Freight shipping reference tables and calculators
Global Cargo Insight is an independent reference for people who book and prepare freight: shippers, warehouse staff, dispatchers and online sellers. Every table on this site comes from a named document, such as an NMFTA notice, a carrier's published equipment specification or a pallet association's data sheet, and shows the date we last checked it. The calculators read the same data files as the tables, so a figure cannot differ between the two. We are not a carrier, broker or forwarder, and we do not sell freight services.
Calculators
Three calculators cover the numbers that decide most freight bills: LTL density and class, ocean volume and container fit, and air freight chargeable weight. Each works in US or metric units, runs in your browser without sending data anywhere, and lists the documents and test cases behind it.
- Freight class calculator — density and class for several pallets at once, on the 2025 NMFC scale and the old one side by side.
- CBM calculator — cubic meters for mixed carton sizes and how many identical cartons fit in each container type.
- Chargeable weight calculator — volume weight under the IATA rule and FedEx, DHL and UPS divisors, with each rule's rounding.
Reference tables
The reference pages put several published sources in one table so you can compare them instead of opening each document. Where two sources disagree, the table shows both and says which is which. Every table has its source and check date printed directly under it.
- Freight class chart — the 13-tier and 11-tier NMFC density scales together, plus pallet weights at each class break.
- Pallet sizes — 48 × 40, ISO 6780 and EPAL pallets, and how many fit on a container floor.
- Shipping container dimensions — Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM specs for 20 ft, 40 ft, high cube, 45 ft and reefer boxes.
Latest data checks
The list below shows the most recent changes to pages and data on this site, newest first. A page's "last updated" date changes only when a dated entry appears here. The full history, with every document we use, is on the sources and change log page.
| Date | Page | Change | Data file |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2026 | Home | Page published | — |
| Nov 11, 2026 | Freight Class Calculator (NMFC 2025 Density Scale) | Page published. Data checked 2026-10-30 | nmfc_density_scale.csv; references.csv |
| Nov 11, 2026 | Freight Class Chart 2025: Old 11-Tier vs New 13-Tier Scale | Page published. Data checked 2026-10-30 | nmfc_density_scale.csv |
| Nov 11, 2026 | Standard Pallet Sizes, Dimensions & Weight (US, ISO, EUR) | Page published. Data checked 2026-10-30 (pallet weights 2026-11-10) | pallet_standards.csv; pallet_weights.csv; container_specs.csv |
| Nov 11, 2026 | Shipping Container Dimensions & Weight: 20ft, 40ft, HC, Reefer | Page published. Data checked 2026-10-30 | container_iso668.csv; container_specs.csv |
Source: this site's change log