Shipping Bedding & Linens Freight Class Guide
Bedding & Linens typically classify around Class 150, in the 4-8 lb/ft³ density range. Boxed sheets, comforters, and linens.
Calculate Bedding & Linens Freight Class
Enter your actual shipment dimensions and weight below. Typical bedding & linens run 400-600/pallet lb, but your exact class depends on your specific shipment's measured density.
Measure the full footprint including packaging, and include pallet weight in your total. Carriers will re-measure at the terminal.
Shipping Bedding & Linens the Right Way
Compression Packing Improves Class
Vacuum-sealed or compression-packed bedding fits significantly more product into the same carton volume, which raises measured density and can move a shipment into a cheaper freight class. Loosely folded comforters and pillows packed without compression are the main reason bedding often runs on the higher, pricier end of the density range instead of the lower end.
Moisture Protection Is Non-Negotiable
Bedding and linens are total losses if they get wet, since fabric that's absorbed moisture or trailer odor typically can't be resold as new. Poly bagging inside the carton, on top of the outer box, gives a second layer of protection against a leaking roof or condensation.
Light, Stackable Cartons Ease Handling
Because bedding cartons are light relative to their size, they stack easily and rarely cause the load-shift problems that heavier freight does, which makes palletizing straightforward as long as cartons are uniform in size and stacked square.
Bedding & Linens: What Carriers and Shippers Look For
Bedding and linens are among the lowest-density textile freight on the road, trapping even more air than boxed clothing: comforters, pillows, and folded sheets trap enormous amounts of air even when compressed into cartons, which pushes this commodity into one of the pricier freight classes despite being lightweight and easy to handle. Shippers who vacuum-compress or tightly pack bedding before cartoning can meaningfully improve their density and class compared to loosely packed boxes, so packing method matters more here than on almost any other textile.
Why Bedding & Linens Classify Around Class 150
Comforters, pillows, and folded sheet sets typically run only 4 to 8 pounds per cubic foot, among the lowest densities of any commonly shipped retail textile, since loft and fill material trap far more air than woven apparel fabric does. That density lands most bedding shipments in the Class 150 to Class 175 range, meaningfully pricier per pound than denser goods even though the product itself is inexpensive to produce.
Fill material has the biggest effect on where in that range a given product lands: down and down-alternative comforters trap the most air and sit toward the lower, pricier end of the density band, while flat sheet sets and thinner blankets pack somewhat tighter and land closer to the upper, cheaper end of the range instead, similar to how lighter panels shift curtains and drapes toward a cheaper class.
Packing and Palletizing Tips
Compression packing, whether vacuum bags or simple mechanical pressing before cartoning, is the single biggest lever a shipper has over bedding's freight class, since it directly increases the density the carrier measures. Retailers who ship high volumes of comforters and pillows in particular tend to see the largest rate benefit from investing in compression packaging equipment.
Uniform carton sizes stacked in an interlocking pattern keep pallets square and stable despite the light weight, and shrink wrapping the full pallet, not just a few wraps around the top, prevents cartons from sliding during transit. Corner boards under the wrap add extra protection against crushed edges when a bedding pallet ends up stacked beneath something else in a busy warehouse, a common enough occurrence that the extra minute of prep is worth it.
Equipment and Handling Notes
Dry van is standard, and bedding rarely requires special blocking since cartons are light and low risk of crushing other freight. The primary handling concern is keeping cartons away from any moisture source in a mixed LTL load, since a wet bedding carton is typically an unsellable, full-value claim rather than a discount item.
Because bedding cartons stack light and square, they're often a good fit for topping off a mixed load above heavier, less crush-sensitive freight, as long as nothing above them could puncture the boxes or press down hard enough to crease the compressed material inside.
Common Shipping Mistakes
The most common mistake is shipping bedding in loosely packed cartons without compression, which drives density down and pushes an otherwise inexpensive shipment into a higher class than necessary, an easy fix that many shippers simply haven't gotten around to adopting.
The second is under-protecting cartons from moisture, since shippers sometimes treat bedding like durable retail goods when it actually needs the same moisture precautions as apparel or paper products. A third mistake is blending high-loft and low-loft products into one density estimate, which can misstate the class for either the comforters or the flat linens in a mixed order.
Related Textiles
Carriers Hauling Bedding & Linens
“Bedding freight is light and easy to load, but I've seen a whole pallet get claimed over one wet corner. I always ask about roof condition before I take a linen load.”
“Compression-packed bedding stacks so much cleaner than the loose stuff. You can tell right away which shippers have their packing dialed in.”