An export packing list should let another person identify what is inside each package without relying on the packer's memory. The difficult part is rarely the document layout. It is keeping the physical cartons, product quantities, measured weights and commercial paperwork consistent as goods are packed, checked and handed over.
Use the AfroTools Packing List Generator to organise that record. This guide concentrates on the package-level checks before dispatch, rather than customs rates or a general list of import documents. It provides an original preparation workflow for African exporters and small businesses; it is not customs approval, a carrier booking or a substitute for the requirements of your shipment.
1. Establish which shipment the list describes
Start with a shipment reference and the commercial invoice reference. Record the shipper and consignee from the agreed transaction documents, then confirm the delivery and transport details with the person arranging carriage. Distinguish an order covering several dispatches from the specific goods leaving on this dispatch. A packing list copied from the complete order can overstate the goods actually available for collection.
The International Trade Administration's common export documents guide describes the packing list as a detailed record of packages, goods, weights and identifying marks. It also states that a packing list does not replace a commercial invoice and that the two should agree. This is a useful document distinction, not a reason to apply US export-filing rules to an African shipment.
Ask the buyer or forwarder which references they need on the list before completing it. Keep the answer with the shipment record. If the vessel, flight, final consignee or loading location is still unconfirmed, keep the document as a draft and resolve those fields before issuing a final version. Do not fill a blank with a plausible route just to make the preview look complete.
2. Build the record from the packed goods
Work from the packages that will actually be handed over. Assign each one a stable identifier that can be read both on the package and in the list. Record the packaging type and describe the contents precisely enough for the receiver to reconcile them with the order. Keep internal product codes when useful, but do not leave a code as the only description if the recipient cannot interpret it.
Separate the count of physical packages from the number of saleable units inside them. The package count answers how many handling units are being presented; the contents record answers what goods those units contain. State the unit of measure for the goods. Pieces, sets, litres and kilograms should not become an unexplained number in a description column.
A practical preparation sheet should capture the following before data entry:
- Package identifier, marks and packaging type.
- Product description, item reference and contents quantity with its unit.
- Measured net and gross weight, using a consistent unit.
- Outer length, width and height of the finished package.
- The invoice or order lines represented by that package.
- Any unresolved discrepancy and the person responsible for checking it.
For mixed cartons, keep a contents breakdown linked to the package identifier. For palletised goods, agree with the forwarder whether the document should show pallets, cartons or both, and how the relationship should be expressed. Avoid counting the same handling unit twice simply because it appears at two levels of the packing record.
3. Measure weights and dimensions consistently
Keep the goods' net weight distinct from the gross weight of the packed unit. Record what was included in the weighing so that another reviewer can reproduce the total. A number copied from a supplier's catalogue is not the same evidence as a measurement of the finished package. If you have only an estimate during planning, label it and replace it before final review.
Measure the outside of the package after packing, including the parts that determine its occupied space. Use one unit throughout the worksheet. The AfroTools generator takes dimensions in centimetres and displays cubic metres, or CBM. Its dimensional calculation is length × width × height ÷ 1,000,000. That is a unit conversion, not a carrier's freight price.
Keep weight, volume and chargeable weight in separate columns in your review notes. CBM describes volume. Kilograms describe mass. A courier or forwarder may use a service-specific method to determine what weight it bills. For that separate task, use the volumetric-weight guide and obtain the applicable method from the provider. Do not copy the packing tool's air-weight estimate into a quote as though it were a confirmed carrier rule.
Where figures differ, investigate the measurement before changing the document. Check whether a weight includes packaging, whether dimensions refer to the product or its carton, and whether a total covers the whole dispatch or only one part. Keep the corrected measurement and its basis together.
4. Enter one physical package per tool row
The safest entry pattern in the current Packing List Generator is one physical package per row, with quantity set to one. Enter that package's own weights and dimensions. Put the product quantities inside it in the description or an accompanying contents schedule. Add another row for the next package, even when its contents resemble the previous one.
This matters because the current tool sums the entered row weights and row CBM as totals. Changing the quantity field increases the package count, but does not multiply those weights or the volume calculated from the dimensions. Entering several packages in one row with only one package's measurements would therefore understate the totals. The one-package-per-row method keeps the calculation and the physical record aligned.
Complete the invoice reference, parties and confirmed shipment fields, then review the document preview as well as the on-screen totals. Check that marks and package numbers are visible and that long descriptions remain readable. Do not regard a generated document number or today's automatically filled date as proof that the underlying shipment facts were verified.
The tool also shows indicative container utilisation. That percentage is a volume comparison, not a loading plan or an acceptance decision. It does not prove that the packages fit through a container opening, can be safely stacked, satisfy payload limits or are suitable for the chosen transport. Ask the forwarder to confirm those issues separately.
