Shipping paperwork resources
Practical guides for understanding commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading, origin documents and the information that connects them.
Shipping Documents Guide
A practical overview of common shipping paperwork and how the documents relate to one another.
Read guide →Commercial Invoice Guide
What a commercial invoice is, the information it normally contains and how it differs from a packing list.
Read guide →Bill of Lading Guide
A practical introduction to the information found on an inland bill of lading and what to confirm with the carrier.
Read guide →Packing List Guide
What to include on a packing list and how package, weight and dimensional details support the shipment.
Read guide →Export Document Checklist
A practical pre-shipment checklist for gathering information and identifying the documents an export shipment may need.
Read guide →Commercial Invoice vs. Packing List
Understand the difference between a commercial invoice and a packing list and why many shipments use both.
Read guide →Packing List vs. Bill of Lading
Compare the package-focused packing list with the carrier-focused bill of lading and see when a shipment uses both.
Read guide →Commercial Invoice vs. Pro Forma Invoice
See how a preliminary pro forma invoice differs from the final commercial invoice used for an actual transaction.
Read guide →Preparing Shipping Paperwork for a Freight Forwarder
How to organize shipment information before sending instructions to a freight forwarder.
Read guide →How to Calculate CBM
CBM formula, worked carton example and direct link to the free calculator.
Read guide →Dimensional Weight Formula
Understand DIM weight, divisors and how package dimensions become a weight value.
Read guide →Actual vs. Dimensional Weight
See why carriers compare physical weight with the package's dimensional weight.
Read guide →How to Calculate Freight Density
Calculate pounds per cubic foot or kilograms per cubic meter with a worked example.
Read guide →How Many Cartons Fit on a Pallet?
Estimate cartons per pallet, total pallet count and partial pallets.
Read guide →Shipping Document Templates & Samples
Completed sample PDFs and template pages for invoices, packing lists, BOLs and origin documents.
View templates →Ready to create the paperwork?
Use a free browser generator for an occasional document or Shipping Documents Pro for repeat shipments and reusable data.
Go deeper on the topics Google visitors are already finding.
DIM Weight Formula & Divisors
Understand 139, 166, 5000 and 6000 factors and how they change dimensional weight.
Read guide →How to Calculate CBM
Formulas for centimeters, inches, millimeters and meters with worked examples.
Read guide →How to Fill Out a Commercial Invoice
Work through parties, products, values, origin and shipment references field by field.
Read guide →Packing List Guide
Package counts, gross vs. net weight, dimensions, prices and sample paperwork.
Read guide →Commercial vs. Pro Forma Invoice
See when a preliminary pro forma differs from the final commercial invoice.
Compare →Actual vs. DIM Weight
Understand which comparison value can matter when a package is large for its weight.
Compare →