What shipping marks are for
Shipping marks are the words and numbers on each package of an export shipment. They identify the package at every step: when customs picks packages to open, when the warehouse sorts a container load or an LCL consolidation, and when the buyer's staff receive the goods. The marks on the packages must match the marks and numbers on the invoice, the packing list and the bill of lading. That match is how a package is tied to its documents.
What a good carton label carries
- The shipping mark. Usually the buyer's mark or initials and the destination port, printed large enough to read from a forklift.
- The package number out of the total. "12 OF 480" tells everyone handling the cargo whether the shipment is complete.
- The order or invoice reference. It ties the carton to the paperwork without opening it.
- Weights and size. The net and gross weight and the outside size, for the handlers and for checking against the packing list.
- Country of origin. "MADE IN INDIA". Many importing countries require origin marking, and buyers often ask for it.
- Handling marks. This side up, fragile, keep dry: the standard pictures, which every handler recognises in any language.
Printing them
Choose the paper you have: A4 self-adhesive sheets with 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8 labels, or 4x6 inch thermal labels. Print the PDF at 100%, never "fit to page", so the labels sit inside the cut lines. For a large shipment, print in batches: set the first and last numbers, and every label still counts out of the full total.
Mistakes that cost exporters money
- Marks on the cartons that differ from the documents. Customs can hold the shipment until the difference is explained.
- Numbers that do not add up. Two cartons marked "7 OF 120", and none marked "8", and the buyer counts a shortage.
- Labels printed too small. Marks that cannot be read in a dim warehouse are no marks at all.
- No country of origin where it is required. Some destinations fine unmarked goods, or have them re-marked at the importer's cost.