How to Fill Out a Bill of Lading: Box by Box Guide for Ocean Freight
· 7 min read
To fill out a bill of lading, you enter who ships the goods (shipper), who receives them (consignee) and who should be told when they arrive (notify party), then the route, the vessel, the cargo description with container and seal numbers, the freight terms and the number of originals. The carrier or its agent then checks your draft and issues the signed bill of lading. This guide walks through every box of an ocean bill of lading in the order it appears on the form, with an example and the mistakes that delay cargo.
In this guide: Before you start · The parties · Route and vessel · Cargo · Freight and originals · Example · Mistakes
Before you start: what you need
A bill of lading is the receipt for goods taken on board, the evidence of the contract of carriage and, when it is negotiable, the document of title that lets the holder collect the cargo. Because of that third role, small errors matter: a bank under a letter of credit or a customs officer at destination can refuse a bill that does not match the other papers.
Gather these before you open the form:
- The booking confirmation from the shipping line or forwarder (booking number, vessel, voyage, cut off dates)
- The commercial invoice and packing list, so goods, packages and weights match exactly. You can make the invoice with our commercial invoice generator.
- The letter of credit or sales contract, if it says how the bill must be made out (consignee wording, freight terms, number of originals)
- Container and seal numbers from the loading, plus gross weight and volume. Our CBM calculator gives you the cubic meters per carton and in total.
One point to be clear on: in most trades the shipper or forwarder prepares the draft, but only the carrier or its agent issues and signs the real bill of lading. What you fill out is the shipping instruction or draft that the carrier copies.
How to fill out the parties on a bill of lading
The three party boxes sit at the top left of almost every ocean bill of lading. Fill them first, because they decide who controls the cargo.
Shipper
The shipper is the party handing the goods to the carrier, usually the exporter. Enter the full legal company name, street address, city, country and a phone or email. Use the same name as on the commercial invoice.
Consignee
The consignee box decides what kind of bill you get:
| What you write | Type of bill | Who can collect the cargo |
|---|---|---|
| A named company and address | Straight (non negotiable) | Only that named company |
| TO ORDER | Order bill, negotiable | Whoever holds the endorsed original |
| TO ORDER OF (bank name) | Order bill, negotiable | The bank's endorsee, common under a letter of credit |
| TO ORDER OF SHIPPER | Order bill, negotiable | Whoever the shipper endorses it to |
If you are paid by letter of credit, copy the consignee wording from the credit word for word. If not sure what a consignee is, see our short consignee definition.
Notify party
The notify party is who the carrier contacts when the ship arrives, usually the buyer or the buyer's customs broker. On an order bill this box is essential, because the consignee box names no company. If the buyer is also a named consignee, many shippers write SAME AS CONSIGNEE.
Route, booking and vessel boxes
These boxes come from the booking confirmation. Copy them exactly as the carrier wrote them.
- B/L number: given by the carrier. Leave it blank on your draft if the carrier assigns it.
- Booking number: from the booking confirmation.
- Export references: your invoice or order number, so everyone can match the papers.
- Carrier or agent: the shipping line, or the forwarder if it issues a house bill.
- Vessel and voyage: for example MSC Aurora 612W.
- Place of receipt: where the carrier takes the goods, if before the port (an inland depot, for example). Leave blank for port to port.
- Port of loading and port of discharge: the sea ports, written in full (Port Qasim, Karachi; Gothenburg, Sweden).
- Place of delivery: the final point if the carrier delivers beyond the port.
The ports must match the letter of credit and the Incoterm you agreed. If you sold FOB Karachi, the port of loading is Karachi. Our Incoterms 2020 guide explains where each term passes risk.
How to describe the cargo on a bill of lading
The cargo table is the heart of the bill. Each row usually covers one container:
- Container and seal number: for example MSCU1234567 / 445566. A wrong digit here is one of the most common reasons for a correction fee.
- Marks and numbers: the shipping marks printed on the cartons.
- Number and kind of packages: 120 cartons, 18 pallets. This is the count the carrier acknowledges receiving.
