Why do we need to calculate your shipment’s density? A shipment's density
is one of the factors that determines the freight rate. We need to know how to
calculate a shipment's density so we can properly describe their goods on the bill
of lading. To determine shipment density, we take the total weight of the shipment
and divide it by the total cubic feet.
In cases where the shipment is palletized,
the dimensions of the pallet determine the cubic dimensions. Although the original
dimension of the carton remains the same, the cubic dimensions now include those of the pallet.
Example: Length 48", Width 40", Height 28" (22" plus 6" of pallet) equals 53,760 cubic inches (Length X Width X Height) or
31.1 cubic feet (Length X Width X Height/1728). The density equals the weight 110(80 lbs for the carton and approximately 30 lbs for the pallet)
divided by the cubic dimension, 3.54 lbs per cubic feet.
