Freight Glossary
Freight Density
Freight density is the weight of a shipment per cubic foot of space it occupies, calculated by dividing total weight by total cubic feet. It is a primary determinant of freight class in LTL pricing and a key factor in trailer utilization economics. A 48x40x48 inch pallet weighing 1,000 pounds has a density of roughly 15 pounds per cubic foot, which typically classifies at NMFC class 70.
Why it matters
Low-density freight, meaning high cube and low weight, is expensive to ship in traditional LTL because it occupies space a carrier cannot sell to denser freight. This is why density-based pricing and DIM weight formulas penalize lightweight bulky items. Shippers of low density products often pay 30 to 50 percent more per pound than shippers of dense goods on the same lane.
When to use it
Calculate freight density before shipping to understand your freight class exposure, anticipate DIM weight billing, and evaluate whether packaging optimization could move you into a lower freight class and reduce cost. If your product density falls near a freight class boundary, even a small packaging change that increases density can drop you to a cheaper class.
How Warp thinks about it
Warp's per-pallet pricing is not density-based. A pallet is a pallet, whether it weighs 200 or 2,000 pounds, within standard weight limits. This simplifies cost modeling for shippers with variable-density product mixes. Per-pallet pricing is especially advantageous for brands shipping mixed SKU pallets where density varies significantly from load to load.