The reference layer, documented

The full MCP server reference — all 24 tools, the response envelope, rate limits and directory listings — lives on its own page.

After saving the config, fully quit and relaunch your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline). MCP servers are only loaded at client startup — editing the config in a running session does nothing until restart.

Confirm the FreightUtils MCP surface is reachable before asking your agent any freight question:

A 200 response with "status":"ok" and "tools_registered":24 means the remote MCP surface is live. The endpoint is callable by your agent too — Claude/Cursor/Cline can hit it for a self-diagnostic without you having to open a terminal.

// FreightUtils API — JavaScript example
// Calculate loading metres for 10 Euro pallets

const response = await fetch(
  'https://www.freightutils.com/api/ldm?pallet=euro&qty=10'
);
const data = await response.json();

console.log(`LDM: ${data.ldm}`);
console.log(`Utilisation: ${data.utilisation_percent}%`);
console.log(`Fits: ${data.fits}`);

All endpoints work the same way. No auth, no signup. Full reference below ↓

Composite endpoint that chains CBM, chargeable weight, LDM, ADR compliance, and UK duty/VAT estimation into a single call. Accepts a unified Shipment object and returns comprehensive results based on transport mode.

Mode Parameter

Example Request

Mixed 3-item road shipment with a DG item and HS code:

Example Response

Pro-tier endpoint. Free access: 25 requests/day anonymous, 100/day with a free API key. Subscribe for higher limits.

Calculate the loading metres (LDM) required for a consignment on a UK/EU road freight trailer.

Parameters

* Either pallet (preset ID) or both length and width must be provided.

Example Requests

12 Euro pallets on an artic:

Custom dimensions, stackable, with weight check:

cURL example:

US 53ft trailer:

Response

Calculate the cubic metre (CBM) volume of a shipment. Returns total CBM plus equivalents in cubic feet, litres, and cubic inches.

Parameters

Example Request

5 boxes, 120×80×100 cm each:

Estimate freight transport CO2e using the ISO 14083 / GLEC distance-based method: emissions = mass × distance × an open emission-intensity factor (kgCO2e/tonne-km). Provide actual gross mass, not chargeable/volumetric weight (a common air-freight mistake — see mass_basis). Returns well-to-wheel and tank-to-wheel emissions, the exact factor used, and a _source citing both the method and the specific open factor (DEFRA / EPA / ADEME). Each result also carries empty_running (the fleet-average factor already includes average empty running — don't double-count an empty return), representativeness (sea/air = low, high real-world variance), a human-readable summary, and _source.factor.last_verified. You provide the distance — this endpoint does not route. Best-effort estimate, not a verified carbon report; an unknown mode/sub_mode/region returns available:false with the covered options.

Parameters

Example Request

10 tonnes by road, 500 km, UK (DEFRA), well-to-wheel:

Parse an arbitrary string (e.g. a booking line or email) to find and validate every freight identifier in it — shipping container (ISO 6346), air waybill (IATA modulus-7) and IMO ship number — or validate a single identifier by type. Returns per identifier: type, normalised form, valid (pass/fail), expected vs actual check digit, details (container owner/category; AWB airline; IMO number) and a _source. Structural only — a valid check digit means well-formed, not that the entity exists.

Parameters

*Provide text (parse mode) OR value+type (typed mode).

Example Request

Parse a mixed string:

Check a goods description against the official EU ICS2 stop-words list (unacceptable/vague terms for entry summary declarations). Returns the flagged terms — each with a note on whether it is the standalone description (automatic ENS rejection) or embedded (make the description more specific) — a clean boolean, a caveat, and a _source citing the EU list + legal basis. Reference only: not an ENS filing, not a compliance determination; the list is non-exhaustive and clean does not guarantee acceptance. No accepted/rejected verdict. The submitted description is not persisted or logged (response is no-store).

Parameters

Example Request

A vague standalone description:

Look up an airport by IATA code (3 letters), ICAO code (4 chars), or free-text name / city search. Provide one of iata, icao or q. Returns the full record (both codes, name, type, municipality, region, country, coordinates, elevation); ambiguous name searches return ranked candidates. Optional type filter. Data: OurAirports (public domain), cross-checked vs OpenFlights + Wikidata. Reference only — not for navigation; verify current codes with IATA/ICAO.

Parameters

Example Request

Find the airports nearest to a caller-provided latitude/longitude, sorted by great-circle (haversine) distance with distance_km on each result. Coordinates are input only — never stored or logged. Optional radius_km, max_results (1–50, default 10) and type filter. Does NOT geocode place names or compute routes — pass coordinates you already hold.

Parameters

Example Request

Calculate air freight chargeable weight — whichever is higher between actual gross weight and volumetric (dimensional) weight. Supports custom volumetric factors for all carriers.

Parameters

Example Request

2 pieces, 120×80×100 cm, 500 kg total, IATA factor:

Calculate how many boxes fit on a pallet using a layer-based algorithm. Returns boxes per layer, number of layers, total boxes, orientation used, and volume/weight analysis. Optional weight constraint caps the result at the pallet's maximum payload.

