Shipping Instruction (S/I)

A shipping instruction (S/I) is the shipper’s written instruction to the freight forwarder or carrier about how a consignment is to be moved and documented. The forwarder uses it to book space, prepare the bill of lading or air waybill and complete the export paperwork, so what you write here usually ends up printed on the transport document. A mistake in a name, a weight or a port is far easier to fix on the instruction than on an issued bill of lading.

This template puts the instruction on one boxed sheet: whom it goes to, the shipper, consignee and notify party, the route and dates, a cargo table with marks, packages, description and HS code and weights and volumes that add up to totals, a container table with the verified gross mass (VGM) for full-container shipments, a dangerous-goods flag with its own table, the freight terms and the Incoterms 2020 rule, and the instructions for the transport document: bill of lading, sea waybill or air waybill, the number of originals, how the consignee is named and where the documents go. The sheet carries instructions only. The carrier issues the transport document on its own form.

• You are booking a sea or air shipment and your forwarder asks for written instructions.
• A letter of credit decides how the bill of lading must name the consignee and the notify party.
• You ship similar goods often and want the same data in the same order every time.
• You have to flag dangerous goods or special handling before the cut-off.

1. Enter whom the sheet goes to (forwarder or carrier), your booking number and the type of shipment.
2. Fill in the shipper (from your saved company details), the consignee and the notify party.
3. Add the ports, the requested departure and the cargo-ready or cut-off date the carrier gave you.
4. List the cargo and, for a full container, the containers. Packages, weight and volume add up. Tick the dangerous-goods box if it applies and fill in its table.
5. Choose the freight terms, the Incoterms rule and the transport document you want, then add special instructions.
6. Sign, print or download Word or Excel, and send it before the cut-off.

• Names and descriptions that differ from the letter of credit or the commercial invoice, which later causes document discrepancies.
• Sending the sheet after the cut-off, or without the verified gross mass of a packed container.
• Mixing up the number of original bills of lading with the number of copies.
• Leaving out the marks and numbers or the HS code that the consignee needs for customs clearance.
• Flagging dangerous goods only on this sheet; the carrier also needs its own signed declaration.
• Treating freight prepaid or collect as the same question as the Incoterms rule; they are separate.

1. Fill in
2. Check the preview
3. Save as PDF, Word or Excel

Pick the country you need. Each version uses the wording and layout commonly found there; a version marked “check with local advice” should be read by someone who knows the local rules before it is used.

• International (XX): Written in English, Korean, Japanese, German – check with local advice
• Korea (KR): Written in Korean, English – check with local advice
• Japan (JP): Written in Japanese, English – check with local advice
• Germany (DE): Written in German, English – check with local advice