Free resource
Packing list preparation guide
What each field on a packing list means and what customs reads it for, with a blank layout you can print and hand to the supplier. Generic on purpose — no company, client or transaction data.
A generic field guide and a blank layout. It is not a customs form, and the blank template is not a substitute for whatever format your supplier or broker already uses — if they have one that works, keep it.
Prints to A4 with the site navigation removed. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is stored.
Header fields
- Shipper and consignee
Full legal names and addresses, spelled exactly as they appear on the invoice and the transport document. A mismatch between the three is the most common reason a file gets queried.
Every shipment
Write here - Invoice number and date
Ties the packing list to its invoice. Without it, the two documents are two unrelated pieces of paper describing similar cargo.
Every shipment
Write here - Country of origin
Where the goods were produced, which is not always where they shipped from. Customs reads it for duty and for origin rules, so it has to be the production country.
Every shipment
Write here
Line fields — one row per package type
- Marks and numbers
What is physically printed on the outside of the cartons. This is how a physical inspection matches a box in a warehouse to a line on your paperwork.
Every shipment
Write here - Package type and quantity
Cartons, pallets, crates, drums — and how many. Where cartons are consolidated onto pallets, state both counts rather than only the outer one.
Every shipment
Write here - Product description
What the item is, in words a non-specialist can picture. "Model A-227" describes nothing; "steel shelving brackets" describes something a classifier can work with.
Every shipment
Write here - Net weight and gross weight
Net is the goods, gross includes packaging and pallets. Both are needed and they are not interchangeable — freight is billed on gross.
Every shipment
Write here - Dimensions and volume
Length × width × height per package in cm, and the resulting volume. Give the packed dimensions, not the product dimensions.
Every shipment
Write here
Totals
- Total packages, total net, total gross, total volume
These four numbers are what the transport document repeats. If they do not match, the document that disagrees is the one that gets questioned.
Every shipment
Write here
What this is and is not
This is a preparation aid, not legal, customs or tax advice. Requirements change by commodity, HS code, importing entity and current regulation, and the authorities below are the only binding source. Confirm your specific shipment with a licensed customs broker before you ship.
Prepared? Send it over.
Once you have these details, message us on WhatsApp and we will quote the routing. Nothing on this page is submitted anywhere — you copy across only what you choose to.
Best Shipping (Wuhan) Co., Ltd · 2026.07