 1250.2, every toy must meet the applicable parts of ASTM F963-23, the mandatory federal toy safety standard. Under 16 CFR 1110.13, a certificate must go with each finished product, or each shipment of it, that has to be certified.
For an importer or brand, that means the certificate has to be ready before the freight moves, not after. The carrier will not ask for it, but a retailer or customs can.
Check your toy shipment
Enter the carton or pallet size and the total weight. For a set that ships in several boxes, add up their volumes and weights first.
Density-based estimate. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class — check our freight class by commodity pages.
Estimated Freight Class
Density
13.5
lb/ft³
Volume
53.33
ft³
Weight
720
lb
12–15 lb/ft³ → Class 85
NMFC density scale (Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025)
Pre-July-2025 table: class 77.5. Use it only if your carrier contract still prices on the old table.
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 toys?
It depends on the toy. A boxed wooden swing set can measure 12.4 lb/ft³ (class 85), while a plastic ride-on car in its carton measures 4.3 lb/ft³ (class 175).
How heavy is a swing set to ship?
Backyard Discovery's Slate Ridge swing set ships in five boxes totaling 674.6 lb. Gorilla Playsets lists 405 to 416 lb in 3 to 5 boxes for its Outing swing set.
Do toys need a certificate to ship?
Yes. Under 16 CFR 1110.13, a certificate must accompany each finished product, or each shipment of it, that must be certified, and under 16 CFR 1250.2 toys must meet ASTM F963-23.
Do long playset boxes cost extra?
Only past 8 feet at carriers such as XPO and FedEx Freight. Boxes about 92 inches long, like Backyard Discovery's, stay under that line.