How to Read a Bill of Lading

Start with identity and parties

Confirm the B/L number and carrier first, then compare the shipper, consignee and notify party against the commercial invoice. A consignee shown as ‘to order’ changes how title is transferred and should never be silently normalized.

• B/L number and carrier SCAC
• Shipper and consignee legal names
• Notify party and contact details

Check the voyage and ports

Vessel, voyage, port of loading and port of discharge define the contracted movement. Match ports using UN/LOCODE where possible, because similarly named terminals and cities cause expensive routing errors.

Reconcile containers and cargo

Recompute every ISO 6346 container check digit and compare package and weight totals with the packing list. Treat a missing or extra container as a high-severity discrepancy.

Review dates and release type

Check shipped-on-board and issue dates, the number of originals, and whether the document is original, sea waybill or telex released. These details control payment and cargo release.