Packing list

A packing list is the document that itemises the physical contents of a shipment — what's in each carton and on each pallet, broken down to quantities, weights, and dimensions. Where the commercial invoice answers "what is owed and for what value", the packing list answers "what is physically here, and where in the shipment is it". The two travel together and are meant to agree.

For an inbound shipment against a purchase order, the packing list is the document your warehouse works from at goods-in. It's the checklist against which cartons are counted, opened, and verified — the moment where what was promised meets what actually arrived.

What a packing list contains

A complete packing list typically shows:

• Carton and pallet breakdown — how many cartons, what's in each, often with carton numbers.
• Line-level contents — SKU or style, size, colour, and the quantity in each carton.
• Weights and dimensions — gross and net weight per carton, plus cubic measurements used for freight.
• Total counts — total cartons, total units, total weight and volume for the shipment.
• References — the PO number, supplier details, and often the shipment or container ID.

The level of detail matters at receiving. A packing list that says "10 cartons, mixed" forces the warehouse to open everything; one that maps SKUs to carton numbers lets them check in by exception.

How it pairs with the commercial invoice

The packing list and the commercial invoice are partner documents created from the same shipment, and they're meant to reconcile:

• The invoice carries the commercial value — prices, totals, the basis for duty and the figures customs cares about.
• The packing list carries the physical detail — what's in the boxes, with no prices.

Customs and your freight forwarder cross-check the two. If the invoice lists 1,000 units and the packing list adds up to 940, that mismatch is exactly the kind of discrepancy that holds a shipment at customs clearance or at the port. Keeping the two consistent is part of a clean shipment.

What the warehouse checks it against

At goods-in, the packing list drives a straightforward but consequential check:

• Carton count — does the number of boxes received match the list?
• Contents per carton — does each carton hold what it claims, in the right quantity?
• Condition — are cartons damaged, short, or showing signs of tampering?
• Match to the order — does the total received reconcile to the PO and to the ASN the supplier sent ahead?

Discrepancies found here — a short carton, a wrong colourway, a damaged pallet — are the ones that turn into supplier claims and stock that the system thinks exists but doesn't. The packing list is what makes those discrepancies visible at the dock rather than weeks later when a pick comes up short.

Packing list, ASN, and PO together

Three documents describe the same goods at three different moments:

• PO — what you ordered.
• ASN — the supplier's advance notice of what they shipped and when.
• Packing list — the physical breakdown that travels with the goods and is checked at receipt.

When all three agree, goods-in is a formality. When they don't, the packing list is where the discrepancy surfaces — which is exactly why it's worth checking properly rather than waving the container through.