How heavy can a pallet of bagged pet food be?

Receivers and carriers set their own weight limits. Send the scale weight and the receiver's pallet rules and we confirm before booking.

What happens if bags tear in transit?

Note the damage on the delivery receipt before signing and photograph it. Wrapped, interlocked pallets with top sheets reduce tears.

Can you meet a retailer's delivery appointment?

The carrier requests the appointment and the receiver sets it. We share the carrier's transit estimate and cannot guarantee a time.

When should pet food move as a truckload?

Heavy bagged pallets can fill a trailer's weight limit before its floor space, so send the full order and we price it across all four services.

Pet Products Freight Shipping

At a glance

Bagged food and litter make heavy pallets, and the declared weight should come from a scale reading with the pallet included.
Bags stacked in an interlocking pattern and wrapped to the pallet deck hold their shape, and a torn bag can get the whole pallet refused at receiving.
Stacking limits on bagged pallets belong on the bill of lading, since a pallet that cannot carry another on top uses more trailer space.

How is pet products freight shipping classed?

Pet products freight shipping is classed by the NMFC item for each product, from dry food and litter to boxed toys and beds. Pet food and supply items often fall under the 13-tier density scale from NMFTA Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025, and some keep a commodity class. The lane, weight, accessorials and fuel feed the price too.

Bagged food and litter are dense, while pet beds and plastic crates are bulky and light. The density scale and worked example on this page cover a pallet of bagged dry dog food.

Freight class by density (lb per cubic foot)

0 to 1 lb/ft³Class 400
1 to 2 lb/ft³Class 300
2 to 4 lb/ft³Class 250
4 to 6 lb/ft³Class 175
6 to 8 lb/ft³Class 125
8 to 10 lb/ft³Class 100
10 to 12 lb/ft³Class 92.5
12 to 15 lb/ft³Class 85
15 to 22.5 lb/ft³Class 70
22.5 to 30 lb/ft³Class 65 example below
30 to 35 lb/ft³Class 60
35 to 50 lb/ft³Class 55
50 or more lb/ft³Class 50

Denser freight lands in a lower class, the basis for a lower rate. Source: NMFTA Docket 2025-1, 13-tier density scale, effective July 19, 2025. The scale applies to items the NMFC classes by density; some items keep a commodity class, so confirm the NMFC item for your product.

Worked example: a pallet of bagged dry dog food

Measure the loaded pallet, pallet included: 48 × 40 × 50 inches = 96,000 cubic inches.
Convert to cubic feet: 96,000 ÷ 1,728 = 55.6 cubic feet.
Divide the weight by the cubic feet: 1,650 lb ÷ 55.6 = 29.7 lb per cubic foot.
Read the class off the density scale: 29.7 lb per cubic foot falls in class 65.

Run your own pallet through the freight class calculator, or read how freight class works.

Illustrative numbers, not a quote or a class ruling. Class depends on the NMFC item for the product; the scale is NMFTA Docket 2025-1, 13-tier density scale, effective July 19, 2025.

How should bagged pet food be palletized?

Bagged pet food holds together when the bags are stacked in an interlocking pattern, kept inside the pallet edge and wrapped from the deck to the top layer. Bags that hang over the edge snag on other freight and tear.

Use a tier sheet between layers if the bags slide, and cap the load with a top sheet under the wrap. Torn bags leak onto other freight, and receivers can refuse a pallet with visible spills.

What stacking limits apply to bagged pallets?

Stacking limits on bagged pallets come from how much weight the bottom layer can take before the bags split or the load leans. Mark the pallet do not stack when a second pallet would crush it, and declare the mark on the bill of lading.

A do-not-stack pallet uses the trailer space above it, which the carrier prices in. Stackable pallets with flat, level tops give the carrier more loading options on the same shipment.

Which service fits: LTL, volume LTL, partial or full truckload?

Standard LTL fits most palletized shipments that can share a trailer; volume LTL, partial truckload and full truckload fit larger loads or loads that need their own truck. Price the same shipment details across the four services, and confirm the points in the table before you book.

Service	Fits	Confirm before booking
Standard LTL	Palletized freight that shares a trailer and moves through carrier terminals	NMFC item and class, pickup and delivery accessorials, delivery appointment
Volume LTL	Larger LTL shipments quoted as a one-off price for that shipment	Quote terms, space the freight takes, whether it still moves through terminals
Partial truckload	Shipments that share a truck with a few others	Whether the freight stays on one trailer, any planned transfers, transit estimate
Full truckload	Freight that fills a trailer, reaches its weight limit, or needs its own truck	Trailer type, loading and unloading time, appointments at both ends

What do retailers and distributors expect at receiving?

Retailers and distributors expect pallets built to their height and weight limits, labeled to their format and delivered inside an appointment. Send the receiver's vendor rules with the quote request so the carrier knows them before pickup.

Appointment times belong to the receiver, and the carrier books them on your behalf, so GET Express cannot guarantee a time or confirm that pallets meet a routing guide. Check the pallets against the receiver's rules at your dock before the truck leaves.

What do you send for a pet food and supplies freight quote?

A pet food and supplies freight quote needs the 8 details below. Complete details let the carrier rate the shipment once, without a reweigh or reclass after pickup.

Products: bagged food, litter, boxed supplies or pet furniture
Bag weight and bags per pallet
Pallet dimensions with the pallet included
Scale weight of each pallet
Whether pallets can be stacked
Receiver's pallet height, weight and label rules
Receiver type: distributor, retailer or fulfillment center
NMFC item numbers, if you know them

What do the freight terms on this page mean?

Interlocking stack: A pallet pattern where each layer of bags or cases turns to overlap the layer below, tying the load together.
Tier sheet: A sheet of board or paper placed between layers on a pallet to add friction and spread weight.
Do not stack: A pallet mark telling the carrier to keep other freight off the top of the load.
Vendor manual: A retailer's rulebook for suppliers covering pallets, labels, paperwork and deliveries.

Pet products freight shipping