- Description of goods: a plain trade description that matches the invoice, such as "Cotton bath towels, 500 GSM". Many shippers add the HS code, and some countries require it. Our HS code guide explains the numbers.
- Gross weight (kg) and measurement (CBM): totals for the container, matching the packing list.
For a full container you loaded and sealed yourself, the carrier normally adds a clause such as SHIPPER'S LOAD, STOW AND COUNT or SAID TO CONTAIN, because it never saw inside the box.
Freight terms, originals and issue date
The last boxes decide who pays and how the cargo is released.
- Freight prepaid or collect: PREPAID means the shipper pays the ocean freight (usual under CFR, CIF, CPT, CIP, DAP and DDP). COLLECT means the consignee pays at destination (usual under EXW, FCA and FOB).
- Number of originals: usually three. The cargo is released against one original, after which the others are void. Choose zero originals and the carrier issues a sea waybill instead, which is not a document of title and releases cargo to the named consignee without paper.
- Place and date of issue: where and when the carrier issues the bill.
- Shipped on board date: the date the goods were loaded on the vessel. Letters of credit usually treat this as the shipment date, so it must be within the credit's latest shipment date.
A filled bill of lading example
Here is how a simple export of towels from Pakistan to Sweden looks once filled:
| Box | Entry |
|---|---|
| Shipper | Indus Home Textiles Ltd, Plot 12 SITE, Karachi, Pakistan |
| Consignee | TO ORDER OF Nordic Trade Bank AB |
| Notify party | Hemma Linen AB, Storgatan 8, Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Vessel and voyage | MSC Aurora 612W |
| Port of loading | Port Qasim, Karachi |
| Port of discharge | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Container / seal | MSCU1234567 / 445566 |
| Packages | 120 cartons |
| Description | Cotton bath towels, 500 GSM, HS 6302.60 |
| Gross weight / CBM | 3,840 kg / 28.6 CBM |
| Freight | Prepaid (sold CIF Gothenburg) |
| Originals | 3 (three) |
You can fill these exact boxes in our free bill of lading generator, which adds up packages, weight and CBM for you and downloads a clean PDF draft to send to your carrier or forwarder.
Common bill of lading mistakes
Most amendment fees and port delays come from a short list of errors:
- Names that do not match the invoice or letter of credit. Even a missing "Ltd" can lead a bank to refuse the documents.
- Wrong container or seal number. Check every digit against the gate in receipt.
- Vague descriptions such as "textiles" or "general cargo", which customs at destination may reject.
- Weights that differ from the packing list or from the verified gross mass you declared.
- Wrong freight term for the Incoterm, which can leave cargo held until someone pays.
- Order bill with no notify party, so nobody is told the cargo has arrived.
- Sending originals late. Under an order bill, the buyer cannot collect without one.
Check the draft line by line before you approve it. Changing a bill after issue usually costs a fee, and sometimes requires the carrier to recall every original.
Ready to prepare yours? Open the bill of lading generator, fill the boxes in the order above, and send the PDF draft to your carrier for checking.
Frequently asked questions
Who fills out the bill of lading, the shipper or the carrier?
The shipper or its freight forwarder usually supplies the details as a shipping instruction or draft. The carrier or its agent checks them, then issues and signs the bill of lading. A bill is valid only once the carrier issues it.
What is the difference between a consignee and a notify party?
The consignee is the party entitled to the cargo, or TO ORDER on a negotiable bill. The notify party is simply the one the carrier tells when the ship arrives, often the buyer or the buyer's customs broker.
How many original bills of lading are issued?
Usually three originals, called a full set. The cargo is released against one of them, after which the others become void. If you ask for no originals, the carrier issues a sea waybill instead.
Should the HS code be on the bill of lading?
It is not always required, but many shippers include it and several countries and carriers now ask for it. Use the same HS code as on the commercial invoice so the documents match.
What does freight prepaid mean on a bill of lading?
Freight prepaid means the shipper pays the ocean freight before or at shipment, which fits terms like CFR and CIF. Freight collect means the consignee pays at destination, which fits terms like FOB and FCA.