Guides
Checking shipment documents, step by step.
Guides for freight forwarders and customs brokers on checking a commercial invoice against its packing list. Each one works by hand, links the rules it relies on, and says when it was last checked.
Commercial invoice vs packing list: which fields must match
Every fact that both documents show should be the same on both: the references, the seller and consignee, the description of the goods, the quantities, the number of packages and their marks, and the gross and net weights. Prices, currency and the terms of sale belong on the commercial invoice, and the packing list can leave them out.
Last checked October 24, 2026When the packing list and commercial invoice don’t match
Ask the shipper which document is right before you file: customs examines the packages it needs to, discrepancies between the two documents lead to inspections, and in the US the importer generally pays to prepare the goods for one. Send back the field, both values, the line the difference traces to, and a request for a corrected document.
Last checked October 24, 2026How to check a packing list against a commercial invoice
Lay the two documents side by side and check six things in order: that they belong to the same shipment, the parties, each line of goods, the packages and their marks, the weights, and the totals. Write down every difference with both values and send the list to the shipper before you file.
Last checked October 24, 2026Short ton, metric ton, long ton: why “tons” on a packing list is ambiguous
“Tons” on its own can mean a short ton of 2,000 pounds, a metric ton of 1,000 kilograms or a long ton of 2,240 pounds, so 5.64 tons is 5,117 kg, 5,640 kg or 5,731 kg. Don’t compare it with a weight in kilograms until the shipper says which ton they mean.
Last checked October 24, 2026
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.
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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.