Commercial invoice and packing list checker
Catch invoice and packing list conflicts before you file.
FlowDocs checks the commercial invoice against the packing list in a shipment pack and confirms the bill of lading or air waybill is there. Every field comes back Match, Mismatch or Cannot compare, with the page it was read from.
What FlowDocs checks across the commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading.
Five checks run on every shipment pack. Four compare the commercial invoice with the packing list; one confirms all three documents are present.
| Check | Documents | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pack completeness | Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill | Each document is attached to the shipment pack | Bill of lading not received → Missing |
| Order reference | Commercial invoice vs packing list | Exact match after normalising case and spacing | PO-10482 vs PO-10482 → Match |
| Consignee | Commercial invoice vs packing list | Exact match after normalising case and spacing; no fuzzy matching | Northstar Retail Ltd. vs Northstar Retail Ltd. → Match |
| Packages | Commercial invoice vs packing list | Exact whole-package total | 128 vs 126 → Mismatch |
| Gross weight | Commercial invoice vs packing list | Kilograms only, within 5 kg | 5,640.00 kg vs 5.64 t → Cannot compare |
A sample report.
An illustrative shipment pack with invented values: one package-count mismatch, one gross weight that cannot be compared, and a missing transport document.
Illustrative sample · no customer data
Shipment pack · SHP-10482
Ready
Ready
Missing
Transport Document — presence only
Comparison
Commercial Invoice vs Packing List
Select a field to inspect the sample evidence
Why this result
Both values are safely comparable whole-package totals, but they do not agree.
Source evidence: Commercial Invoice, page 2 · Packing List, page 1
How a check runs.
- 01
Attach the shipment pack
Upload the commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading or air waybill for one shipment. You decide which documents belong together.
- 02
FlowDocs reads and a person reviews
FlowDocs reads the four fields from the invoice and packing list. Order reference and gross weight are reviewed by a person before they are compared.
- 03
You get the result with its evidence
Each field is Match, Mismatch or Cannot compare, with the value read from each document and the page it came from where available.
What it does not check yet.
- Bill of lading and air waybill values — today they are checked for presence only
- Unit conversion — pounds and tonnes return Cannot compare
- Line items, invoice arithmetic, HS codes and classification
- US Customs invoice requirements and letter-of-credit terms
What it costs.
The 3-pack check is free, reviewed by hand, with the report within 24 hours. A 30-day done-for-you pilot is $300 for up to 200 packs, refunded if no real mismatch is caught.
See pricingQuestions about the check.
What does FlowDocs check?
FlowDocs checks the commercial invoice against the packing list on four fields — order reference, consignee, packages and gross weight — and confirms that the commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading or air waybill are all in the shipment pack.
Who is FlowDocs for?
Freight forwarders, NVOCCs, customs brokers and exporters who receive commercial invoices and packing lists from shippers and check them before filing or moving the shipment.
What does a result look like?
Every compared field comes back Match, Mismatch or Cannot compare, with the value read from each document and the page it was read from where available. A missing document is reported as missing.
What happens when a value cannot be read clearly?
The field comes back Cannot compare, with the reason — for example, a gross weight with no kilogram unit. FlowDocs does not guess, and it never reports a reading problem as a mismatch in your paperwork.
Does a person review the results?
Yes. Order reference and gross weight are critical fields, and every value FlowDocs reads for them is reviewed by a person before it is compared.
Do I need CargoWise or a TMS integration?
No. You upload the documents; FlowDocs needs no access to CargoWise, a TMS or an ERP, and writes nothing into them.
Does FlowDocs compare the bill of lading?
Not yet. Today the bill of lading or air waybill is checked for presence in the shipment pack; its weights, packages, parties and container numbers are not compared.
Does it convert pounds or tonnes to kilograms?
Not yet. Gross weight is compared only when both documents state it in kilograms; any other unit returns Cannot compare instead of a converted guess.
Why can a weight like 5,640 kg return Cannot compare?
Because the comma could be a thousands separator or a decimal comma, so 5,640 could mean five thousand six hundred and forty or five point six four. FlowDocs does not guess between them. Written as 5,640.00 kg, 5640 kg or 5.640,00 kg, the same weight is read as 5,640 kilograms.
Does it check line items, invoice totals or HS codes?
No. It compares header fields between the commercial invoice and the packing list. It does not compare line items, check invoice arithmetic, classify goods or verify HS codes.
Can it check documents against a letter of credit?
Not yet. FlowDocs does not check documents against a letter of credit’s terms. You can join the waitlist on the letter-of-credit page.
Does FlowDocs check US Customs invoice requirements?
Not yet. FlowDocs compares the commercial invoice with the packing list. It does not check an invoice against what 19 CFR 141.86 requires for a US import, such as the country of origin and the purchase price of each item.
Can FlowDocs send the shipper a list of what to fix?
Not yet. Each mismatch is shown with the value from both documents, which you can pass to the shipper; FlowDocs does not write or send that message for you.
Check 3 shipment packs free.
Send the commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading or air waybill for 3 recent shipments. We review every result by hand and email you the report within 24 hours. No CargoWise, TMS or ERP access is required.
You can delete or paste over the names, values and routes first — FlowDocs still reads whatever is left. Use a tool that removes the text rather than a black box drawn on top: a drawn box hides it from you, not from a parser.