The freight MCP server

A neutral reference layer for AI agents — 24 freight tools with typed, source-cited responses. No freight to sell, no carrier to push.

Typed output schemas · Source citation on every answer · Free tier, no login

freightutils-mcp v2.11.2

Connect your agent

Two transports, one tool set. Run the npm package locally over stdio, or point any MCP-over-HTTP client at the remote URL — both serve the same 24 tools.

Install via npm
npx freightutils-mcp
Or connect via URL
https://www.freightutils.com/api/mcp
Claude Desktop Configuration
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json, then fully quit and relaunch the client:
{ "mcpServers": { "freightutils": { "command": "npx", "args": ["freightutils-mcp"] } } }
Cursor Configuration
Cursor uses an mcp.json file (Settings → MCP). Same shape as Claude Desktop:
{ "mcpServers": { "freightutils": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "freightutils-mcp"] } } }
Cline Configuration
Cline (VS Code extension): open the MCP server settings panel, click "Edit MCP Settings", add:
{ "mcpServers": { "freightutils": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "freightutils-mcp"], "disabled": false, "autoApprove": [] } } }
Health check

Verify the surface is live before asking your agent anything — the endpoint is public, rate-limit exempt, and callable by the agent itself for a self-diagnostic:

curl https://www.freightutils.com/api/mcp/health

A 200 with "status":"ok" and "tools_registered":24 means every tool is registered and reachable.

All 24 tools

Every tool is the same engine behind the corresponding REST endpoint and website page — one implementation, three surfaces. Names below are the exact MCP tool identifiers.

Calculators (9)

  • ldm_calculatorCalculate loading metres (LDM) for European road freight — how much trailer length a pallet load occupies.LDM Calculator tool page →
  • cbm_calculatorCalculate cubic metres (CBM) for a shipment from per-piece dimensions.CBM Calculator tool page →
  • chargeable_weight_calculatorCalculate air freight chargeable weight — the greater of actual gross weight and volumetric weight, which is what airlines bill.Chargeable Weight tool page →
  • pallet_fitting_calculatorCalculate how many identical boxes fit on a pallet: boxes per layer (trying 90-degree rotation when allowed), layer count within the max height, totals, volume utilisation and weight capping.Pallet Fitting tool page →
  • container_lookupGet ISO shipping-container specifications, with optional load-fit maths.Container Capacity tool page →
  • unit_converterConvert freight and logistics units: weight (kg, lbs, oz, tonnes, short_tons, long_tons), volume (cbm, cuft, cuin, litres, gal_us, gal_uk), length (cm, inches, m, feet, mm), plus…Unit Converter tool page →
  • consignment_calculatorCalculate per-line and grand totals for a multi-item mixed consignment: CBM, loading metres (LDM), volumetric weight, and the mode-specific chargeable figure (air chargeable…Consignment Calculator tool page →
  • shipment_summaryComposite shipment analysis in one call: volume (CBM), gross and chargeable weight, road LDM with pallet spaces and a vehicle suggestion (road mode), volumetric weight (air)…API & MCP only — no page
  • emissions_calculatorEstimate freight transport greenhouse-gas emissions (kgCO2e) for a shipment leg, per ISO 14083:2023 / GLEC Framework v3.2: emissions = mass x distance x a published…Emissions Calculator tool page →

Reference & compliance lookups (14)

