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For any questions on LTL Shipments, contact Tom Budinick at 636-346-7331 or tbudinick@shipgenies.com

What is a Freight Class?

Think of “freight class” in LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) shipping like the “difficulty grade” you get in school—it’s just a number (from 50 to 500) that tells the carrier how easy or hard your shipment is to move and store.

In plain terms:

  • Density (weight vs. size): Is it heavy or light for its footprint?
  • Stackability: Can they safely stack other pallets on or around it?
  • Ease of handling: Is it awkward, fragile, or needs special care?
  • Liability: How likely is it to get damaged or cause damage (think risk)?

All those real-world factors get boiled down into a single “class” number.

  • Lower classes (like 50 or 60) mean your cargo is dense, sturdy, and stacks neatly—so it’s cheaper to ship.
  • Higher classes (like 200 or 300) mean it’s bulky, fragile, or tricky to handle—so you pay more per pound.

In everyday speak: the freight class is just a shorthand code that carriers use to figure out how much to charge you based on how easy or tough it is to haul your stuff.