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Packing list errors that cause customs holds: the common mismatches
A packing list does not need a dramatic mistake to prompt a customs query. A number that disagrees with the invoice, the bill of lading or the list itself can be enough: carton counts, weights, units, descriptions or totals. Check them before release, while fixes are cheap.
Why a mismatch triggers a query
Customs systems and officers compare what is declared with the supporting documents. A document that disagrees with the declaration is one reason a shipment can be queried, examined or held. Selection criteria are not published and many holds have nothing to do with paperwork, so clean documents lower the chance of an avoidable query but guarantee nothing.
Many errors on a packing list are arithmetic or copying slips made upstream, at the supplier. They cost little to catch while the list is a spreadsheet and much more once the goods have landed, because storage, container charges and amended filings can start to accrue. Packing list requirements lists the fields the checks below apply to.
General information, not customs or legal advice. Inspections, penalties and amendment procedures differ by country; ask your broker what applies to your shipment.
Check these six things before release
Parties and references
Names, addresses, invoice number and PO numbers equal those on the invoice and the booking.
Carton counts
Add the carton ranges and compare with the list's total, the booking and the draft bill of lading.
Weights
Gross not below net on any row, a unit on every weight, and sums equal to the declared totals. See gross weight vs net weight.
Volume
Recompute CBM from the carton sizes, and check that the total is the sum of the rows.
Goods
Descriptions, quantities and units agree with the invoice, and any HS codes match digit for digit.
Totals and pages
Every page present (Page 1 of N), a totals row on the last page, and no repeated header row counted as goods.
The common mismatches
What each one looks like and the quickest check.
| Mismatch | What it looks like | Quick check |
|---|---|---|
| Carton count | Total differs from the sum of ranges or from the bill | Add the ranges; compare with the bill |
| Gross weight | Total differs from the rows, or G.W. is below N.W. | Add the rows; compare each row |
| Net weight | N.W. equal to G.W., or a total typed by hand | Test each row; recompute the sum |
| CBM | A carton over 1 CBM, or inches read as cm | Recompute from the carton size |
| Units | kg and lbs mixed, or no unit written | Read the headers; convert once |
| Quantity | List and invoice differ for a SKU | Sum by SKU; compare with the invoice |
| Description | Vague, or different words from the invoice | Compare line by line |
| HS code | A different code on list and invoice | Compare the digits |
| Carton numbers | Overlapping, repeated or restarted without a PO | Check each range against the others |
| Missing pages | No totals; a page-count gap | Look for Page x of y |
Carton-number problems are covered in shipping marks and carton numbers.
What goes wrong when it is found late
These are the costs of finding a mismatch after the goods have shipped, rather than while the list is still a spreadsheet.
- A corrected filing. A change after the entry is lodged can mean an amendment and, in some systems, a fee or penalty. Ask your broker.
- Storage and container charges. Goods held at a terminal can accrue storage, and containers can accrue demurrage or detention while the paperwork is sorted.
- A slow correction. The supplier must issue a corrected list, often across time zones, and the forwarder and broker must accept it.
- Editing the total instead of the row. Someone changes a declared total so the sums tie. The list is now wrong in a second place.
- The same error again. A template or habit that causes the slip stays unchanged, and the next shipment repeats it.
How CargoSheet helps
CargoSheet runs several of these checks on a supplier's list. It compares the sums of cartons, quantity, weights and CBM with the declared totals, and flags overlapping, repeated or unreadable carton ranges, G.W. below N.W., missing weights and a carton over 1 CBM. It does not compare the list with the invoice or the bill of lading. Try the packing list to Excel converter. Free: 1 file per day, up to 10 pages, no account. Files over 10 pages are converted up to page 10 on the free allowance; a page code converts the whole file, up to 150 pages. See pricing.
Questions
- What packing list errors cause customs delays?
- Carton counts, weights or quantities that disagree with the invoice or the bill of lading, missing units, vague descriptions, different HS codes and totals that are not the sum of the rows. Any unexplained mismatch can prompt a query.
- Can a wrong packing list cause a customs hold?
- It can contribute. Customs may query or examine a shipment whose documents disagree, but selection depends on many factors that nobody outside the authority can predict.
- How do I correct a packing list after the goods have shipped?
- Ask the supplier for a corrected list with a new date or revision number, then tell your forwarder and broker so the transport document and the entry can be amended if needed. Procedure and fees depend on the carrier and the country.
- Does the packing list weight have to match the bill of lading exactly?
- It should read the same. A few grams of rounding is common; whole-kilogram gaps need an explanation. Check that both documents use the same basis for pallets.
- How can I check a supplier's packing list quickly?
- Add the carton ranges, weights and CBM and compare them with the totals line, recompute CBM from the carton sizes and compare quantities with the invoice. In a spreadsheet that is a few SUM formulas.
- Who is responsible for packing list errors?
- The shipper or exporter issues the list, while the importer of record is generally responsible for the entry. Responsibility between buyer and seller depends on the contract and the Incoterm. Take advice on your case.
Check a packing list against its own totals
Free: 1 file per day, up to 10 pages, no account.