August 14, 2026

What Your Packing List Needs to Include

Tall warehouse shelving stacked with labeled cardboard boxes, representing what a packing list documents about a shipment's contents

If the commercial invoice tells customs what your goods are worth, the packing list tells everyone what is physically inside each carton. Both documents travel with your shipment, and both get checked, but they answer completely different questions.

What a packing list actually is

A packing list is a detailed breakdown of exactly how your shipment is packed: how many cartons, what is inside each one, and the weight and dimensions of the cargo. Unlike the commercial invoice, it does not state price or value. Its job is to describe the physical shipment accurately enough that customs, your forwarder, and anyone handling the cargo can verify what they are looking at against what was declared.

What it needs to include

A complete packing list should contain:

Shipper and consignee details, matching the same parties named on your other shipping documents
A reference to the related commercial invoice, usually the invoice number, so the two documents can be matched together
An itemized breakdown per carton, listing what is inside each box or pallet, not just a total summary
Quantity per carton and total quantity, so the numbers can be checked against what was ordered
Net weight and gross weight, both per carton and in total
Dimensions of each carton or pallet, along with the total shipment volume
Total number of cartons or packages in the shipment

Leaving out carton-level detail, and only providing a single shipment-wide total, is one of the most common shortcuts that causes problems if customs or your forwarder needs to verify specific cartons.

Packing list vs commercial invoice

These two documents are frequently confused, but they serve genuinely different purposes. As covered in our guide to the commercial invoice, that document establishes value and is what customs uses to assess duty. The packing list, by contrast, establishes physical fact: what is actually in the shipment, how it is packed, and how much it weighs. Neither document replaces the other, and most shipments require both.

Why dimensions and weight matter beyond customs

The weight and dimension figures on your packing list are not just for verification purposes. For sea freight, this is the same data used to work out CBM, which determines your shipping cost. An accurate packing list, prepared before your cargo ships, gives you a reliable basis for that calculation rather than a rough estimate.

Common mistakes to avoid

Providing only a shipment-wide total instead of a per-carton breakdown, which makes it harder to verify specific cartons if a question comes up
Weight or dimension figures that do not match the actual cargo, since inaccurate figures can cause disputes over freight cost or clearance delays
Not referencing the matching commercial invoice number, leaving the two documents disconnected from each other
Inconsistent quantities between the packing list and the commercial invoice, which is a common trigger for a customs query

FAQ

Does the packing list need to show the value of the goods?

No. Value belongs on the commercial invoice. The packing list documents physical contents, weight, and dimensions, not price.

Who prepares the packing list?

Typically your supplier prepares it alongside the commercial invoice, though it is worth reviewing it yourself for accuracy before it travels with your shipment.

What happens if my packing list and commercial invoice do not match?

Discrepancies between documents are a common cause of customs queries and delays, so it is worth checking that quantities and references are consistent across both before shipping.

If you want help making sure your packing list and commercial invoice line up correctly before you ship, tell us about your order and we can review the paperwork with you.

Ready to ship? Explore our sea freight, air freight, sourcing, and customs clearance services from China to Bangladesh.

Get a Sourcing & Shipping Quote ← All posts