5. Reconcile the packing list with other records
Review the documents side by side rather than checking each one in isolation. Begin with identity and references, then work through product quantities, package counts and measurements. Compare records at the same level: an invoice's product quantity need not be identical to a packing list's number of cartons. What must be explainable is how the packed contents account for the invoiced goods on this dispatch.
DHL South Africa's documentation guidance highlights vague descriptions and mismatched quantities or weights as problems in export paperwork. Use that as a prompt to review consistency. It does not mean that matching documents guarantee release, a delivery date or exemption from inspection.
| Record | Compare with the packing list | Resolve before handoff |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | Parties, reference and goods actually dispatched | Missing items, ambiguous descriptions or unexplained quantity differences |
| Package labels | Marks and the identifier on each physical unit | Duplicate, missing or unreadable identifiers |
| Weighing and measurement notes | Units, package scope and final totals | Estimates presented as measurements or packaging counted inconsistently |
| Carrier instructions | Shipment references, package type, count and cargo weight | Different document versions or unconfirmed transport details |
Use a short discrepancy log instead of silently overwriting uncertain figures. Record which field is wrong, the evidence needed, who will confirm it and which version will change. Recheck the affected totals after a correction. If goods are removed or repacked, review the contents and measurements again rather than editing only the headline package count.
6. Make the country and carrier handoff explicit
For an export from Kenya, KRA's importing and exporting guidance includes a packing list among the documents supplied to a licensed customs clearing agent. Its list also includes the commercial invoice, origin documentation, purchase orders or contracts, a PIN certificate and permits or licences for restricted goods. Confirm the applicable packet with the agent; completing one document does not complete the declaration process.
For a Maersk shipment, its shipping-instructions checklist requests shipment and container numbers, package count and type, cargo gross weight and description, payment terms, and shipper and consignee details. It also calls for information required by local export and import rules. These are carrier instructions, not a universal format for every packing list.
Before sending the packet, ask the appointed agent or carrier to confirm the final references, the required version and the intended recipient. Ask whether a product-specific certificate, destination-language version or separate contents schedule is needed. Record unanswered questions as open actions. Do not describe a packing-list review as permission to ship regulated goods.
The broader customs-clearance document checklist helps organise the rest of the file. Keep its broader preparation purpose distinct from this package-level reconciliation. Both guides require shipment-specific confirmation; neither submits anything to an authority.
7. Export, reopen and control the final version
Use the generator's CSV export for a tabular review and its JSON backup for a structured copy of the entered record. Reopen the downloaded files and check the document reference, package rows, units and totals. A successful download only proves that a file was created. It does not prove that another application displays the content correctly or that a buyer accepts that format.
The current page also offers a document preview and a print/PDF path. Shared account controls may apply to that path, so do not make an urgent handoff depend on an untested PDF download. Keep the CSV or JSON copy available. This guide does not promise that the JSON backup can be re-imported through a restore button on the current page.
Keep commercial names, addresses, shipment details and exported files private. Use only the information needed by the intended recipient. If the page offers an optional dashboard or sharing action, decide separately whether to use it. Preparing a local document is not authorisation to send the commercial record to someone else.
Mark the approved file with a clear revision and retain the version sent. When a package changes after approval, tell the responsible recipient which document has been replaced and why. Keep the earlier version in your own audit trail, but make the current one unmistakable. Do not let a revised list circulate alongside an outdated invoice without explaining the difference.
Final dispatch review
Walk through the physical packages once more with the final list. Confirm that each identifier exists, every package has a corresponding record, the contents reconcile with the dispatch and measurements describe the finished goods. Resolve blank or uncertain fields, then confirm the person responsible for the next handoff.
Return to the Packing List Generator whenever a verified packing change requires a new version. Keep the calculation, document review and carrier acceptance as separate checks. The useful result is a readable record that another person can reconcile with the cargo and the transaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a packing list replace the commercial invoice?
No. It records the physical packages and their contents. The commercial invoice serves a different purpose, and the two records should reconcile for the goods being dispatched.
Should the quantity field contain the number of products inside a carton?
For the entry method in this guide, use one row per physical package and quantity one. Describe the product quantities inside that package separately, with their units.
Does increasing a row quantity multiply its weights and volume?
No. The current generator sums row weights and row CBM as entered totals. Use a separate row for each physical package to avoid understating the shipment.
Is the container utilisation percentage a loading approval?
No. It is an indicative volume comparison. A forwarder must separately confirm physical fit, loading arrangements, payload limits and acceptance requirements.
Can I rely on the downloaded file without reopening it?
No. Reopen the CSV, JSON or PDF you intend to use and review references, package rows and totals. Confirm that the recipient accepts that document format.