FRAX Cargo Class Scheme

FRAX Routes all Xenon etc

Overview and Cargo Classes

Sections:

Cargo Classes - Intro
Cargo Classes - Table
Cargo Classes - Details

Intro

OpenTTD provides two ways for GRF vehicles to refit to different cargos.

Cargo labels
Cargo classes

The GRFSpecs wiki has more details about both cargo labels and classes.

The FRAX Cargo Class Scheme is used by:

industry GRFs such as FIRS
vehicle GRFs such as Iron Horse

Frax includes

Cargo Classes - Table

Cargo class	ID	Cargo class category	Bit number
Passengers	CC_PASSENGERS	Non-Freight: Passengers	`0`
Mail	CC_MAIL	Non-Freight: Mail	`1`
Potable	CC_POTABLE	Freight: Potable Status	`13`
Non-Potable	CC_NON_POTABLE	Freight: Potable Status	`14`
Piece Goods	CC_PIECE_GOODS	Freight: Basic Handling	`5`
Open Bulk	CC_OPEN_BULK	Freight: Basic Handling	`4`
Covered Bulk	CC_COVERED_BULK	Freight: Basic Handling	`9`
Powder Bulk	CC_POWDER_BULK	Freight: Basic Handling	`11`
Liquid Bulk	CC_LIQUID_BULK	Freight: Basic Handling	`6`
Gas Bulk	CC_GAS_BULK	Freight: Basic Handling	`8`
Flatbed	CC_FLATBED	Freight: Special Handling	`10`
Express	CC_EXPRESS	Freight: Special Handling	`2`
Armoured	CC_ARMOURED	Freight: Special Handling	`3`
Refrigerated	CC_REFRIGERATED	Freight: Special Handling	`7`
Weird	CC_WEIRD	Freight: Special Handling	`12`
Special (do not use)	CC_SPECIAL	N/A	`15`

Cargo Classes - Details

Passengers Cargo class

Class name	CC_PASSENGERS
Category	Non-Freight: Passengers.
Cargo class description	Passengers.
Example cargos	Passengers
Example vehicles	Passenger Vehicle
Industry GRF advice	Generally this only applies to specific Passengers cargo (cargo label PASS).
Vehicle GRF advice	Passenger vehicles are simple and just set CC_PASSENGERS.
Bit number	`0`

Mail Cargo class

Class name	CC_MAIL
Category	Non-Freight: Mail.
Cargo class description	Mail.
Example cargos	Mail
Example vehicles	Mail Van
Industry GRF advice	Generally this only applies to specific Mail cargo (cargo label MAIL).
Vehicle GRF advice	Sometimes used alongside CC_EXPRESS and CC_ARMOURED for vehicles such as mail vans.
Bit number	`1`

Potable Cargo class

Class name	CC_POTABLE
Category	Freight: Potable Status.
Cargo class description	Cargo that is edible / food-grade (safe for human consumption and with hygienic transport requirements).
Example cargos	Beans, Fish, Flour, Food, Grain, Milk
Example vehicles	Not applicable
Industry GRF advice	Add to cargos that require food-grade transport.
Vehicle GRF advice	Valid only for `non_refittable_cargo_classes`. Do not set both CC_POTABLE and CC_NON_POTABLE on the same vehicle.
Bit number	`13`

Non-Potable Cargo class

Class name	CC_NON_POTABLE
Category	Freight: Potable Status.
Cargo class description	Cargo that is inedible / non-food-grade (unsafe for human consumption and incompatible with hygienic transport requirements).
Example cargos	Ammonia, Cement, Chlorine, Coal, Explosives, Goods, Iron Ore, Livestock, Oil, Paper, Pipe, Quicklime, Sand, Scrap Metal, Sodium Hydroxide, Steel, Sulphur, Timber
Example vehicles	Not applicable
Industry GRF advice	Add to cargos that are unsuitable for food-grade transport.
Vehicle GRF advice	Valid only for `non_refittable_cargo_classes`. Do not set both CC_POTABLE and CC_NON_POTABLE on the same vehicle.
Bit number	`14`

