What is freight class 70?

Freight class 70 is the NMFC rating for freight with a density of 15 - 22.5 pounds per cubic foot under the current density scale (Docket 2025-1, effective July 2025). Typical examples: machined parts, small appliances, paint.

What density is class 70?

Class 70 covers 15 - 22.5 lb per cubic foot. Bands are inclusive at the lower edge and exclusive at the upper edge.

Is class 70 expensive to ship?

Lower classes are cheaper per pound. Class 70 is position 5 of 13 on the current scale, so it prices toward the cheap, dense end of LTL freight.

Freight Class 70: Density Range, Typical Freight & Cost Position

What ships at class 70

Class 70 is the single most-searched class number, and for good reason: the 15 - 22.5 pcf band is where a huge share of general industrial freight lands. Machined parts, small appliances, engines and paint all commonly rate here. Watch the lower edge: 15.00 pcf exactly is class 70, but 14.99 pcf drops you to class 85 and a higher rate.

Worked example. A standard pallet: 48 × 40 × 48 in, 960 lb. That is 53.3 cu ft and 960 lb → 18.00 pcf → class 70. Run your own numbers →

Band edges are inclusive at the bottom, exclusive at the top: exactly 15 pcf is class 70, but just below it the class gets more expensive — 14.99 pcf rates class 85. A few pounds of packaging or an inch of pallet height can move a borderline shipment across that line.

Where class 70 sits on the scale

Freight class runs from 50 (densest, cheapest per pound) to 400 on the current density scale. Class 70 is band 5 of 13.

Either side of this band: denser freight (22.5 - 30 pcf) rates class 65, which is cheaper; lighter freight (12 - 15 pcf) rates class 85, 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.