How to Make a Packing List for Export (with Free Template)

The packing list is one of the simplest export documents — but it is checked by more people than almost any other. Customs uses it to inspect your cargo, your freight forwarder uses it to book space, and your buyer uses it to receive the goods. This guide explains every box on an export packing list, shows a simple template, and lists the mistakes that cause delays.

What Is a Packing List?

A packing list describes how your goods are packed: how many cartons, bags or pallets, what is inside each one, the marks on them, and their net and gross weight. It is prepared together with the commercial invoice and describes the same shipment.

The big difference: a packing list does not need prices. The invoice shows the money; the packing list shows the packages. That is why you can safely share it with transporters and warehouses.

A Simple Packing List Template

Here is how the product table of a typical export packing list looks (demo values):

Above the table come the shipment details (exporter, consignee, invoice number, ports). Below it come the totals (total packages, total net and gross weight), the container number and a signature.

You can copy this layout into Word or Excel — or make a ready PDF in the ExportMart AI invoice maker, where the Packing List is free forever and needs no login.

What Each Box Means

Top part: shipment details

• Exporter — your business name and full address, exactly as on your IEC and invoice.
• Invoice No. & Date — the number of the commercial invoice this packing list belongs to. This is how customs links the two documents.
• Exporter's Ref. / Buyer's Order No. — your internal reference and the buyer's purchase order number, so the buyer can match the goods to their order.
• Consignee — who receives the goods. Buyer (if other than consignee) — who pays, when this is a different company.
• Pre-carriage, Place of Receipt, Vessel / Flight, Port of Loading, Port of Discharge, Final Destination — the route of the goods.
• Country of Origin / Final Destination — where the goods were made and where they are going.

Middle part: the product table

• HS Code — the product's tariff code. It must be the same as on the invoice and shipping bill.
• Marks & Nos — what is written on the outside of the packages, for example "ABC/LON/1-40" for cartons 1 to 40. Customs uses this to find a carton during inspection, so it must match what is actually printed on the boxes.
• No. & Kind of Packages — how many and what type: cartons, bags, bales, drums, pallets.
• Description of Goods — a clear description, the same as on the invoice.
• Quantity — number of units, with the unit (pieces, kg, pairs, metres).
• Net Weight — the weight of the goods only, without packing.
• Gross Weight — the weight of the goods plus all packing (cartons, bags, pallets). Gross weight is always more than net weight.

Bottom part: totals and IDs

• Container No. — for sea shipments in containers.
• Total Packages, Total Net Weight, Total Gross Weight — the sums of the table. These must match the invoice and the shipping bill exactly.
• Packing Description — how the goods are packed, for example "10 pieces per poly bag, 50 bags per 5-ply carton".
• GSTIN and IEC — your Indian registration numbers.
• Stamp and Authorised Signature.

Common Packing List Mistakes

• Weights or package counts that don't match the invoice — the most common cause of customs queries. Make both documents from the same details.
• Gross weight lower than or equal to net weight — impossible, and an instant red flag.
• Totals that don't add up — the total packages and weights must equal the sum of the rows.
• Marks that don't match the cartons — if the cartons say 1-40 and the packing list says 1-45, expect questions.
• Vague descriptions like "garments" or "spare parts" — use the same clear description as the invoice.
• Mixing up units — for example kg in one place and pounds in another, or per-carton weight written where the total is expected.
• Wrong invoice number — copying an old packing list and forgetting to change it.

Frequently Asked Questions

In practice, yes. Customs, the shipping line and most buyers expect a packing list with every export shipment, together with the commercial invoice.

No. A packing list shows packages, quantities and weights. Prices belong on the commercial invoice.

Net weight is the goods only. Gross weight is the goods plus all packing, such as cartons, bags and pallets. Gross weight is always higher.

Yes. The invoice number, description, quantities, package count and weights must be the same on both documents, and on the shipping bill.

Yes. The Packing List and the Commercial Invoice are free forever, with no login. Paid plans add more documents and several products in one document.