National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) is a freight classification system created by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) and used for interstate, intrastate, and foreign commerce shipping of LTL cargo. NMFC freight codes provide standardized freight classes to determine the ease of transport of many of the huge variety of different commodities being shipped together in LTL shipments every year.

CWT stands for hundredweight. LTL shipments are priced “per 100 pounds,” “cwt,” or “per hundredweight.” This means that a 400 lb shipment priced at $25 CWT would cost $100, not including accessories or specialty services.

Density is the relationship between weight and size. A ping pong ball, which is very little material surrounding a good amount of air, is low density. Bricks, which are heavy for their size, are high density. In LTL shipping, it is commonly measured in pounds per cubic foot.