Packaging materials commercial invoice template

Packaging materials commercial invoice template: cartons, film and tape priced per thousand or per roll, with HS code, origin and weights.

Free packaging materials commercial invoice template: sample document with HS code and origin columns, prices and the total
Shown with sample figures. The template itself starts blank.

Templates by industry

  • Double-wall corrugated cartons, per 1,000
  • Stretch film, 500 mm × 300 m, per roll
  • Packaging tape, 48 mm × 100 m, per carton of 36 rolls

Preparation guide

Example workflow

  1. Describe the goods

    Example: describe "Double-wall corrugated cartons, per 1,000" precisely enough for customs, with HS code, origin, quantity and unit value.

  2. Add the shipment details

    Enter the Incoterms, ports of loading and discharge, gross and net weight and packages, and check "Packaging tape, 48 mm × 100 m, per carton of 36 rolls" matches the packing list.

  3. Sign and send

    Sign the declaration and send the invoice to the importer and your freight forwarder or customs broker with the other shipping documents.

Packaging is sold in units that differ from item to item: cartons per thousand, film per roll, tape per carton of rolls. If the invoice mixes them without saying so, the quantity times the price gives the wrong total and the declared value is wrong too. This template makes the unit part of every line and asks for net weight, gross weight and pallets, because the freight for flat cartons depends on the space they take rather than on the weight.

Fields to prepare

Deliverables and line items
Double-wall corrugated cartons, per 1,000, Stretch film, 500 mm × 300 m, per roll, Packaging tape, 48 mm × 100 m, per carton of 36 rolls: give each line a precise description, its HS code, country of origin, quantity and value.
Double-wall corrugated cartons, per 1,000
Quote the price per thousand and enter the quantity in thousands, so forty means forty thousand cartons; say the board grade and the inside dimensions.
Stretch film, 500 mm × 300 m, per roll
Give width, length per roll, thickness in microns and whether the film is machine or hand grade, because the same width in another thickness is a different price.
Packaging tape, 48 mm × 100 m, per carton of 36 rolls
Write the tape width and length per roll and the number of rolls in a carton, and keep the unit as cartons, not rolls, so the quantity matches the pallet count.
Parties and terms
Name the exporter, the importer and, if the goods go to someone else, the consignee, with the Incoterms, the currency and the payment terms.
Shipment
Give the ports of loading and discharge, the shipping method, the gross and net weight, the number of packages and the reason for export.
Scope to agree
Give the unit the price is quoted in, such as per thousand or per roll, with the quantity in that unit, and add the net and gross weight and the pallet count, since packaging is bulky and freight follows volume.

Before sending

  • Does “Double-wall corrugated cartons, per 1,000” have the HS code and country of origin customs will check?
  • Is the value of “Stretch film, 500 mm × 300 m, per roll” the price actually paid, in the invoice currency?
  • Do the quantity and weight of “Packaging tape, 48 mm × 100 m, per carton of 36 rolls” match the packing list?
Show 3 more
  • Check the Incoterms, ports, weights and package count against the shipping documents, and the importing country's customs requirements.
  • Check each HS code and country of origin with your freight forwarder or customs broker; QuoteBill does not look them up.
  • Check the tax rate: it starts at 0% because exports are often zero-rated, so change it if your sale is taxed.

Worked example with sample figures

The figures below are invented to show how the template adds up: 3 lines in USD, with no tax added.

  • Double-wall corrugated cartons, per 1,000 (HS 4819.10, origin TR): 40 × $480.00 = $19,200.00
  • Stretch film, 500 mm × 300 m, per roll (HS 3920.10, origin TR): 600 × $4.50 = $2,700.00
  • Packaging tape, 48 mm × 100 m, per carton of 36 rolls (HS 3919.10, origin PL): 150 × $28.00 = $4,200.00

Value of the goods $26,100.00, tax $0.00, invoice total $26,100.00.

  • Sales order SO-PK-1186.
  • Shipment: DAP Casablanca, from Mersin, TR to Casablanca, MA; gross weight 21,600 kg, net weight 20,500 kg, 48 PLTS.

What the document must show

These details make a commercial invoice easier to approve and to file.

  • Exporter and importer names and addresses, and the consignee if different
  • Invoice number and date
  • Each item with description, HS code, origin, quantity, unit price and value
  • Incoterms, currency and payment terms
  • Ports of loading and discharge, shipping method
  • Gross and net weight, number of packages
  • A signed declaration

A commercial invoice starts at 0%, because exports are often zero-rated; change the rate if your sale is taxed. The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.

Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes

Frequently asked questions

How do I avoid an error when prices are per thousand?

Write the unit in the description of every line and enter the quantity in that unit. The total then comes out right, and the importer’s broker does not have to guess whether 40 means forty cartons or forty thousand.

Should pallets be a line on the invoice?

Only if you charge for them. Pallets that carry the goods are counted in the packages box and the gross weight, while pallets you sell belong on a line of their own with a quantity and a price.

How is the sales tax worked out on this commercial invoice?

A commercial invoice starts at 0%, because exports are often zero-rated; change the rate if your sale is taxed. The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending. With nothing added, the total in the worked example above stays at the net amount of $26,100.00.

Can I download it as Excel, Word or PDF?

Yes. A PDF needs no account: fill in the template and use Print / PDF. The Excel and Word files download from this page with a free account, and the spreadsheet keeps its formulas, so changing a quantity updates the tax and the total.

Can I use it in another language or currency?

Yes. The document language can be set to any of 33 languages, and changing the country setting updates the currency, the date format and the tax rate.

Read next

Reading for the Packaging materials commercial invoice template: Proforma vs invoice and down payment invoice and Unpaid invoice: follow-ups, part payments and statements. The currency converter converts the amounts when you invoice in another currency.