Freight Density
Freight Density is the amount your freight weighs per cubic foot.
Calculating freight density is extremely important when shipping freight. Carriers need to know the weight of your shipment in order to charge the correct rate for shipping. Obviously, the heavier a shipment is, the more expensive it will be to ship. Freight density is also used to determine Freight Class.
A recent blog posting about freight density on freightsavingstips.com led me to write today’s post.
Here is the quickest way to calculate freight density:
- Multiply length, width, and height in inches. Your equation should look like this: (L x W x H). This answer gives you total cubic inches.
- Divide total cubic inches (your answer from Step 1) by 1728. 1728 is the number of cubic inches found in 1 cubic foot. Your new equation should look like this: (Total cubic inches / 1728 inches). This will give you total cubic feet of your shipment.
- Then, divide the weight of your shipment by total cubic feet. Your equation should be: (Weight in pounds/ Total cubic feet). Your answer will be in lbs. per cubic foot. This is density.
If you are palletizing your shipment, use the dimensions of the pallet with the dimensions of the freight for your equations. The combined height of the carton should be added to the height of the pallet. The total weight of the shipment would be the weight of the freight added to the weight of the pallet.
At ShippingDiscounts.com, we encourage our customers to know their freight density and freight class. This will give accurate pricing up front and you as a customer will know the exact amount of shipping your freight. It is not uncommon that freight will be reweighed by the carrier. Ultimately, customers will pay more after their shipment has been transported because their freight weighed more than what was estimated. This can be alleviated if you know your freight density before your shipment is released.