What is Freight Class 70? Density, Examples & Cost

Class 70 corresponds to a density of 15 to 22.5 pounds per cubic foot. A shipment of, say, 700 lbs occupying 40 cubic feet has a density of 17.5 lbs/ft³ - squarely class 70. Use the Freight Class Calculator to compute your shipment's density.

• Automobile engines and transmissions
• Many packaged food products
• Cast-iron and steel parts of moderate density
• Boxed automotive accessories

These commodities are dense enough to use trailer space efficiently, which is why class 70 carries a lower rate than mid-range classes like 100 or 150.

Because class 70 is on the dense end of the scale, it is cheaper to ship per pound than higher classes. LTL carriers sell trailer space, and dense class 70 freight earns the carrier good revenue per cubic foot - so they pass on a lower rate per hundredweight (CWT) than they would for a bulky class 150 or class 250 shipment of the same weight.

If your shipment is borderline between class 70 and class 85, improving packaging density - eliminating wasted space, using a tighter pallet configuration, or removing excess void fill - can sometimes pull it into class 70 and reduce the bill. A 700 lb shipment that occupies 40 ft³ rates class 70; the same 700 lbs spread across 55 ft³ drops to roughly 12.7 lbs/ft³ and bumps up to class 85. Always confirm the actual class with the NMFC Lookup before quoting.

Class 70 sits between class 65 (22.5-30 lbs/ft³) and class 85 (12-13.5 lbs/ft³). The practical difference is density and therefore cost:

• Class 65 - denser still (e.g. bottled beverages, books); slightly cheaper than class 70.
• Class 70 - auto engines, packaged foods; a common, economical class.
• Class 85 - crated machinery, cast iron of lower density; rated a step higher.

Small density changes near these boundaries can shift the class, so accurate measurement matters more here than in the middle of a range. See Freight Class Explained for the full ladder.

Two errors account for most class 70 billing adjustments:

• Measuring product, not the packaged unit. Class is based on the shipment as tendered - pallet, crating, and overhang included. Measuring only the product understates volume and overstates density.
• Assuming density alone. Some commodities carry a fixed NMFC class regardless of density. Verify the item's actual provision rather than relying on the density estimate.

Following the steps in How to Determine Freight Class avoids both.