Piece Goods Cargo class

Class name	CC_PIECE_GOODS
Category	Freight: Basic Handling.
Cargo class description	Breakbulk cargo or general cargo. Unitised or individual pieces. Packaged for weather protection and containment, or unpackaged if no packaging is required. This class originates from the German term 'Stückgut', which has no single direct translation to English.
Example cargos	Ammonia, Beans, Cement, Chlorine, Explosives, Flour, Food, Goods, Grain, Paper, Pipe, Quicklime, Sodium Hydroxide, Steel, Timber
Example vehicles	Box Van (less permissive), Box Van (more permissive), Intermodal Container Vehicle, Open Cargo Vehicle (less permissive), Open Cargo Vehicle (more permissive)
Industry GRF advice	Almost all types of freight can be transported packaged in crates, boxes, barrels, jars, tins, cans, bags, sacks, bales, bundles or pallets, or as unpackaged items loaded individually into vehicles. This class is suitable for the widest range of freight cargos and is supported by almost all vehicle grfs.
Vehicle GRF advice	Always include freight vehicles supporting this class as it represents the most common class for freight cargos (recommended).
Bit number	`5`

Open Bulk Cargo class

Class name	CC_OPEN_BULK
Category	Freight: Basic Handling.
Cargo class description	Loose bulk cargo that will flow under gravity that do not require covering.
Example cargos	Coal, Iron Ore, Sand, Scrap Metal, Sulphur
Example vehicles	Box Van (more permissive), Hopper, Intermodal Container Vehicle, Open Cargo Vehicle (less permissive), Open Cargo Vehicle (more permissive), Ore Dump Vehicle
Industry GRF advice	This class is widely supported by vehicle GRFs. An alternative fallback class is not necessary. Not mutually exclusive with CC_COVERED_BULK. Both classes are suitable for some cargos.
Vehicle GRF advice	This class is for open-topped bulk vehicles.
Bit number	`4`

Covered Bulk Cargo class

Class name	CC_COVERED_BULK
Category	Freight: Basic Handling.
Cargo class description	Loose bulk cargo that will flow under gravity, and does require covering.
Example cargos	Beans, Flour, Food, Grain, Quicklime, Sand, Sulphur
Example vehicles	Box Van (more permissive), Covered Hopper, Food Grade Covered Hopper, Industrial Covered Hopper, Intermodal Container Vehicle, Open Cargo Vehicle (more permissive)
Industry GRF advice	Not mutually exclusive with CC_OPEN_BULK. Both classes are suitable for some cargos. This cargo class may not be widely supported by older vehicle GRFs. Also set CC_PIECE_GOODS as a fallback (recommended).
Vehicle GRF advice	This class is for covered bulk vehicles with loading hatches or similar.
Bit number	`9`

Powder Bulk Cargo class

Class name	CC_POWDER_BULK
Category	Freight: Basic Handling.
Cargo class description	Dry powdered materials that flow under air pressure.
Example cargos	Cement, Flour, Quicklime, Sand
Example vehicles	Box Van (more permissive), Intermodal Container Vehicle, Open Cargo Vehicle (more permissive), Powder Tanker
Industry GRF advice	Set this class for all powder cargos. This cargo class may not be widely supported by older vehicle GRFs. Also set CC_PIECE_GOODS as a fallback (recommended).
Vehicle GRF advice	Not applicable
Bit number	`11`

Liquid Bulk Cargo class

Class name	CC_LIQUID_BULK
Category	Freight: Basic Handling.
Cargo class description	Transport of liquids.
Example cargos	Food, Milk, Oil, Sodium Hydroxide
Example vehicles	Box Van (more permissive), Food Tanker, Intermodal Container Vehicle, Open Cargo Vehicle (more permissive), Tanker Vehicle (less permissive), Tanker Vehicle (more permissive)
Industry GRF advice	This class is widely supported by vehicle GRFs. An alternative fallback class is not necessary.
Vehicle GRF advice	Not applicable
Bit number	`6`

Gas Bulk Cargo class

Class name	CC_GAS_BULK
Category	Freight: Basic Handling.
Cargo class description	Gases, including those that may be transported under pressure or cryogenically.
Example cargos	Ammonia, Chlorine, Oxygen
Example vehicles	Box Van (more permissive), Intermodal Container Vehicle, Open Cargo Vehicle (more permissive), Pressurised Tanker, Tanker Vehicle (more permissive)
Industry GRF advice	This cargo class may not be widely supported by older vehicle GRFs. Also set CC_PIECE_GOODS as a fallback (recommended). Not applicable
Vehicle GRF advice	Not applicable
Bit number	`8`

