What is a Bill of Lading
A Bill of Lading is a contract between shippers and transportation companies as an agreement for transportation of goods. It is issued by the transportation company to the shipper. The goods while in transit must be accompanied by their corresponding BoL in order to be signed for at the destination by a valid representative of the goods' receiver where it then serves as the shipment receipt. Bills of Lading can be issued for land, ocean and air freight.
Bills of Lading have a lot of information about the shipper, receiver, shipment, transportation company and method of shipment. This guide explains all the terms that can appear in Bills of Lading.
Glossary of Terms
Acquisition
The country where the goods were shipped from
Arrival Date
The date the shipment arrives within the Customs territory of the country
Attributes
Code used at customs to separate goods in products, brands, and descriptions
Bill of Lading Number
The unique number assigned to this particular shipment by the ocean carrier or freight forwarder
Brand
The name used to identify and differentiate between goods created by different companies
Brand FOB
The cost of each unit for the exact product & brand listed
Brand ID
The number used when there are multiple goods of the same product ID to differentiate between Brands
Brand Quantity
The number of units shipped of the exact product & brand listed
Carrier Address
The address of the company in charge of moving the freight
Carrier Code
The four digit Standard Carrier Alpha Code of the ocean carrier or freight forwarder managing the transit of the shipment
Carrier Name
The name of the company in charge of moving the freight from the Shipper to Consignee
Chapter Code
The first two numbers of the HS Code defining the category of goods in which the shipment fits
Chapter Description
Any defining attributes used to classify a specific chapter
CIF
Cost, Insurance, Freight: The combined cost of the Freight on Board, Transportation, and Insurance.
Consignee
The company importing the shipment into the destination country\
Consignee Address
The address of the company importing the shipment into the destination country
Consignee Email
The email address listed on the shipment for the importer
Consignee Fax
The fax number listed on the shipment for the importer
Consignee Phone
The phone number listed on the shipment for the importer
Container Number
The unique number assigned to the ocean shipping container carrying the shipment in question
Country of Origin
The country of the last foreign port the shipment passes through before arriving in the destination country
Customs
The Customs Agency responsible for clearing the shipment
Declaration
A statement of taxable goods or dutiable properties
Declaration Number
Number of the customs declaration
Description 1-3
Any further descriptors of the goods
Destination Country
The country the shipment is ultimately being sent to
Distribution Port
In some cases, imported shipments are not cleared through Customs at the port of arrival. Instead, the importer may choose to clear them at a different port, known as the Distribution Port. Whenever this happens, you'll see that the In-Bond Entry Type is listed as a Transportation Entry instead of a Consumption Entry because the goods are allowed into the physical territory of the country for transportation purposes, not consumption (aka sale).
Embarkation
Where the shipment has been loaded and sent from
Export Date
The date the shipment leaves the country
FOB Freight on Board
The cost of the goods on the shipment
Foreign Port
The last port the shipment passes through before arriving in the destination country
Freight
The cost of moving the shipment
Gross Weight
The gross weight of the shipment, excluding the weight of the actual container
House B/L A
Code used to report individual portions of a consolidated shipment
House vs Master
The field to differentiate between the House bills of lading and Master bills of lading
HS Code
The Harmonized System Code is a number designed to classify and describe goods
HS Code Description
A description of the goods defined by the HS Code
Incoterms
A series of three-letter trade terms related to the tasks, costs, and risks associated with the transportation of the goods
Insurance
The cost of insuring the commodities involved
Load Type
Any special characteristics of a shipment
Marks & Numbers
Any text or numbers appearing on the individual cartons inside the ocean containers
Master B/L
A 4-character issuer code plus the issuer-assigned sequence number, which identifies the shipment
Merchandise State
The status/quality of the goods
Net Weight
The weight of the shipment, not including the container or packaging
No. of Containers
The number of containers used for the shipment
Notify Party
The party authorized to receive a copy of the bill of lading notification
Number of Packages
The quantity of packages involved in the shipment
Number of Units
The quantity of boxes Customs would find if they were to open the shipment for inspection
Operation Type
The type of shipment
Origin Freight
Original Currency used for Freight
Origin Insurance
Original Currency used for Insurance
Package Type
The type of unit being shipped
Pay Type
The method of payment
Physical Quantity
The numbers of units found within a shipment
Place of Receipt
The city where responsibility of the goods is transferred from the shipper to the logistics company
Port
The last port the shipment passes through before arriving in the destination country
Product Description
The exporter's description of the shipment as it appears on the bill of lading or shipping manifest
Product ID
The number used when multiple goods are sent on the same shipment to help sort and differentiate between HS Codes
Quantity
The number of units found within the shipment
Remarks
Where customs puts additional information for the products imported
Ship Registered In
The country where the ship is officially registered
Shipper
The overseas company exporting the shipment
Shipper Address
The address of the overseas company exporting the shipment
Shipper Phone
The phone number listed on the shipment for the exporter
Tax (%)
The percentage of taxation on a shipment
Total Invoice
Total value of the invoice
Transportation Company
The company responsible for delivery of the goods
Transportation Type
The method of transport used for the shipping of the goods
U.S. Port
The U.S. Port where the shipment enters the Country.
U.S.Unit
The measurement used to describe the Quantity
Variety
Any further description of the goods on board
Vessel Name
The name of the ship transporting the shipment
Volume
The volume of the shipment, generally defined in cubic meters or container base measurements (CBM)
Voyage Number
A unique code assigned to that particular sailing of the ship between two ports
Zip Code
A group or 5 or 9 numbers used to assist in sorting of mail for delivery