What is freight class 300?

Freight class 300 is the NMFC rating for freight with a density of 1 - 2 pounds per cubic foot under the current density scale (Docket 2025-1, effective July 2025). Typical examples: foam products, empty containers, inflatables.

What density is class 300?

Class 300 covers 1 - 2 lb per cubic foot. Bands are inclusive at the lower edge and exclusive at the upper edge.

Is class 300 expensive to ship?

Lower classes are cheaper per pound. Class 300 is position 12 of 13 on the current scale, so it prices toward the expensive, light end of LTL freight.

Freight Class 300: Density Range, Typical Freight & Cost Position

What ships at class 300

Class 300 covers 1 - 2 pcf - foam, empty containers, inflatables. Very few commodities need to ship this light in this much space; when they do, the class, not the weight, is what drives the invoice.

Worked example. A standard pallet: 48 × 40 × 48 in, 80 lb. That is 53.3 cu ft and 80 lb → 1.50 pcf → class 300. Run your own numbers →

Band edges are inclusive at the bottom, exclusive at the top: exactly 1 pcf is class 300, but just below it the class gets more expensive — 0.99 pcf rates class 400. A few pounds of packaging or an inch of pallet height can move a borderline shipment across that line.

Where class 300 sits on the scale

Freight class runs from 50 (densest, cheapest per pound) to 400 on the current density scale. Class 300 is band 12 of 13.

Either side of this band: denser freight (2 - 4 pcf) rates class 250, which is cheaper; lighter freight (under 1 pcf) rates class 400, which costs more.

The full table is on the freight class chart, and the calculator works out density and class from your dimensions, including multi-pallet shipments.

Density is the default, not the whole rule. Since Docket 2025-1 most commodities class by density, but items with unusual stowability, handling or liability characteristics can class differently. Confirm the NMFC item before the BOL goes out.