Flatbed Cargo class

Class name	CC_FLATBED
Category	Freight: Special Handling.
Cargo class description	Subset of piece goods, general cargo specifically suited for transport using flatbed vehicles.
Example cargos	Goods, Paper, Pipe, Steel, Timber
Example vehicles	Flatbed Vehicle, Intermodal Container Vehicle, Open Cargo Vehicle (more permissive)
Industry GRF advice	Any cargo suited to flatbed transport, but specifically including long products, unitised cargos such as machinery, and rolling or wheeled cargo. This cargo class may not be widely supported by older vehicle GRFs. Also set CC_PIECE_GOODS as a fallback (recommended).
Vehicle GRF advice	Enables flatbed vehicles to refit to a more specific set of general cargos than CC_PIECE_GOODS. Don't exclude, may have unintended consequences.
Bit number	`10`

Express Cargo class

Class name	CC_EXPRESS
Category	Freight: Special Handling.
Cargo class description	High priority cargo.
Example cargos	Explosives, Fish, Food, Milk
Example vehicles	Box Van (less permissive), Box Van (more permissive), Intermodal Container Vehicle, Mail Van, Open Cargo Vehicle (more permissive)
Industry GRF advice	To maximise vehicle compatiblity, consider also setting CC_PIECE_GOODS.
Vehicle GRF advice	Often applied to higher-speed vehicles. Sometimes used alongside CC_MAIL and CC_ARMOURED for vehicles such as mail vans.
Bit number	`2`

Armoured Cargo class

Class name	CC_ARMOURED
Category	Freight: Special Handling.
Cargo class description	Cargos that need protection from theft.
Example cargos	Diamonds, Explosives, Nuclear fuel
Example vehicles	Armoured Van
Industry GRF advice	To maximise vehicle compatiblity, consider also setting CC_EXPRESS and CC_PIECE_GOODS.
Vehicle GRF advice	Sometimes used alongside CC_MAIL and CC_EXPRESS for vehicles such as mail vans.
Bit number	`3`

Refrigerated Cargo class

Class name	CC_REFRIGERATED
Category	Freight: Special Handling.
Cargo class description	Food-type cargos requiring refrigeration or temperature control.
Example cargos	Fish, Food, Milk
Example vehicles	Intermodal Container Vehicle, Refrigerated Vehicle
Industry GRF advice	Also set CC_POTABLE. Consider also setting CC_EXPRESS and CC_PIECE_GOODS to maximise vehicle compatibility.
Vehicle GRF advice	More flexible if interpreted as any form of temperature control via mechanical cooling, ice, ventilation or insulation.
Bit number	`7`

Weird Cargo class

Class name	CC_WEIRD
Category	Freight: Special Handling.
Cargo class description	Unique cargos that don't really fit any standard classes, and are better handled with dedicated vehicles using cargo labels. Example: things that are alive but aren't CC_PASSENGERS, such as livestock. Example: things that are radioactive, such as nuclear fuel or waste.
Example cargos	Livestock, Nuclear fuel
Example vehicles	Intermodal Container Vehicle, Open Cargo Vehicle (less permissive), Open Cargo Vehicle (more permissive)
Industry GRF advice	This class is rarely used. Its purpose is to provide fallback vehicle compatibility for genuinely unique, non-standard cargos. Most cargos will work fine with classes such as CC_PIECE_GOODS, CC_EXPRESS, or CC_ARMOURED, and should do that rather than setting CC_WEIRD.
Vehicle GRF advice	Cargo might need dedicated vehicles, with label refits. Open general cargo vehicles might be sensible as fallback choices. Can be used to exclude CC_WEIRD cargos in some vehicles, but ensure there's at least one type of vehicle that allows this class (recommended). CC_WEIRD is really only intended as a fallback for unknown weird cargos; there are very few cargos using this class, so better to allow/disallow those cargo labels explicitly if you want to control their vehicle refits precisely.
Bit number	`12`

Special (do not use) Cargo class

Class name	CC_SPECIAL
Category	N/A: .
Cargo class description	Reserved. Do not use this class.
Example cargos	Not applicable
Example vehicles	Not applicable
Industry GRF advice	Not applicable
Vehicle GRF advice	Not applicable
Bit number	`15`

With thanks to all who helped