Freight class is a standard classification system for shipments, defined by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA). It's used to categorize commodities like Advertising for transport, taking into account factors like weight, dimensions, density, storage capability, ease of handling, and liability. Freight class is a system to categorize different types of goods being shipped.
Density is a key concept in freight shipping, as it significantly impacts the freight class for commodities like Advertising and hence, the shipping cost. It is calculated as the weight of the shipment divided by its volume. It's the ratio of weight to volume for a given shipment.
Stowability is used in freight shipping to describe how easily an item can be stowed or stored in relation to other items. For example, when trying to understand stowability for Advertising, it is important to know if the item can be packaged efficiently and stowed onto the truck easily. In other words- Stowability is how well a freight item can be loaded and stored on a trailer.
Liability is a term used to refer to the accountability or risk involved in transporting Advertising. It's one of the factors considered when determining freight class. Liability is the accountability of the carrier for the safety and integrity of a shipment.
Handling refers to the procedures and precautions taken when moving and storing Advertising. It is one of the factors considered when determining freight class for Advertising. Handling is about the care taken when transporting freight.
Tips
Books
Sheets
--
--
Common Commodity Items
Classes
For many NMFC® codes there isn’t just one single class that is applied. Often, NMFC® numbers have multiple "sub-classes", which are almost always based on the density of the shipment. In the instance where your NMFC® number has multiple sub classes, it's best to contact an expert, like Koho, to help identify which subclass to use.
An organization known as the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) publishes a list of freight class designations, codes, and subclasses for many commonly shipped commodities (https://classit.nmfta.org/). You must pay a subscription fee to view this list. For more information about freight classes for free on our freight classes pages.
No. If you claim that your freight is a lower class than it actually is, your carrier will likely find out. They will charge you a fee for reclassifying the freight and charge you the appropriate amount for the actual class of your freight after it has been shipped.
