Export Packing List
What is in each carton, what it weighs, and how it is marked.
Details
packing list format exportUploads
Your logo
A photo or picture
Goes on this page only. Drag it anywhere and pull its corner to resize it.
Your signature
Draw it with a finger, a mouse or a trackpad, and it goes on the page like a picture.
Pictures and signatures stay on this device. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
Red highlights mark what is still blank. Click anything on the page to change it. Your draft is kept on this device as you work.
| Against invoice | [invoice no.] · October 14, 2026 |
| Consignee | [consignee] |
| Description | HS code | Qty | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| [add one line per item] |
Packing and weights
| [add one line per detail] |
Marks and numbers
[shipping marks on the cartons]
No commercial value is shown on this document. It is issued for customs examination and for checking the consignment on arrival.
What is an Export Packing List?
An export packing list says what is inside each carton, crate or pallet, what it weighs, what it measures and how it is marked. Customs officers, forwarders, the shipping line and the buyer's warehouse read it instead of opening boxes. A packing list that disagrees with the commercial invoice or the bill of lading is one of the commonest reasons a container sits at a port while demurrage accrues against your account.
The exporter's shipping department prepares it; the freight forwarder and customs broker use it to complete the export declaration and to book space by weight and volume; the carrier uses it to plan stowage; the buyer's receiving team checks deliveries against it; the insurer asks for it when a claim is filed; and under a letter of credit the bank examines it against the credit terms. It travels in the document set with the commercial invoice, the transport document and any certificate of origin.
The packing list is a commercial document, not a statutory form, so its content is driven by the destination's customs requirements and by your contract. Under a documentary credit, UCP 600 means the bank checks the document against the credit's exact wording, copies and signature requirements. Wood packaging generally needs treatment and the ISPM 15 mark for most destinations. Dangerous goods add IMDG or IATA declarations, and some countries require net weight in specified units or a particular description. Check the credit and the destination's import rules.
A packing list is not a commercial invoice: it normally carries no prices and evidences nothing about value, payment terms or Incoterms. It is not a certificate of origin and proves nothing about where the goods were made. It is not an inspection or quality certificate — it says a carton contains twelve units, not that they work. It is not a transport document and confers no title, so it cannot be used to claim goods at destination.
What to put in an Export Packing List
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Exporter | For example: Barton Timber Exports LLC |
| Your address | For example: Unit 7, Barton Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Consignee | For example: Halliwell Interiors Inc. |
| Goods | One per line: Description | HS code | Qty | Unit | Rate |
| Marks and numbers optional | For example: KSL/NG/2026-14 · Cartons 1–96 · Made in the United States |
| Weights and packing | One per line: Item | Value |
How to write an Export Packing List
Match the header to the invoice exactly
Carry across the invoice number and date, exporter and consignee names and addresses, notify party, buyer's purchase order number, letter of credit number if there is one, port of loading, port of discharge and final destination. Every one of these is cross-checked by somebody. If the invoice says ‘Pvt Ltd’ and the packing list says ‘Private Limited’, expect a query from the bank.
Number every package and list its contents
Give each carton, crate or pallet a number and a line of its own: case 1 of 24, contents by item code and description, quantity per case. Where cases are identical, group them but state the range — cases 1 to 20, 48 units each. ‘Assorted goods, 24 cartons’ simply invites a customs officer to open the container and find out for themselves.
Give net, gross and total weights and dimensions
Show net weight and gross weight per package, and the outer dimensions in centimetres or inches consistently. Total the weights and the volume in cubic metres at the foot of the list. Use one unit system throughout; a list mixing kilograms and pounds across lines is the fastest route to a recalculated freight charge and a disputed bill of lading.
Reproduce the shipping marks as stencilled
Copy the marks exactly as they appear on the packages — consignee mark, order number, case numbers, gross and net weight, country of origin, and any handling symbols. If the boxes read ACME/HAM/001-024, the list must read ACME/HAM/001-024 and not a tidied version. The receiving warehouse checks the box against the paper, not against your intentions.
Total, sign, and reconcile before release
Put the total number of packages, total net weight, total gross weight and total volume at the bottom, sign and stamp it, and then lay the packing list, the commercial invoice and the draft transport document side by side. Check the totals agree across all three. Five minutes here prevents a discrepancy that costs days at the destination port.
Common mistakes
- Weights on the packing list that do not reconcile with the bill of lading trigger a customs query, and the container waits while somebody in another time zone recalculates.
- Case numbers on the list that do not match the numbers stencilled on the boxes make it impossible for the buyer to check off a delivery, and short-shipment claims follow.
- Describing contents as assorted or general merchandise removes the customs officer's reason not to open the container, and the inspection is at your cost.
- Shipping on untreated wooden pallets without the ISPM 15 mark risks the consignment being fumigated, repacked or refused entry at destination.
- Wording that differs from the letter of credit, even by a company suffix, gives the bank a discrepancy and holds up payment until the buyer chooses to waive it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a packing list and a commercial invoice?
The invoice is the financial document: it shows unit prices, totals, currency, Incoterms and payment terms, and customs uses it to assess value. The packing list is the physical document: it shows how the same goods are divided between packages, with weights, dimensions and marks, and usually no prices at all. Item descriptions and quantities must agree exactly between the two.
Does an export packing list need to show prices?
Normally no, and many exporters deliberately leave values off so the list can be passed to a warehouse or attached to a package without disclosing commercial terms. Some letters of credit or destination customs procedures do ask for values on the list; if yours does, include them and make sure they match the invoice exactly. Follow the credit's wording rather than your usual template.
Is a packing list mandatory for export?
It is not universally required by law, but in practice it is required by the people who move your goods: forwarders need it to book space, customs authorities in most destinations expect it with the entry, and letters of credit almost always call for it. Shipping without one usually means somebody else prepares a worse version from your invoice.
What weights should a packing list show?
Net weight, which is the goods alone, and gross weight, which includes packaging and the pallet. Some destinations and some carriers also want tare weight separately, and container shipments may need a verified gross mass declaration under the SOLAS container weighing requirement, which is a separate document. Total each column and check the totals against the transport document.
Who prepares the export packing list?
The exporter, because only the exporter knows what physically went into each box. Forwarders will often reformat or reissue it, but the underlying data should come from the packing operation itself rather than from the sales order — those two diverge whenever a line is short-shipped or repacked. Have the person who sealed the cartons confirm the counts before the list is signed.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.