Freight class 500
Class 500 is the band for freight with a density of under 1 lb/ft³.
The density range
A shipment is class 500 when its density is below 1 lb/ft³. Density is the total weight of the shipment divided by the total cubic feet it occupies, pallet and packaging included.
A shipment that lands in class 500
A standard 48 × 40 inch pallet, 48 inches tall, weighing 35 pounds.
48 × 40 × 48 = 92,160 cubic inches ÷ 1,728 = 53.33 cubic feet
35 ÷ 53.33 = 0.66 lb per cubic foot → class 500
Freight that usually lands here
Typical examples include ping pong balls, bags of gold dust, extremely low-density packaged goods.
Treat these as illustrations rather than a lookup. Density decides the band, so the same product can fall either side of a line depending on how it is packed, palletised and wrapped.
What to watch on class 500
The most expensive band, sometimes called the catch-all. Density below 1 lb/ft³ means a cubic foot of your freight weighs less than a pound. This is almost always the right moment to re-check the numbers before booking.
Where class 500 sits
The next band down is class 400, which covers denser and cheaper freight. There is nothing below it.
Work out your own class
Enter your dimensions and weight and the calculator returns cubic feet, density and the class, and tells you if you are sitting close to a boundary.
Open the freight class calculator