When you ship your products as LTL (less-than-truckload), you will need to assign your shipment a freight class number. The freight class number is a standard code published by the National Motor Freight and Traffic Association which allows carriers to quickly identify qualities of the shipment and assist with transportation logistics.
Lighting comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and weights. Because of this, the freight class for lighting can range from 60-400. We list some common lighting items and their associated freight class codes here. Generally, the lower the freight class code, the cheaper the shipment will be.
Density is identified by the dimension and weight of your shipment. Items like lamps and floor standing lamps can have varying freight class codes based on the density of individual pieces.
Does your shipment require any special handling? Loose lights must be in boxes or crates which can affect the freight class code.
Liability is defined by the value of your shipment and its likeliness to be stolen or damaged. High valued equipment such as custom fixtures can increase your shipment’s freight class number.
Is your equipment difficult to stow or transport? Heavier or unconventionally-sized items such as traffic lights can increase your shipment’s freight class, increasing your cost to ship.
Tips
Lamps, Lighting Fixtures, Floor Standing Lamps, String Lights, Fluorescent Lights
Floor Lights, Roof Lights, Vault Lights
Traffic Lights
Plugin Night Lights
60, 65, 70, 85, 92.5, 100, 125, 175, 250, 300, 400
60
60, 65, 70, 85, 92.5, 100, 125, 175, 250, 300, 400
125
This encompasses a large amount of commodities, please ensure you know the density of your pallet to select the correct subclass.
Loose lights must be in boxes or crates for LTL transport.
The density of your shipment will ultimately determine which class you should select.
These lights must be plugin directly, no cord in order to qualify as a “night light.”
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.
Depending on the lights you are shipping, the class is likely to be higher in nature, as lights tend to be less dense. It will be rare that your lights are of a lower class, unless they are made from denser material.
Since lights often use glass or other breakable materials, it’s always recommended to package them in a crate when possible, or within industrial quality boxes.
