How to Prepare a Packing List — The Document That Pairs With Your C/I

The Packing List (P/L) is submitted alongside the Commercial Invoice as a paired document. If the C/I proves "what is being sold, and for how much," the P/L proves "how that cargo is actually packed and loaded." Customs officers, carriers, and warehouse staff all cross-check the physical cargo against this document — so any mismatch with the C/I shows up immediately at the point of inspection.

Core fields on a Packing List

The P/L covers the same items as the C/I, but the key difference is that it's based on weight and volume, not value.

• No. / Description / HS Code: must use the exact same order and wording as the C/I — cross-checking between the two documents depends on these matching exactly.
• Qty: quantity (same as the C/I)
• N.W. (Net Weight): the weight of the cargo itself, excluding packaging
• G.W. (Gross Weight): total weight including packaging — this is the figure carriers actually use for freight calculation
• CBM: volume as packed — in principle, stated per individual box or carton

Where the C/I and P/L overlap, and where they diverge

Both documents share product name, HS Code, and quantity; they diverge on value (C/I) versus weight and volume (P/L). In practice, it breaks down like this:

• Only on the C/I: unit price, amount, settlement currency
• Only on the P/L: N.W., G.W., CBM, packing units (number of cartons, number of pallets)
• On both: product name, HS Code, quantity, and the Invoice No. (the P/L should reference the corresponding C/I's Invoice No. to make clear the two form one set)

Common mistakes to avoid

• Mixing up N.W. and G.W.: swapping net and gross weight causes confusion in freight billing (which runs on gross weight) and customs valuation. Always confirm: N.W. excludes packaging weight, G.W. includes it.
• Reporting only the shipment's total CBM: without per-box dimensions, warehouse and inspection staff have to work backward to figure out individual box volumes. Where possible, state each box's dimensions (L×W×H) and per-box CBM alongside the total — the CBM Calculator makes it easy to compute per-box CBM in advance.
• Item order or quantities out of sync with the C/I: customs places the two documents side by side, so item order and quantities must match exactly (see our Commercial Invoice guide for details).
• Missing packing-unit information: without a total carton count or pallet count, warehouse and carrier staff have nothing to check the physical shipment against during inspection.

A practical tip

Since the C/I and P/L share essentially the same item list, building them separately is where quantity and description mismatches most often creep in. Our C/I & P/L Generator takes your item list once and generates both formats simultaneously — one centered on unit price and amount, the other on weight and volume — eliminating the risk of the two documents drifting apart.