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 Paper Articles 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 Paper Articles and hence, the shipping cost. It is calculated as the weight of the shipment divided by its volume. It's a measure used in shipping to determine how much space a certain weight of goods will occupy.
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 Paper Articles, it is important to know if the item can be packaged efficiently and stowed onto the truck easily. In other words- It's a term that refers to how well a freight item can be stowed or packed for transport.
Liability is a term used to refer to the accountability or risk involved in transporting Paper Articles. It's one of the factors considered when determining freight class. Liability is the potential cost a carrier could incur due to damaged or lost freight.
Handling refers to the procedures and precautions taken when moving and storing Paper Articles. It is one of the factors considered when determining freight class for Paper Articles. It's the steps taken to ensure the safe movement and storage of freight.
Tips
Paper Articles Paper Article Labels
Paper Articles or Paper Article Sets
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Applies only on sets consisting of one-time carbon paper combined with printing paper. The printing paper may be ruled or have the word 'copy' thereon. Sets may be in pads. in boxes
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.
The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) publishes a list of freight class designations, codes, and subclasses for commonly shipped items (https://classit.nmfta.org/). A subscription is required to view this list. You can read more about freight classes at Koho for free on our freight classes pages.
If the couch you are shipping has not been assembled yet and you are shipping various components that you can use freight class 250. If you are shipping a complete product then you should use freight class 175.
