Household goods are not as dense as steel bars, they fill the same area with much different weights. The density of a shipment is a mathematical ratio between size (volume or cubic feet) and the net weight of a shipment. Density is established by how well your shipment was packed. Normal density, for household goods, should fall in the 5 to 7 pound per cubic foot range. The higher the number the more dense, or heavier per cubic foot, the shipment is.