Less than truckload
LTL Freight Cost Calculator: Class, Fuel & Accessorials
Estimate LTL freight from packaged density, your class-specific CWT rate, minimum charge, fuel treatment and separate pickup or delivery fees.
There is no defensible universal LTL price per pound. Use the calculator with the class-specific CWT rate and minimum from a current tariff, contract or quote; it then applies fuel once and adds origin, destination and other charges without an invented class multiplier.
Free result · no signup
Calculate an LTL or truckload total
Enter the commercial rate you actually have. For LTL, the worksheet also calculates packaged density and screens it against the current 13-tier NMFTA scale.
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Calculated total from entered terms
$492- Evidence and operating rules reviewed 14 September 2026; the calculator does not supply a live market rate.
- For LTL, the density class is a screen under the current 13-tier NMFTA scale. The exact NMFC item, subprovision, commodity characteristics, packaging and applicable tariff or contract control the class and charge.
- EIA publishes diesel-price data but does not set a universal freight fuel surcharge. Use the carrier or contract formula and its effective date.
- This worksheet is not a quote, booking, bill of lading, classification ruling or promise of capacity, transit time or liability coverage.
What changes the result?
A useful calculation starts with the physical scope and the written commercial terms. These are the factors to make explicit:
- Origin and destination lane
- Total packaged weight and dimensions
- Current NMFC item, subprovision and class
- Class-specific CWT rate and minimum
- Fuel and accessorial terms
Use one scope for every quote
Give each business the same information and ask it to resolve the same boundaries. That makes the totals more comparable and exposes work left as an allowance or exclusion.
- Measure freight after packaging
- Use the current commodity description and class
- Enter the rate for that exact class
- List services at both ends before tender
Calculate an LTL estimate in four auditable steps
This worksheet does arithmetic on the commercial terms you enter; it does not manufacture a live lane rate. Keep the source, class, effective date and minimum with the result so the estimate can be checked against the eventual rate confirmation.
- 1. Divide packaged pounds by 100 to calculate CWT
- 2. Multiply CWT by the current class-specific lane rate
- 3. Apply the shipment minimum when it is higher
- 4. Add fuel and required accessorials once under the governing terms
Calculate linehaul without double-counting class
A class-specific CWT rate already reflects the rate basis for the entered class. Multiplying that rate by a second generic class factor can distort the total, so this worksheet uses CWT × entered rate and then applies the entered shipment minimum when it is higher.
Density is evidence, not the whole classification
The worksheet calculates total packaged cubic feet and pounds per cubic foot across identical handling units, then shows the applicable 13-tier density class. NMFTA says handling, stowability, liability, packaging and commodity rules can still override a density-only result.
Add the commercial terms once
State whether fuel is included in the base rate. Then enter pickup, delivery and other services separately so the final worksheet can be reconciled with the rate confirmation and invoice.
Questions people ask
How is this LTL total calculated?
The higher of CWT × your class-specific rate or your entered minimum becomes linehaul. Separate fuel and the three entered charge groups are then added once.
Does the calculator provide a live LTL rate?
No. It requires your current carrier, broker, tariff, contract or quote inputs and does not access capacity or lane pricing.
Does density always determine freight class?
No. The density screen applies only where current NMFC treatment permits it. Commodity, handling, stowability, liability, packaging and exceptions can change classification.
Why is there no generic class multiplier?
Because the entered CWT rate is already class-specific. A second invented multiplier can double-count class.
Method and sources
The model is a planning tool, not a quotation. These are the published sources used for this page; read the full assumptions before relying on a range. Source review: 19 September 2026.
- NMFTA 13-tier density scale
Current density breaks and classes under Docket 2025-1; reviewed 14 September 2026.
- Old Dominion LTL pricing guide
Carrier explanation of weight, dimensions, class, lane, fuel and accessorial inputs; reviewed 14 September 2026.
- US EIA diesel fuel surcharges
Official weekly diesel-price data boundary and confirmation that EIA does not set a universal surcharge formula; reviewed 14 September 2026.
- EIA diesel fuel surcharge FAQ
Official confirmation that EIA publishes diesel prices but does not calculate, assess or regulate private surcharges; reviewed 19 September 2026.