  • adr_lookupLook up European road dangerous-goods (ADR 2025) reference data for a substance: hazard class, classification code, packing group, labels, special provisions, limited/excepted…ADR Dangerous Goods tool page →
  • adr_exemption_calculatorCalculate ADR 1.1.3.6 "small load" exemption points for a dangerous-goods load.ADR Exemption Calculator tool page →
  • adr_lq_eq_checkCheck whether dangerous goods qualify for ADR Limited Quantity (LQ, ADR 3.4) or Excepted Quantity (EQ, ADR 3.5) relief.ADR LQ/EQ Check tool page →
  • hs_code_lookupSearch 6,940 WCO Harmonized System (HS 2022) commodity codes — the 6-digit international customs classification layer.HS Code Lookup tool page →
  • incoterms_lookupLook up the 11 Incoterms 2020 trade rules — who pays for transport, insurance and customs clearance, and where risk transfers from seller to buyer.INCOTERMS 2020 tool page →
  • uk_duty_calculatorEstimate UK import duty and VAT for a commodity code using the LIVE GOV.UK Trade Tariff — rates are fetched per request, not from a static table.UK Duty & VAT tool page →
  • airline_lookupSearch 6,357 airlines by name, IATA code, ICAO code, AWB prefix, or country.Airline Codes tool page →
  • unlocode_lookupSearch 116,129 UN/LOCODE transport locations worldwide — ports, airports, rail and road terminals, inland container depots and border crossings.UN/LOCODE tool page →
  • uld_lookupLook up air-cargo ULD (Unit Load Device) specifications — 16 types spanning lower-deck containers (AKE/LD3 and family), main-deck pallets (PMC, PAG and family) and temperature-controlled units.ULD Types tool page →
  • vehicle_lookupLook up road-freight vehicle and trailer specifications — 17 types: EU articulated trailers (standard/mega curtainsider, box, reefer, double-deck, flatbed, low-loader), US…Vehicle Types tool page →
  • validateValidate and parse freight identifiers by their public check-digit algorithms: shipping container numbers (ISO 6346), air waybill (AWB) numbers (IATA modulus-7) and IMO ship identification numbers.Identifier Validator tool page →
  • ics2_checkCheck a goods description against the official EU ICS2 stop-words list — terms the European Commission deems too vague or generic for an entry summary declaration (ENS)…ICS2 Stop-Words Checker tool page →
  • airport_lookupLook up an airport by IATA code (3 letters, e.g. "LHR"), ICAO code (4 chars, e.g. "EGLL"), or free-text name/city search (e.g. "heathrow").Airport Code Lookup tool page →
  • nearest_airportFind the airports nearest to a caller-provided latitude/longitude, sorted by great-circle (haversine) distance with distance_km on each result.API & MCP only — no page

MCP-only (1)

  • get_subscribe_linkGet the URL where the user can subscribe to FreightUtils Pro for higher API limits (50,000 requests/month).Pricing →

Typed responses an agent can cite

Every tool publishes a typed outputSchema and returns structuredContent in the FreightUtils v1 response envelope: the result itself, a confidence assessment, a _source block naming the authority and edition behind the answer, and a ready-made citation string. An agent doesn't just get a number — it gets a number it can attribute.

{
  "result":     { /* the tool's typed answer */ },
  "confidence": { "level": "high", "basis": "provenance" },
  "_source":    { "authority": "UNECE ADR 2025", "source_url": "…" },
  "citation":   "UNECE ADR 2025, via freightutils.com"
}

The envelope is assembled by the API itself — not reconstructed client-side — so the npm package, the remote URL and the REST API all return the identical contract. As of v2.11.2, every successful tool call costs exactly one HTTP request against your rate limit.

Rate limits & API keys

Anonymous
25 requests/day per IP
No key, no signup — enough to evaluate.
Free API key
100 requests/day
Instant signup on the API docs page.
Pro
50,000 requests/month
For production agents and pipelines.

The npm package passes your key through on every call — set the FREIGHTUTILS_API_KEY environment variable in your MCP client config. On the remote URL, send it as an X-API-Key (or Authorization: Bearer) header. Plans and pricing: freightutils.com/pricing.

What AI agents can do with it

“Calculate loading metres for 20 Euro pallets on an artic trailer”
“Look up UN 1203 and check if 200 litres qualifies for ADR exemption”
“What's the chargeable weight for 2 boxes 120×80×100cm at 500kg?”
“Find the airline with AWB prefix 176”
“How many boxes 40×30×25cm fit on a Euro pallet?”

What is a freight MCP server?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI agents call external tools the way applications call APIs. An MCP server publishes a set of tools — each with a name, a description and typed input/output schemas — and any MCP-capable client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, agent frameworks, workflow platforms) can discover and invoke them mid-conversation. A freight MCP server puts freight domain knowledge behind that interface: instead of a language model guessing at an ADR tunnel code or approximating a chargeable-weight calculation from training data, the agent calls a deterministic tool and gets the actual figure, computed the way the industry computes it.

Neutrality is what makes the answers usable as ground truth. FreightUtils has no freight to sell and no carrier to push, so a lookup returns what the source says — UNECE ADR 2025 for dangerous goods, WCO HS 2022 for commodity codes, the live GOV.UK Trade Tariff for UK duty, UN/LOCODE for locations, DEFRA/EPA/ADEME factors for emissions — with the authority and edition named in every response. When an agent's answer feeds a quote, a booking decision or a compliance check, “where did this number come from?” must have an answer, and the envelope carries it on every call.

The boundary is deliberate: reference data and deterministic calculations only. This server does not book freight, file declarations, track shipments, rate carriers, or make legal determinations — it is the neutral reference layer underneath the systems and people who do. Classification, documentation and carrier acceptance remain the operator's responsibility; the tools tell you what the sources say, and cite them.

Where it's listed

npmGitHubMCP RegistryGPT StorePostmanGlamaZapiern8n

Prefer plain REST?

Every tool is also a documented REST endpoint — parameters, examples and the OpenAPI 3.1.0 spec.

API reference →