NMFC: National Motor Freight Classification Explained

In plain English

Each item in the NMFC has an item number and a class. A carrier may look up the item on the NMFC to decide the class for your freight. For many goods the class depends on density, which is why accurate measurements matter.

Using the wrong NMFC item or class is a common reason carriers re-class a shipment after pickup.

Why it matters when you ship

Class directly affects price. In our own tests, moving from class 70 to class 100 added about 26% to a typical quote, and class 200 added about 106%, while the cheapest quote barely moved.

What it looks like in our data

From our own test runs of the same shipment at different classes. See How freight class changes your LTL price.

Example

A shipper looks up “machinery parts” in the NMFC, finds the item and class that applies at its density and enters it on the bill of lading.

Related terms

• Freight class
• Density
• Reweigh and reclass
• Bill of lading (BOL)

Learn more

NMFC: common questions