Parameters

Example Request

Look up ADR 2025 dangerous goods by UN number, search by substance name, or filter by hazard class. The dataset contains 2,939 entries from the ADR 2025 Dangerous Goods List (Table A). Responses are cached for 1 hour (s-maxage=3600).

Query Modes

Provide exactly one parameter per request. Omitting all parameters returns a 400 with usage hints.

Example Requests

Exact UN number lookup:

Search by substance name:

Filter by hazard class:

Calculate whether the ADR 1.1.3.6 small load exemption applies to a dangerous goods consignment. Supports single-substance GET queries and multi-substance POST requests. Checks both total points threshold (1,000) and per-substance quantity limits per ADR 1.1.3.6.3.

GET — Single Substance

Example — 200 litres of petrol:

POST — Multi-Substance Load

Request body:

Response structure is identical to the GET endpoint, with multiple items in the array.

Multi-variant UN numbers: some UN numbers have more than one ADR Table A row (different packing groups / concentration bands with different transport categories — e.g. UN 1789 PG II vs PG III). Pass an optional packing_group(I/II/III, GET query or per item) or variant_index(from /api/adr) to pin one row. Without one, the response is HTTP 200 with human_review_required: true and a candidates[] list (no verdict) rather than a silently-guessed row.

Response Fields

Check whether dangerous goods qualify for ADR Limited Quantity (Chapter 3.4) or Excepted Quantity (Chapter 3.5) concessions. Accepts up to 20 items per request and returns per-item pass/fail status against ADR Table A limits.

Request Body

A UN number that resolves to more than one ADR Table A row without a packing_group/variant_index returns HTTP 200 with human_review_required: true and a candidates[] list (no verdict) rather than checking a silently-guessed packing group.

Example — check LQ for 0.5 L of petrol:

Response Fields

Search airlines by name, IATA code, ICAO code, AWB prefix, or country. The dataset contains6,357 airlines including 391 cargo airlines with AWB prefixes.

Query Modes

Example Requests

AWB prefix lookup:

IATA code lookup:

Name search:

Response Fields

Responses also carry a top-level _source citability envelope and a meta block whose airlines count is derived from the dataset at build time — never hand-typed.

Look up INCOTERMS 2020 trade terms. Returns all 11 terms by default, or filter by code or transport category. Each term includes seller/buyer responsibilities, risk and cost transfer points, insurance obligations, and practical guidance.

Parameters

Omit all parameters to return all 11 INCOTERMS 2020 terms.

Example Requests

Single term lookup:

Filter by transport category:

All terms:

Shipping container specifications — internal/external dimensions, weights, door openings, and pallet capacity for all 10 standard ISO container types. Optionally calculate how many items fit in a specific container.

Query Modes

Example Requests

List all containers:

Single container specs:

Loading calculation — how many 60×40×40cm boxes fit in a 40ft HC:

Convert between freight-relevant units — weights, volumes, lengths, and freight-specific conversions (CBM to chargeable weight, CBM to freight tonnes).

Parameters

Supported Unit Codes

Example Requests

Standard conversion:

CBM to chargeable weight (IATA 6000 divisor):

CBM to freight tonnes (W/M rule):

Search and browse Harmonized System (HS 2022) commodity codes. Supports text search by product description, exact code lookup with ancestor chain, and section browsing. Covers all 6,937 codes across 21 sections and 97 chapters.

Query Modes

Provide exactly one parameter per request. Omitting all parameters returns a 400 with usage hints.

Example Requests

Search by description:

Code lookup with ancestors:

Browse section:

Calculate total CBM, loading metres (LDM), volumetric and mode-specific chargeable weight across a multi-item mixed consignment — per-line and grand totals, plus objective advisory flags (implausible density, mode/option mismatch, dangerous-goods presence by UN number against the ADR 2025 reference, and ISO 6346 container / IATA AWB check-digit validity). Supports sea, air, and road modes. Canonical request/response schema: consignment.v1.json.

Best-effort deterministic calculation and reference data only. Verify all inputs. Not regulatory, customs, or dangerous-goods compliance advice — you remain responsible for classification, documentation and carrier acceptance.

Request Body (JSON)

Canonical Line Object (lines[])

Example Request

Estimate UK import duty and VAT for a commodity code using live GOV.UK Trade Tariff data. Accepts customs value, origin country, freight/insurance costs, and INCOTERM for CIF adjustment.

Request Body (JSON)

Example Request

Search and look up UN/LOCODE transport locations — 116,129+ seaports, airports, rail terminals, inland depots, and border crossings worldwide. Responses are cached for 24 hours.

Query Modes

Example Requests

Search by name:

Exact code lookup:

Filter by country and function:

Look up air freight Unit Load Device (ULD) specifications. 16 types including LD3 (AKE), PMC main deck pallet, temperature-controlled containers, and more. Returns dimensions, weights, volume, and aircraft compatibility.

Parameters

Example Requests

Single ULD lookup:

Filter by category:

All ULD types:

Look up road freight vehicle and trailer specifications. 17 types covering articulated trailers, rigid trucks, and vans. Returns internal dimensions, payload limits, pallet capacity, and features.

Parameters

Example Requests

Single vehicle lookup:

Filter by category:

Filter by region: