6 minute guide
Commercial Invoice vs Packing List
What each document contains, where they overlap and how to cross-check them.
Different jobs, shared facts
The commercial invoice records the sale and customs value. The packing list records the physical packing. Both should agree on parties, product identity and shipment references, but only the invoice needs prices and currency.
Fields to cross-check
Compare names after removing harmless punctuation, then reconcile product lines, cartons, net weight and gross weight.
- Seller and buyer
- Invoice and PO references
- Product descriptions and HS codes
- Cartons, net weight and gross weight
Common discrepancies
Late packing changes, unit conversion errors and copied old references are common. Resolve the source document rather than editing both copies independently.
Check your document automatically
Extract the fields, then run deterministic shipping checks before export.
Parse a document free