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Packing list requirements: the fields customs and carriers expect
A packing list should name the parties and references, then give each carton's marks, number, contents, quantity, weights and measurement, with totals. No single international form exists. Customs, carriers and warehouses read the same list for different things, so the table below shows who needs which field.
What a packing list has to do
A packing list is the shipper's description of the physical shipment: which goods are in which carton, and what the cartons weigh and measure. It is a commercial document, not a customs form with fixed boxes. Customs uses it to identify and count the goods, the carrier takes packages, weight and volume from it for the transport document, and the consignee's warehouse receives against its carton count.
So "requirements" come from three places: the destination's customs and tariff rules, carrier and forwarder practice, and the buyer's purchase order. They overlap but are not identical. Packing list vs invoice vs bill of lading covers how the list must agree with the other two shipping documents.
General information, not customs or legal advice. Requirements differ by country, by commodity and by importer. Confirm them with your broker or the destination's customs authority before the goods ship.
Build a list every reader can use
Start with the identifiers
Shipper and consignee with addresses, the packing list number and date, the invoice number and date, every PO number, and the ports and Incoterm if the buyer wants them. These tie the list to the other documents.
Write one row per carton range and SKU
Each row carries the shipping marks, the carton numbers as a range (1-20), the SKU or style, a description specific enough to match the invoice line, the quantity with its unit, and the type of package.
Weigh and measure every row
Net weight, gross weight and measurement per row, in kg and CBM, with the unit in the column header. Add the carton size in cm so the CBM can be checked.
Add origin and codes where they are asked for
Country of origin and HS codes usually sit on the commercial invoice. Put them on the packing list when the importer, the broker or a letter of credit asks. HS codes on packing lists covers how many digits to give.
Finish with totals and page numbers
Total cartons, quantity, N.W., G.W. and CBM, each equal to the sum of the rows. Number the pages "Page 1 of 3" so a missing last page is obvious.
Compare before release
Check cartons, gross weight and CBM against the booking and the draft transport document, and quantities against the invoice.
Who reads which field
Typical expectations, not a legal checklist. Your destination, commodity or buyer may add or drop items.
| Field | Customs | Carrier or forwarder | Warehouse or consignee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parties and references | Yes: ties the list to the entry | Yes: shipper, consignee, booking | Yes: PO and supplier |
| Marks and carton numbers | Yes: identify the goods | Yes: marks on the transport document | Yes: find and receive cartons |
| Number of cartons | Yes: checked against the transport document | Yes: packages on the bill | Yes: count at receiving |
| Description of goods | Yes: must fit the invoice | Yes: cargo description | Yes: what is in the carton |
| Quantity and unit | Yes | Rarely | Yes: by SKU |
| Net weight | Often | Rarely | Rarely |
| Gross weight | Yes | Yes: drives freight | Sometimes: handling |
| Measurement (CBM) | Often | Yes: space and freight | Sometimes: put-away |
| HS code | If asked; usually on the invoice | No | No |
| Country of origin | If asked; often on the invoice | No | Sometimes: labelling |
| Totals row | Yes | Yes | Yes |
What goes wrong
- The last page is missing. The totals usually sit there. Without them nothing ties the rows to a declaration, and a broker cannot tell a short list from a complete one.
- Totals were typed, not added. A row changed after the totals were written, so the list disagrees with itself. Packing list errors that cause customs holds lists the usual cases.
- Descriptions are too vague. "Parts", "goods" or "accessories" identify nothing and rarely match the invoice wording.
- Units are missing or mixed. A weight with no unit, or kg on one page and lbs on another, cannot be added or compared.
How CargoSheet helps
CargoSheet reads a supplier's packing list PDF and returns one row per carton range with marks, description, HS code, quantity, unit, net and gross weight and CBM, then compares the sums with the totals the list declares. It does not check the list against the invoice, the transport document or any country's rules. 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 must be on a packing list?
- Typically the shipper and consignee, references (packing list, invoice, PO), marks and carton numbers, the number of cartons, the goods with quantity and unit, and net weight, gross weight and measurement per line and in total. The destination and the importer decide the rest.
- Is a packing list required for customs clearance?
- In many trade lanes the entry is supported by the commercial invoice, the transport document and a packing list, but requirements vary by country, goods and value. Ask your broker whether your shipment needs one.
- Does a packing list have to be signed or stamped?
- Some importers, banks and authorities ask for a signature, a company stamp or a date, and many do not. Check the purchase order, the letter of credit if there is one, and your broker's instructions.
- Does a packing list show prices?
- Normally not. Prices belong on the commercial invoice, and the packing list also goes to truckers and warehouses. If a supplier prints prices on it, they should agree with the invoice.
- Who prepares the packing list?
- The shipper or exporter, usually from the factory's packing data. Forwarders and brokers receive it and often copy it into their own format for the house bill or the entry.
- Is there one international packing list format?
- No single mandatory form exists. Authorities, banks and carriers care about the content and about the numbers agreeing across documents. A fixed column layout, such as the one on the packing list template page, gets you the same fields every time.
Check a packing list against its own totals
Free: 1 file per day, up to 10 pages, no account.