What Is FAK (Freight All Kinds)?

A Freight All Kinds agreement lets you ship multiple different commodities under a single NMFC class, instead of classifying each item separately. This single class is negotiated directly with the carrier in a contract; it is not a standard NMFC provision. The key number: the FAK class must be at least as high as the highest class of any item in the shipment. If you put a class-70 item on a pallet with a class-125 item, your FAK class must be 125 or higher. Old Dominion Freight Line's Rules Tariff 100, Item 110, defines FAK as 'a single classification for a shipment containing multiple articles' and requires a prior written agreement. Without that written agreement, the carrier will class each handling unit individually, and you risk a reclass charge if your tender does not match the NMFC item.

Start With Your Shipment Profile

Negotiation starts with your shipment profile: commodity mix, typical weight per handling unit, average density, frequency, and lanes. The carrier then assigns a single FAK class that covers the highest-class item in the mix. Do not expect a carrier to offer class 50 if your shipment contains class-175 items. The FAK class is usually set at the highest class in your typical mix, or one class above it as a buffer. The discount off CzarLite is then applied to that FAK class, not to individual item classes. C.H. Robinson's 'Freight All Kinds (FAK) Class' page notes that FAK terms are 'negotiated with the carrier' and are not a standard NMFC provision.

Avoid The Common Failure

A common failure case: a shipper negotiates FAK for a mix of class-70 and class-125 items, then adds a class-250 item without amending the agreement. The carrier reclasses the entire shipment at class 250 and back-charges the difference. The FAK agreement must list the commodity types it covers; if a new commodity type ships, the agreement is void for that shipment.

When It Works

FAK saves money when your shipment contains a few high-class items that force the entire load into a high rate, but your average density across all items would produce a lower class. Example: a pallet of light plastic parts (class 175) mixed with a pallet of steel brackets (class 70). Classified individually, the plastic parts cost much more per pound. Under a FAK agreement at class 125, both pallets ship at the same rate, and the total cost is lower than the sum of individual classifications.

When To Skip It

FAK does not save money when your shipment is mostly one commodity at a stable density. If you always ship class-70 steel brackets, a FAK agreement at class 70 offers no benefit over standard classification, and you are paying for negotiation overhead. It also does not save when the required FAK class is the same as the highest-class item in every shipment; you gain nothing.

How The Density Scale Applies

Even under a FAK agreement, the carrier still applies the NMFC density scale to determine the class of each handling unit if the agreement does not explicitly override it. The current NMFC density scale (13-subprovision, effective July 19, 2025) maps density ranges to classes: less than 1 pcf is class 400; 1 to less than 2 pcf is class 300; 2 to less than 4 pcf is class 250; 4 to less than 6 pcf is class 175; 6 to less than 8 pcf is class 125; 8 to less than 10 pcf is class 100; 10 to less than 12 pcf is class 92.5; 12 to less than 15 pcf is class 85; 15 to less than 22.5 pcf is class 70; 22.5 to less than 30 pcf is class 60; 30 to less than 35 pcf is class 55; 35 to less than 50 pcf is class 50; 50 pcf or greater is class 45. If your FAK agreement does not specify a class, the carrier will use this scale per handling unit. A FAK agreement that states 'class 125 applies to all items regardless of density' overrides the scale. Without that language, a handling unit with a density of 3 pcf (class 250 under the scale) will be classed at 250, not the FAK class.

Carrier Rights To Reweigh

The NMFC Item 360, Subprovision N, gives the carrier the right to reweigh and inspect any shipment. Even with a FAK class, the carrier can reweigh a handling unit, recalculate density, and reclass it if the actual density does not match the FAK class. The reweigh charge is per carrier rules tariff; Old Dominion Freight Line's tariff sets it at $50.00 per shipment. FedEx Freight's tariff also sets it at $50.00. If the reweigh shows a density lower than what the FAK class assumes, the carrier may reclass the handling unit to a higher class and back-charge the difference.

The NMFTA Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025, replaced the old 18-class density guideline with the 13-subprovision scale. The practical effect on FAK agreements: any FAK class that was based on the old 18-class scale may now map to a different density range. For example, under the old scale, class 92.5 was rarely used. Under the new scale, class 92.5 applies to densities between 10 and 12 pcf. If your FAK agreement was written at class 92.5 under the old scale, verify that the density of your actual commodities still falls within that range. The NMFTA published the final decision of Docket 2025-1 on nmfta.org. The NMFTA Help Center 'NMFC Classification FAQs' still states that the NMFC has 18 classes, but that is a legacy reference; the current NMFC has 13 subprovisions in the density scale. Use ClassIT+ to look up the correct NMFC item for your commodity and verify the class. If the NMFC has no specific item for your commodity, use the density scale as a guideline, but be aware that stowability, handling, and liability can override the density-based class for some commodities.

A small-business shipper sends two SKUs: plastic storage bins (density 4.5 pcf, class 175) and metal shelving units (density 22 pcf, class 70). Without a FAK agreement, the bins ship at class 175 and the shelves at class 70. They negotiate a FAK agreement with a carrier at class 125. Now both SKUs ship at class 125. The total freight charge drops because the high-class bins are no longer rated individually. Six months later, they add a third SKU: foam packaging (density 1.5 pcf, class 300). They do not amend the FAK agreement. The first shipment with foam triggers a reweigh and reclass at class 300, and the carrier back-charges the difference for all three items on that pallet. The failure case is clear: FAK agreements must be updated every time the commodity mix changes. The shipper should have either amended the FAK to class 300 or excluded the foam from the FAK agreement and classed it separately.

Before tendering a shipment under a FAK agreement, confirm three things. First, the commodity is listed in the FAK agreement. Second, the FAK class is at least as high as the highest class of any item on the shipment. Third, the density of each handling unit meets the density assumption of the FAK class. Measure each handling unit: length, width, and height in inches, rounding each dimension up to the nearest whole inch per carrier rules tariffs (Old Dominion Freight Line and FedEx Freight both round up to the nearest inch). Divide by 1728 to get cubic feet. Divide weight in pounds by cubic feet to get density. Compare that density to the NMFC density scale. If the density of any handling unit is lower than what the FAK class assumes, either renegotiate the FAK class or ship that item separately. The carrier's rules tariff spelling out dimension rounding rules is Item 590 in both Old Dominion Freight Line's and FedEx Freight's tariffs.

A FAK agreement is a contract, not a rate sheet. It should specify: the single FAK class; the list of commodity types covered; any density minimums or maximums; the effective date and termination clause; the process for adding new commodity types; and the rate discount off CzarLite. It should also state whether the FAK class overrides the NMFC density scale for all handling units, or whether the carrier retains the right to class individual items under the density scale if the item density does not match the FAK class. Old Dominion Freight Line's Item 110 requires 'prior written agreement' for FAK; that agreement should be a separate document, not a note on a bill of lading. If the carrier does not provide a written FAK agreement, you do not have one, and the carrier will class each item individually.

Density Range (pcf)	NMFC Class
Less than 1	400
1 to less than 2	300
2 to less than 4	250
4 to less than 6	175
6 to less than 8	125
8 to less than 10	100
10 to less than 12	92.5
12 to less than 15	85
15 to less than 22.5	70
22.5 to less than 30	60
30 to less than 35	55
35 to less than 50	50
50 or greater	45