Shipping Marks Example: What to Print on Export Cartons

A shipping marks example looks like this: the buyer's initials in a box, the destination port, the PO number, the carton number (C/NO. 1 OF 48), and MADE IN plus the country, followed by a side mark with the item, quantity, net and gross weight, and carton size. Every carton in the shipment carries the same marks, and only the carton number changes.

Below is one complete example with real numbers, the reason each line is there, and the totals your paperwork has to agree with. You can print your own set with the free shipping marks generator.

A complete shipping marks example

Our example order: 1,728 ceramic mugs from a factory in Vietnam to a US importer we'll call Harbor Coffee Roasters, packed 36 to a carton in 48 cartons, arriving at Long Beach, California. This is the label we made for carton 1:

            HCR
    LONG BEACH, CA, USA
        PO NO. 4471
       C/NO. 1 OF 48
      MADE IN VIETNAM

CERAMIC MUGS 12 OZ, ITEM HC-220
         QTY: 36 PCS
 N.W.: 14.4 KG   G.W.: 16.2 KG
    MEAS: 48 x 36 x 30 CM

THIS SIDE UP | KEEP DRY | FRAGILE

The top block is the main mark. The middle block is the side mark. The last line is the handling marks.

What each line of a shipping mark means

Line	What it is	Why it's there
HCR	Buyer's mark or initials	Lets the warehouse spot the buyer's cargo among mixed freight
LONG BEACH, CA, USA	Destination port or city	Tells handlers where the carton is going
PO NO. 4471	Buyer's order number	Ties the carton to the order and the invoice
C/NO. 1 OF 48	Carton number of total	Shows at once if a carton is missing
MADE IN VIETNAM	Country of origin	Customs marking
ITEM, QTY	What's inside and how many	Receiving and put-away
N.W. / G.W.	Net and gross weight per carton	Handling, freight and document checks
MEAS	Carton size	Volume and loading plans

The main mark is the part that gets copied into the "marks and numbers" box on the shipping documents. The side mark is for the people who receive and count the goods.

One point of view from us: keep the buyer's mark short. Initials or a code work better than a full company name. They're faster to read from a forklift, and they don't announce to everyone on the dock whose goods are in the box. That's also why many exporters leave brand names off the outside of a carton.

The totals your documents have to match

Shipping marks are only useful if the cartons and the paperwork tell the same story. From the example, the shipment totals work out to:

Item	Per carton	x 48 cartons
Quantity	36 pcs	1,728 pcs
Net weight	14.4 kg	691.2 kg
Gross weight	16.2 kg	777.6 kg
Volume	0.0518 CBM (0.48 x 0.36 x 0.30 m)	2.49 CBM

Those four totals should be the same on the packing list, the commercial invoice and the bill of lading. So should the marks themselves: "HCR / LONG BEACH / PO NO. 4471 / C/NO. 1-48" goes in the marks and numbers column exactly as it's printed on the cartons.

If the bill of lading says 48 cartons and the buyer's dock counts C/NO. 1 to 47, the missing one has a number and can be traced. That's the whole point of numbering. To check the volume line for your own carton, use the CBM calculator.

Is the country of origin required on the carton?

For goods entering the United States, yes in practice: put it on. US customs rules (19 CFR Part 134) require imported articles, or in some cases their containers, to be marked in English with the country of origin so the final buyer can see it. The product itself usually needs the marking too, so MADE IN VIETNAM on the carton doesn't replace the mark on each mug or its retail box. U.S. Customs and Border Protection explains the rule in its guide to marking of country of origin on U.S. imports.

Other countries have their own marking rules, and big retailers add their own carton label specs in a routing guide. Ask the buyer and the freight forwarder before you print. This post is general guidance, not legal or customs advice.

How we printed all 48 labels

We typed the example into the shipping marks generator and set the number of cartons to 48. It numbered the labels C/NO. 1 OF 48 through 48 OF 48 on its own and gave us:

• 4 x 6 in thermal labels: a 48 page PDF, 107 KB, ready in about 2 seconds.
• Letter paper, 2 labels per sheet: 24 sheets, 74 KB.

Steps, if you want to do the same:

1. Fill in the main mark: buyer's mark, destination, PO number, country of origin and the number of cartons.
2. Keep "Add the side mark" ticked and enter the item, quantity per carton, net and gross weight in kg, and the carton size.
3. Tick the handling marks the cargo needs. There are six: THIS SIDE UP, FRAGILE, KEEP DRY, HANDLE WITH CARE, DO NOT STACK, USE NO HOOKS.
4. Choose the label size: 4 x 6 in, Letter (one or two per sheet), A4 or A6.
5. Click Download PDF and print at 100%, not "fit to page".

Nothing you type is uploaded; the PDF is made in your browser.

Two honest limits. The generator prints text marks, so it has no pictorial handling symbols and no hazard labels. Dangerous goods need the official labels, not a line of text. And every carton gets the same side mark, so a shipment with mixed carton contents needs one run per carton type.

Where to put shipping marks on a carton

Put the main mark on two opposite sides of the carton and the side mark on the other two, so at least one of each can be read however the carton is stacked. Don't put the only label on the top or bottom: tops get covered by the next layer and bottoms are never seen.

Factories shipping thousands of cartons usually print the marks straight onto the cardboard. Labels make more sense for small runs, mixed orders and last minute PO changes, which is most of what small exporters deal with. If the cartons go onto pallets, add a pallet label on the outside of the wrap as well, because the carton marks in the middle of the stack can't be read.

Common shipping mark mistakes

• The PO number is "tidied up". If the buyer wrote 4471, don't print PO-004471. Copy it exactly.
• Weights are for the wrong unit. N.W. and G.W. on the mark are per carton, not for the shipment.
• Carton count changes after printing. If two cartons get added, every label is wrong (1 OF 48 should be 1 OF 50). Reprint the set.
• Marks on the documents are shortened differently. Whatever is on the carton goes on the paperwork, word for word.
• Old marks left on reused cartons. Cover or remove them. Two destinations on one box is how freight gets lost.

Frequently asked questions

What are shipping marks?

Shipping marks are the words and numbers on the outside of each export carton that identify the buyer, destination, order and carton number. Handlers, customs and the buyer's warehouse use them to match the cartons to the shipping documents.

What is the difference between a main mark and a side mark?

The main mark identifies the shipment: buyer's mark, destination, PO number, carton number and country of origin. The side mark describes the carton: item, quantity, net and gross weight and size. The main mark is the one copied onto the documents.

What does C/NO. mean on a carton?

C/NO. means carton number. It is written as the carton's number out of the total, such as C/NO. 12 OF 48. On documents the whole range is shown, for example C/NO. 1-48.

Are shipping marks the same as a shipping label?

No. A shipping label carries the delivery address and often a carrier barcode for one parcel. Shipping marks identify cartons that move together as cargo under one bill of lading, and they match the marks and numbers on the trade documents.

Do shipping marks have to be in English?

For the United States, the country of origin marking must be in English. For the rest of the mark, use the language the buyer asks for, which in international trade is usually English, and keep it identical on every document.