What an Export Packing List Is For

Four parties use it, each for a different reason:

• Customs — to verify the shipment’s contents and quantities against the commercial invoice. Where they disagree, the shipment gets held while someone works out why.
• The freight forwarder or carrier — to calculate freight charges and plan how the consignment loads into a container or aircraft. That’s why dimensions and weights matter as much as the item list.
• The buyer — to check the delivery against what was ordered, carton by carton, and to identify a shortage or damage to a specific package rather than to the shipment as a whole.
• The bank, where payment runs through a letter of credit — documents are checked literally, and a packing list that doesn’t match the invoice can delay or block payment.

One thing a packing list does not carry: prices. Values belong on the commercial invoice. The omission is deliberate — packing lists are often attached to the outside of a consignment or handed on with the goods, and your buyer generally doesn’t want their own customer reading what they paid.

What Goes on an Export Packing List

Header details

• Exporter (shipper) name and address
• Consignee name and address — the party receiving the goods
• Buyer, if different from the consignee
• Packing list number and date
• Invoice number and date, and the buyer’s purchase order number
• Country of origin and country of destination
• Port of loading and port of discharge; vessel or flight details

Package-level detail — the part that makes it a packing list

• Package numbers — carton 1 of 12, 2 of 12, and so on
• Shipping marks and numbers exactly as printed on the packages, so cartons can be matched to paperwork on a warehouse floor
• Contents of each package — item description and quantity per carton, not just a shipment total
• Dimensions of each package (length × width × height)
• Net weight (the goods) and gross weight (goods plus packaging) per package
• Type of packaging — carton, crate, pallet, drum
• Totals — total number of packages, total net and gross weight, and total volume

Footer — any special notes (fragile, temperature-sensitive, stackable or not), and the signature of an authorized person at the exporter.

Export Packing List Sample

Notice what this document doesn’t show: any prices. And notice what it does — a customs officer can match carton 9 to the paperwork, a forwarder can calculate freight from 561.6 kg and 3.66 m³, and the buyer can tell immediately if eleven cartons arrive instead of twelve.

Free Export Packing List Templates in MS Word

Each template below is editable in Word. Prepare it from the final invoice — not from the order — so the two documents agree.

Standard Export Packing List Template

Header details, a package-by-package contents table, and totals for packages, weight, and volume.

Detailed Packing List with Dimensions and Weights

Adds per-package dimensions, net and gross weights, and a shipping marks column — for consignments where the forwarder needs loading data.

Free Packing List Template for Export

Gross, Net, and Volumetric Weight

Three weights appear in export paperwork and they’re routinely confused:

• Net weight — the goods alone, without any packaging.
• Gross weight — the goods plus their packaging, pallet, and strapping. This is what the carrier weighs.
• Tare weight — the packaging alone, i.e. gross minus net.

Then there’s volumetric (dimensional) weight, which isn’t a weight at all but a figure calculated from the package dimensions using the carrier’s divisor. Freight is charged on whichever is greater, actual gross weight or volumetric weight — which is why a pallet of cushions can cost more to ship than a pallet of tools. That’s the practical reason dimensions belong on the packing list: without them, nobody can quote the shipment accurately.

Everything Must Match

The single most common cause of customs delays isn’t a missing document — it’s documents that disagree. Your packing list, commercial invoice, and certificate of origin must show the same descriptions, quantities, marks, and weights, and the same invoice and purchase order references. Customs officers compare them line by line; banks handling a letter of credit compare them word by word.

Two practical habits prevent almost all of it. Prepare the packing list from the final invoice, after any last-minute changes, rather than from the original purchase order. And weigh and measure the cartons as they’re packed rather than estimating — an estimated weight that doesn’t match the carrier’s scale is a discrepancy like any other.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an export packing list?

An itemized document listing a shipment’s contents package by package, with quantities, dimensions, weights, and shipping marks. Customs, freight forwarders, buyers, and banks use it to verify what was shipped against the commercial invoice.

What is the difference between a packing list and a commercial invoice?

The invoice records the commercial transaction — goods, values, and payment terms — and is used for customs valuation and payment. The packing list records the physical shipment — what’s in each carton, how much it weighs, how big it is — with no prices at all.

Does a packing list show prices?

No. Values belong on the commercial invoice. Packing lists frequently travel with the goods, so leaving prices off protects your buyer’s commercial position with their own customers.

What is the difference between gross and net weight?

Net weight is the goods alone; gross weight includes packaging, pallets, and strapping. The difference between them is the tare weight. Carriers charge on gross weight, or on volumetric weight if that’s higher.

Is a packing list legally required for export?

It’s not always mandated by law, but in practice it’s expected on nearly every international shipment — customs authorities routinely require one, and letters of credit almost always list it among the required documents. Check the importing country’s requirements and your buyer’s documentary instructions before shipping.

Who prepares the export packing list?

The exporter or their freight forwarder, from the final invoice and the actual packed cartons. It should be signed by an authorized person and issued in multiple copies — one travelling with the goods, one with the document set, and one retained.

Pete Smith

Pete Smith is a Business Management graduate and a passionate advocate for practical, accessible resources that empower professionals and entrepreneurs to succeed. With a strong foundation in organizational strategy and operational efficiency, Pete combines academic knowledge with real-world insights to simplify complex business processes. He is the creator behind a growing online platform dedicated to offering free, high-quality documents, templates, and actionable tips designed to save time and improve productivity.

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